The best time of year for pike is fall, as the water temperature is slowly dropping and the pike feed and hunt very actively and aggressively. More specifically, September and October are, by far, the best months to target pike.
What’s the best time to fish pike?
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 temperature are pike most active?
Pike are very specific when it comes to water temperature. Their absolute ideal water temperature is between 64.5F and 70F (18C-21C). This temperature range is ideal for growth and is most comfortable to them. Because of this pike will seek out the warmest areas of the lake while the water is still cold.
What temperature is best for pike fishing?
The optimal temperature lies between 8-15 degrees Celsius, but they can survive between 4-23 degrees Celsius.
Is Spring good for pike fishing?
Spring is prime time for pike. The Prespawn and Postspawn periods offer excellent odds at catching giants, along with oodles of feisty fish from the teens down to snot-rocket proportions. From before ice-out until pike begin to disperse to their summer locations, a variety of timely patterns are effective.
What is the best pike bait?
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 color do pike see best?
Black or ghost patterns of lure baits are a great start. Pike will see a black lure against the skylight near the surface of the water more than other colours.
What is the best depth to catch pike?
Most of these fish are caught in shallow water. Big pike, however, go deep. Many times they are in water 15 feet deep or deeper. At these times, a big deep running lure is needed.
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.
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 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.
How do you attract pike?
Pike use their eyes to hunt and are attracted to colors like white, chartreuse, and bright orange. Use reflective or brightly colored baits to catch the pike’s eye. Good baits to use for pike include walking baits, buzz baits, spinnerbaits, spoons, and crankbaits. Pike also react to sound and vibration.
Is March good for pike fishing?
Mid February to March
This is often the most rewarding time of year for the dedicated pike angler. As the ice starts to thaw & water temperatures creep up to around 5 degrees, the pike start to move from deeper water and head to the shallower spawning grounds.
Do pike bite in March?
I have found that February and March are generally excellent months for targeting big pre-spawn northern pike, both through the ice and in open water. You can pretty much use anything to target them now, be it spinnerbaits, crankbaits, jerkbaits, spoons, dead or live baits.
What time of day are pike most active?
Like many predator species, northern pike tend to be particularly active during early morning and evening. Still, northern pike can be caught most any time of day. Northern pike are sight feeders and don’t bite much at night. Northern pike are common in most lakes and rivers.
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.
What is pike favorite food?
Pike consume large numbers of smaller fish – about 90 percent of their diet – but seem willing to supplement their diet with any living creature their huge jaws can surround, including frogs, crayfish, waterfowl, rodents and other small mammals.
What is the best size lure for pike?
Go for lures in the 6-inch / 16cm range as these will be easy to cast and will catch pike of all sizes.
What do pike like to bite on?
Suckers are a favorite food for a lot of big freshwater predators but muskies and northern pike really love them. II would say suckers are the favorite food of muskies and second favorite of northern pike. White suckers can grow to more than a foot long and provide a very substantial meal for any northern pike.
Do pike bite when it’s sunny?
In murkier water, the sun will actually help the pike to see your lures and baits better. Pike are sight feeders so the sun will actually help to improve the bite quite a bit in stained waters.