Soft rayed fish that have lots of natural oil in the skin and flesh make the best dead baits for pike fishing. These natural oils leech into the water and help to attract pike that may be cruising in the area. Some of the best dead baits are smelt, alewives, small whitefish, chubs, and the always popular sucker.
What time of day is best for pike fishing?
During spring and fall, fishing between late morning and early afternoon will be the best time to catch pike. Very early mornings and late evenings are your best picks during the summer. In winter, the hours between the later mornings and middays are usually best.
What is the easiest way to catch a pike?
If a hungry Pike is in the swim it will usually bite within 20 to 30 minutes, if not then simply move to the next likely looking spot. Fishing a dead bait is often the best method. Dead baits work in clear or cloudy water, day or night, on still waters and rivers.
What month is best for pike fishing?
Regardless of where you fish, late May and early June is a prime time to target big pike. The majority of pike will spawn around the full moon cycle in April whether under ice or open water. By mid-May the spawn is over and the big fish look to regain all the weight they lost during the spawn process.
What is the best bait for pike? – Related Questions
How deep should I fish for pike?
PREDATOR LOCATION
In November, when there’s still plenty weed growth, pike congregate in weedy areas, that are three to six feet deep, as the water is warmer. These places also provide camouflage, enabling pike to ambush prey fish. Once December hits, and the first frosts bite, target water of at least six to 15 feet.
What is the best eating size for pike?
The best eating size fish: walleye 15 – 18 inches, perch 9 – 12 inches and northern pike 22 – 28 inches, we encourage our guests to enjoy eating while they are here when the fish are at their very best freshness and taste.
What is the best weather to fish for pike?
Favorable weather conditions for pike include a low-pressure system with moderate temperatures, overcast skies, and southern or southwestern winds. Rain does however have a somewhat more negative effect on the pike’s appetite and should hence be avoided.
What temperature do pike start biting?
Pike stay shallow, following forage. Optimal metabolism temperature is around 66 degrees, and they’ll feed aggressively as the waters reach this temperature.
Do pike go deep or shallow in winter?
Weeds and rock in combination with sand transitions in shallow water draw pike shallow during portions of the winter season. But when pike drop deep, as they often do during midwinter, rock-rubble drop-off edges and especially deep rock humps near shallow cover usually are where they hold. Pike suspend in some lakes.
Is April good for pike fishing?
Sometimes winter reaches its peak in February and lasts until April. Under these conditions, pike normally begin their spawning in March and continue well into April.
What color does pike like most?
The ability of slower retrieve along with a softer underwater tone gives you the injured fish action northern pike prey upon. Best pike lure colors: Red/Black or White (sunny days), Chartreuse/Blue (cloudy days).
What colors attract pike?
The very best lures to use for pike in clear water are swimbaits, softbaits, and crankbaits with an authentic pattern and swimming action. Natural lure colors that resemble the pike’s prey, such as white, silver, green, or black, have proven most effective.
Do pike like fast or slow water?
Usually, the outer curve of the river has a slower stream which means, that it would be a great place for a pike to hunt for its prey. Pikes prefer to sit in the slack water alongside the main flow to pick off passing prey which is caught in the turbulence.
Does wd40 attract pike?
What is this? According to some experiments done to see if this method actually works, apparently, WD-40 does not catch fish or attract them.
How long should you hold a pike hold?
Hold for 10 seconds, lower, and repeat on the other side.
Are pike difficult to catch?
Use The Right Tackle
Pike can grow extremely large, and fight very hard. For that reason, make sure your rod, reel, and line are up to the task. Many anglers have felt the sting of a big pike breaking them off because they used too light of line.
Why can’t I catch pike on lures?
Sometimes you have to virtually run the lure past the pike’s nose before it’s tempted to strike. If fishing a narrow drain or canal, always cast your lure ahead of where you’re walking so you don’t spook the fish. Remember, pike are often laying in wait in shallow water and margins.
What pound line should I use for pike?
Pike have extremely sharp teeth that gives them the ability to break through some line with ease. It is important to structure your line with the reel and rod set up you plan to use. For a reel that has at least a maximum of 15 pounds worth of drag, we like to use 15 to 20-pound braided line.
What size hooks for pike fishing?
Pike / Predator Hooks
Treble hooks from size 4 to 10 are commonly used on predator dead bait traces, usually with two hooks per trace. Hooks ranging from size 8 to 3/0 can be used on lures, with the hook size being dictated by the size of the lures.
How far should my hook be from my float?
Set the float first
At the moment you should have a float on the line, fixed at about 18 inches (45 cm) up the line from the hook. If you swing the line out into the water now, the float will either lay flat on the surface or perhaps poke out of the water several inches.