It’s time to gear up and hit the pike trail
...but make sure you are set up to handle these ace predators
AS AUTUMN moves into the coldest quarter of the year it’s time to turn my attention to fish that relish these conditions.
To be a successful all-round angler you have to let the seasons dictate your fishing, so now I’m preparing for predators… and one above all others sits high on my hit list.
Soulless black eyes and baleful jaws to deliver the killer blow give the pike its fearsome reputation, but that doesn’t tell the full story of a creature at the top of the aquatic food chain. In truth, Esox is as vulnerable as any of the roach it devours. Like all apex predators it need cares and attention, especially during the unhooking process.
This is why I start with a plea that before you follow any of my tips you ensure you’re capable and confident enough to handle a pike on the bank and return it safely to the water. Have an adequate net, mat and unhooking tools at the ready, and never fish without a wire trace. Your set-up must signal a bite immediately – a deeplyhooked pike is not good for you or the fish!
Once a pike is on the bank, remember you have a duty of care to it, so gently straddle its body, insert a hand under the gill plate and gently lift, so the mouth falls open. Do this with confidence and whatever you do, don’t let go at this stage. The hook should now be exposed and can be removed with forceps.
Please study this or, better still, go accompanied by an experienced pike angler until you are confident enough to handle your catch by yourself. Then you’ll have plenty to look forward to this winter. For me pike fishing on both still and running water is one of the highlights of the coming months.
PIKE FISHING ON RIVERS
Life for a river pike is topsy-turvy, to say the least. One week it’s floods, the next the water is low and clear. This can be frustrating, but at least you can learn to recognise the prime windows of opportunity.
It’s always tricky giving firm rules, but if I could pick any conditions it would be postflood as the river is dropping and clearing. This can be easily identified by river gauge readings found on the internet, so keep a close eye on these and try to pick the prime times.
Once you’re fishing, keep mobile – I can’t remember the last time I took a seat with me to the river. A rucksack, a landing net, two made-up rods and rod rests are all I will need, and I’ll sit on an unhooking mat. I’ll stay in any one swim for an hour at most, as it’s far more productive to rove than stay put.
My equipment is basic but strong, consisting of 11ft rods and 60lb Esox braid loaded on to reels with a good drag. In rocky conditions I will substitute braid for 18lb E-S-P Syncro XT for its superior abrasion-resistance.
Most of my river fishing is
“If I could pick any conditions it would be post flood as river is dropping and clearing”
under a float, a buoyant Drennan Zeppler. I set the depth via a stop knot tied with marker gum, and for deadbaiting a run ring and bead are positioned below the float. This has a weight clipped on to create a simple float/leger arrangement.
The trace is always made from Drennan green wire and Esox trebles, my favourite bait being sardines. Their softness puts some anglers off, but I keep them frozen until the last minute and after the initial cast I swap the hooks around so the top treble sits in the tougher mouth.
I’d say 90 per cent of my fishing is done with deadbaits, but I’m not averse to using livebaits when circumstances permit.
Whether you fish a paternoster or free rover, always use an uptrace to stop bite-offs. Mine is made from 40lb seven-strand
wire, and rarely do I need to change it. However, all the advice in the world is useless if you fish in the wrong place. By being mobile you’re more likely to find pike, so try to think like your quarry. You want to live without wasting energy but be close to prey, so areas of calm or steady water are the place to target, especially along a crease.
STILLWATER PIKE FISHING
Stillwater fishing starts with an identical mantra – keep it simple! Finding a big pike is by far the hardest challenge. Start with 12ft Esox Piker rods and big pit reels loaded with 60lb braid.
Putting livebait fishing aside for the moment, a simple running resistance- free leger covers a lot of situations, but never freeline a bait – bite indication just isn’t quick enough. If weed is a problem I prefer to use a loaded float and fish the deadbait just overdepth, so the moment it’s picked up a take is registered.
For all my other bite indication I use a drop-back at the rear and an alarm to the front, and I have yet to find anything better than my tried and trusted, albeit ancient, Optonics. Trace material and hooks are the same as for river fishing, but I am far more catholic in my choice of bait. Smelts and sardines are at the top of the list, with mackerel and herring in close contention. What really counts, though, is where they are cast.
I am a little more patient on stillwaters than rivers, but unless the spot is prebaited I will still move swims regularly. It’s very hard to predict the hotspots yearon-year. Lure fishing can be used to locate these but nothing, in my experience, can beat a livebait under a drifter float. So much water can be covered so quickly as the big sail pulls floating braid off.
Set the depth well off bottom so as not to snag in the weed – a pike will easily see a silhouetted bait – and then cast at the tail of the wind. Point the rod into the air, open the bail-arm and the whole width or length of the lake can be covered. There are few better sights than watching a distant float slide sideways and then disappear from view.
Don’t be despondent about reaching for the thermals. It’s time to fish for pike, and that should be enough to keep you warm.