Pike fishing tips - Where to look for pike ?
Fishermen going after pike can find some success all year long, but there are certain times of the year and conditions when anglers are much more likely to bring home a stringer of pike.
The key is to know the best areas to target and be willing to change up lures and retrieves until you hit the winning combination for any given day on the water.
Spring to Summer
Early spring can be the mother lode for pike fishermen. As the females begin to seek out spawning areas they move into some of the shallowest water. And the males, ready to do their part, aren't far behind.
In lakes, the productive fishing areas will be shallow bays with muddy bottoms and weedy areas. In fact, water from knee to ankle deep is a good place to start looking. The water can be so shallow in these areas you might even be able to spot a bigger fish's wake and sight cast to it.
Because pike are aggressive predators, tossing spinner baits and crankbaits that imitate the local baitfish is one of the best tactics. Silver or gold spinners have always been popular. In crankbaits, silver, gold, red and white, shad lures and fire-tiger patterns work well.
Pike will be looking for a place that offers protection, yet sets them up for snagging an occasional meal as it swims by. Cast to weed lines or any other "edge" in the area. If you're throwing a crankbait, let it sit for a bit before giving it a slow retrieve. Fish in a moderate to aggressive mood will go for this lazy approach.
If you're using a lure that dives, try tossing it by the edge of a weed bed and letting it sit for a few moments. Then give it a couple of twitches and bring it in with a series of short jerks. What you want to do is imitate a crippled minnow.
Tactics are the same for working rivers during the early spawn. You need to find a quiet, shallow backwater or bay. Again, it needs to have weeds and places for pike to find cover and ambush fish.
Another tip for this time of year is that pike will be active from around 8-11 a.m. and then go through a couple of hours of inactivity. They will perk up again beginning around 1 p.m. and hit their peak level of activity at about 3 p.m. Unlike some fish, pike are not nocturnal feeders, so as the evening draws near, fishing success goes down.
After spawning, and as the summer sun warms the water, pike head to deeper, cooler water, usually about 10-15 feet. During this period, jigs can work well. Pike still need cover so look for drop offs or submerged rocks. Any spinner or crankbait needs to be fished deep and slowly. This approach applies to both lake and river fishing.
When the fish move out of their spawning grounds in the rivers, try fishing where the bends in the river slow down the current. Pike like to tuck themselves into these areas so they aren't always fighting the current.
Fall to Winter
In the fall, you will find the fish moving back into more shallow areas and the same techniques that produced in the spring will work.
As the water cools the pike will grow more and more lethargic. They will seek warmer water, but their metabolism will be slowing down so they will not require as much food.
In the lakes, fish the shallows. You will have to get your offering very close to the fish because they will not move very much to take your lure. A slow retrieve is absolutely required.
River fishing can out perform lake fishing during the winter as the water turns over continually in the river causing the fish to move more than in lakes. Many, if not most, fishermen will turn to dead baits for winter pike fishing in rivers. However, pike lures can be used but you must get them to the right depth and the retrieve must be very slow.
At the end of winter, just before the spawn begins in rivers, pike will often gather off rocky outcroppings and just below dams before moving into shallower water. Pull shad imitations through these and you are likely to have some success.
So no matter what time of year you head out to the water, it's worth taking some time to target pike.
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