What is the best dead bait for pike?
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.
Can you dead bait for pike in summer?
But pike are more active in the warmer months and when they decide to feed they often go into a frenzy and snaffle down baits very quickly. For this reason we do not recommend the use of deadbaits until the winter months. This will inevitably result in deeply hooked and often damaged fish.
Can you use single hooks for pike fishing?
However, some anglers are moving towards circle hooks or even single J hooks for pike. They’re considered safer for the fish and easier to unhook.If you go with circle hooks, remember not to strike into the pike and instead, just pull the bait steadily out of its mouth to make the hook set.
What size hooks for pike fishing?
A typical pike trace will be 18 inches long with two treble hooks mounted 3-5 inches apart. Treble Hooks are available as either fully-barbed, semi-barbed, or barbless. Size 4’s, 6’s and 8’s are the most suitable for use with a standard sized 6” dead bait.
What is the best time of day to fish for pike?
As another rule of thumb, the best times for pike are usually around sunrise and sunset. However, since in spring the weather isn’t as harsh yet and water temperatures allow pike to hunt for longer – you can successfully catch pike throughout the day.
What depth do you fish for 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.
Can you catch pike with barbless hooks?
To facilitate the process, many lodges that target trophy pike, like those of Northern Saskatchewan’s Cree River system, often implement a barbless hook rule. You may lose a fish now and then, but the benefit of working with barbless hooks is undeniable.Mashing J hook barbs is also a good idea.
Is there a pike season?
Lots of anglers fish for pike from October through to the end of the traditional river season on 15 March. Some wait until the first frosts in autumn. Many other anglers fish for pike all year round. People will have a variety of reasons for choosing their position on this issue.
Can you catch pike in April?
April to May
The males gather in wait in the shallower waters to be joined later by the larger females. During spawning, much the same as other species, the pike is too pre-occupied to be interested in feeding and responsible anglers will have hung up their bait rods in march to leave the pike to it.
What’s the best weather for pike fishing?
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.
Are Circle Hooks good?
Circle hooks have been shown to increase the survival of angler released fish. With their success already proven for many game fish species, these hooks are now used increasingly for many other common recreational species including bream, flathead and kingfish.
Do you need a wire leader for pike?
Wire leaders for pike are needed when fishing with baitfish, smaller lures, and softbaits, as these can be swallowed swiftly and easily by the pike. For larger lures and when trolling for pike, you can use a thick fluorocarbon leader instead, as it is unlikely that the pike will swallow the entire bait.
What kind of rod do you use for pike fishing?
For a general all-round good purpose pike rod, a 12ft 3lb test curve rod will cover the majority of the bait fishing situations that you will encounter. For heavier bait work a 12ft 3.5lb test curve is recommended, this is an ideal rod for casting bigger leads (3oz) and bigger baits.
What size hooks for northern pike?
Pike Hook
| Hook Size | Hook Gap | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 40 | 1.969in | 50mm |
| 3 | 50 | 2.559in | 65mm |
| 4 | 75 | 4.331in | 110mm |
| 10 | 85 | 4.724in | 120mm |
Where do pike like to hide?
They will stick to the back of bays where water warms up quickly with the morning sun and they have lots of weeds to hide in. The really large Northern Pike are more likely to hang around points leading into bays, narrows between islands or in river current especially later in the spring.
What temperature do pike like?
Pike stay shallow, following forage. Optimal metabolism temperature is around 66 degrees, and they’ll feed aggressively as the waters reach this temperature. You can downsize your fly offerings in early spring to mimic the smaller profile of young-of-year baitfish.
What colors attract pike?
Pike are visual feeders, and tend to be attracted to bright colors. Use high-visibility colors like white, chartreuse, and bright orange. They also respond well to baits that put off lots of vibration or sound.
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