Pike is an ancient predator. Legends come up about him, fishermen have been hunting him since ancient times. Russian fishing for pike overgrown with stories. How to catch a trophy to be proud of? To answer this question, you need to understand the methods of fishing, tackle and bait. Let's get acquainted with the pike, its way of life.
Pike lives in thickets of reeds and grass in the coastal zone of the reservoir. She does not like a strong current, so it is almost impossible to find her where the chub lives in abundance. The predator grows up to 1.5 meters in length and in rare cases reaches a weight of 30 kg. Usually, individuals from 0.5 to 10 kg come across. Outwardly, they look like a torpedo - an elongated body, a long head and large jaws with many sharp teeth. Pike feeds not only on fish fry. A large mouth needs a suitable target, therefore, adult bream, crucian carp, and smaller pike are included in the pike diet.
Types of fishing
Although the pike is a predator, it will not chase prey along the river. Most often, she, hiding in thickets or snags, is waiting for the right moment to attack her prey. From this method of hunting, and you need to build on, going fishing for a pike. You can catch this predator both on a regular float fishing rod, and on a spinning or bottom tackle.
There are such ways of catching pike:
- float fishing;
- spinning fishing;
- bottom tackle;
- fishing for girders (deliveries).
Let's look at each method of catching this toothy beauty.
Float and bottom fishing
In general, fishing methods with a fishing rod and bottom spinning almost do not differ from each other. Each method involves the use of bait as bait. The difference between these methods is to feed the pike with bait. If fishing is carried out on a float, then most often it is fishing in postings with the flow. Live bait falls somewhere in the middle of the depth of a given fishing spot. On a boat or from the shore, a fisherman watches the float, hoping for a bite.
Bottom tackle has a different approach to pike fishing. Most often any bite signaling devices (bells or electronic devices) are used. Bottom tackle refers to passive fishing and involves the use of a pair of rods to increase the effectiveness of fishing. Zywiec is thrown into the intended place of fishing. A sinker holds bait near the bottom. Zhivets in turn tries to escape and provokes the pike to attack.
The bait can be almost any. Even a small pike is suitable as a bait, because a toothy predator is a cannibal and enjoys similar ones with pleasure. Such fish as undergrowth, rudd, roach, perch, crucian carp, and scaleless carp are good bait fish for pike. A gudgeon can also serve as a treat. However, there are a few things to consider when using it. If pike fishing is carried out on a gudgeon, then it must be lifted from the bottom, as it will try to hide at the bottom of the reservoir. The worst live bait on the pike is a ruff. He has a lot of thorns on his body, a pike can grab him, but then he will spit it out.
Spinning fishing
Catching pike on a spinning tackle is a bit more confusing than the previous methods. But this method is much more interesting and effective. Allocate surface and bottom pike fishing for spinning. Surface fishing begins when the ponds are overgrown with grass and it is almost impossible to throw the bait to the bottom of the pond. If fishing for pike is to be wobblers, then it is better to take a spinning rod with a fast system, and if fishing is for jig, then special jig sticks with good sensitivity are needed.
When choosing between fishing line and braided cord, it is better to choose a cord. With it, the sensitivity of the gear will be much higher. Leashes should be placed either from a string or from thick fluorocarbon. In the case of using fluorocarbon, the frequency of bites will be higher, but with a steel lead-string there is less chance to leave an expensive wobbler in the mouth of a pike.
Wobbler fishing
Catching pike on wobblers is an interesting and beautiful fishing, especially when it comes to surface wobblers. The fact is that when a pike attacks a surface bait, this spectacle remains in the memory of the fisherman for a long time and gives a surge of adrenaline adrenaline at the time of bite. Surface wobblers are poppers, walkers and minnow-class wobblers with a minimum permissible depth of 0 to 10–20 cm. In short: popper gurgles and creates a lot of splashes when suspenders, the walker walks from side to side (like a snake), class wobblers mines when jerking with a spinning rod imitate a wounded or sick fish, tossing from side to side. All these movements and gurgles irritate the pike and provoke an attack.
Pike fishing from depth to wobblers is carried out using deep wobblers, which are designed for trolling. Trolling is a type of fishing of predatory fish from a motor boat. The fisherman swims at minimum speed and throws a pair of spinning rods with trolling wobblers, releasing them 50 meters or more behind him. This type of fishing requires the use of an echo sounder to determine the depth, depth differences and brow on a river or reservoir. Most often, the pike stands on the edge of the depths or near the snag.
Jigging
Pike fishing from the bottom is based on the use of silicone, foam or oscillating lures. All these types of baits belong to jig fishing for pike from the bottom of a reservoir. Fishing pike on a spinning jig involves the use of silicone lures. They come in a variety of forms - fish, crayfish, squid, worms. All of them are used with extra weight and hook. The load is selected in accordance with the strength of the current.
Hooks are offset and conventional for jig fishing. Offset hook is used when the pond is densely strewn with snags or grass. The usual jig hook is used in clear water. The posting of these types of gear is undermining the jig bait from the bottom of the reservoir (after casting) by a couple of revolutions of the reel, after which the bait is expected to fall to the bottom and again undermine. Fishing for swinging baubles is practically no different from jig fishing for silicone baits.
Fishing
Catching pikes for fishing is fundamentally different from other types of fishing. Its whole point is to drop as many gear as possible in different places and wait for success. When fishing for pike in the spring, this type of fishing will be very effective.
Very often they set stakes without any fishing rod, sailing in a boat or walking in the brooks along the shore of a reservoir. In such a situation, the fisherman is looking for branches hanging over the water and attaches the fishing line to them. The branch serves to suppress jerking fish and at the same time signals a bite. Walking along the shore and looking at your gear, you can easily determine where the attack was pike, and where not.
Winter fishing at the girders
Winter is not only a beautiful season, but also quite suitable for pike fishing. Zherlitsa is a simple tackle that you can buy in a store or make it yourself. The principle of fishing is quite simple. He practically repeats catching. The bait fish clings to a triple / double hook and sinks into the hole to the depth where the pike is supposedly hunting. Fishing with zerkas for pike has been practiced for a long time. Not just for many years the design of this gear has not changed much.
During winter fishing, you need to stock up on pike both with bait fish and with a good and sharp ice drill. In winter fishing, you sometimes have to drill holes to ugliness a lot - from 10 to 50 or more. It all depends on whether you are lucky to find fish from the first two holes. Live bait should be taken in large quantities due to the presence of other small predatory fish. She tries to eat the bait, but more often because of the small size she simply knocks her off the hook. Often, during winter fishing for pike, fishermen leave their necklaces for the night and in almost 99% of cases this is justified if the tackle does not grow legs.
When mounting gear you don’t need to stand on ceremony with the thickness of the fishing line and the size of the hooks. The length of the collected gear should be at least 20 meters, and if the pond is deep, then the winding of the fishing line on the reel of the reel continues until the entire reel spool is filled. The selection of sinker, leash and main line depends on the preferences of the fisherman, as there are a lot of options.
The best time for fishing for pike in winter for zerglobits is the first and last ice. As a rule, at this time the pike behaves very actively. On the first ice, the fish feed for a couple of weeks in the same way as before covering the reservoir with ice. The last ice also signals the pike that it is necessary to prepare for spawning. Before spawning, the pike eats everything that moves, so catching it is not difficult. Fishing for pike in the winter, or rather in the middle of winter, makes almost no sense, since the amount of oxygen in the water is reduced. The fish becomes inactive.
Pike habits
Pike is the main predator of our reservoirs. He keeps the rest of the fish in awe and his reputation is justified. If we compare the pike with a zander or perch, then I want to call the pike a passive predator because of the way of hunting. The thing is that she rarely pursues prey. Most often, she is ambushed somewhere in a snag, grass or bulrush. In an ambush, a pike can be quite a long time and wait for food for hours.
The pike attack is lightning fast, and the accuracy of the blows is simply amazing. After the pike grabbed food in its mouth, it sinks to the bottom and turns its victim head first. It is worth noting that it is for this reason that you can’t hook a pike at the time of bite, because you can simply pull the bait from its mouth. If fishing is carried out on barges, docks, float fishing rods or girders, after biting the pike you need to wait for the bait to be swallowed and then hook and drag the long-awaited trophy into the boat or ashore.
Fishing at different times of the year
Pike actively feeds both in the summer, and in the fall, in the winter. Spring is perhaps the only time of the year when, after spawning, the fish is sick for a couple of weeks and eats very little, so it is poorly caught. Sometimes the following behavior is observed - for no reason the pike begins to jump over the entire reservoir and peck at everything that comes in its way. This happens very rarely and such pike outings are simply priceless.
In summer, fishing for pike is possible, unfortunately, not all day. Toothy predator is active only in the morning and evening. Most often, on hot days, pike eat little because of the high temperature of the water. If fishing takes place on large reservoirs or deep rivers, then on a very hot day you can hope for a bite.
Alternative fishing
Non-traditional types of fishing include the following:
- I catch a worm and maggot. Pike rarely reacts to such bait.
- Very often, when catching a rudd or scavenger, a good pike is caught on the hook. Many might think that pike wanted to eat bread intended for peaceful fish. But here everything is much simpler - a peaceful fish already caught on a hook was attacked by a pike.
Sometimes in the summer, people use a semblance of a zharilka on fishing. To catch pike, they swim in a boat into quiet backwaters, where they put mugs with live bait. The circle is the same zherlitsa, but only instead of the plastic base, the circle has a foam base that keeps it on the water. Turning over, the circle lights up in red and signals a pike bite.
Cooking fish
Not only avid fishermen dream of catching pike of trophy sizes, but also their wives, who are waiting for beautiful fish at home. The meat of this predator is considered dietary. From it you can cook many wonderful dishes. You just need to consider that pike meat is a little dry, but if you bake it in sour cream, then a very tender and juicy dish comes out.
Cutlets are often made from this fish or slices are fried in sunflower oil. Many different marinades and sauces for pike meat can be found on the Internet. Perhaps the most famous, delicious and beautiful dish is a whole baked pike in sour cream.
Uncontrolled catch
Every year fishing less and less pikes. This is the merit of poachers. Even a couple of years ago there were much more pikes and other fish. Such types of fishing as electric fishing rods, nets and harpoons in the spring, in the spawning of fish, are strictly prohibited. But in most cases, the punishment of poachers is not scary, and they exterminate both adult and young fish.
Separately, it is worth stopping at an electric fishing pole. This type of fishing destroys all life in the water, and most of the fish that falls under the discharge of such gear does not float to the surface, but is carried downstream. Thus, the fish simply deteriorates and rots. It is worth considering what will remain after 10 or 20 years from our rivers and reservoirs, and where ordinary people will go with their children to fish for a simple float fishing rod.