Pike among fishermen is the most popular and desired trophy, because it lives almost everywhere. This predator is found even in the Arctic Ocean.
The best time to fish
Pike fishing in the middle of spring has many features. The main one is spawning prey. When in April the water bodies warm up to six degrees of heat, the pike goes to a depth of one meter to start the spawning process.
For spawning, she chooses a quiet backwater, where there is no violent current. After laying eggs, a week later she starts to eat, starting an active nibble to restore strength. It is believed that this toothy predator can be fished in any season of the year. However, there are certain time periods when pike fishing is especially attractive. In April, for spinning, for example, you can catch good specimens. Great catch can be obtained in the fall: from the last days of August to November.
Where to look for prey
It is better to go after a pike at the very beginning of spring, when the water in the rivers rises significantly, and the sun already warms up the water well. In the middle zone of our country, this period falls at the end of April. Usually at this time, biting, starting at dawn, with variable results continues until dusk. In many reservoirs, pike fishing is best done at the end of April by spinning.
Quiet cloudy spring days, when the first foliage has already appeared on trees and bushes, are especially successful for fishing this toothy predator. In general, judging by the reviews, pike is best caught in April. On spinning with a bait, you can get a fairly rich catch. Indeed, at this time, not only adult individuals, but also one-year-old young live. At first glance, it seems that the water in the pond "came to life."
Spinning
You can fish this coveted prey at any time of the year and in any way. But, in the opinion of experienced anglers, it is pike fishing in April for spinning that is especially hazardous and a real pleasure. It is this circumstance that makes the army of spearfishing enthusiasts wait with bated breath for spring. In order to catch a pike in April for spinning, it is not at all necessary to buy expensive gear. It is quite enough to have a simple spinning on hand, because it is impossible not to notice the bite.
Before the spawning season begins for this toothy inhabitant of the underwater world, she scours in search of food in the reeds and reed beds. At this time, a huge number of small fish are gathering here: roaches, silver breeding, rudd. Looking for food, this fish, moving along the coastal thicket, freezes in places where there are gaps. It is precisely on such sites that her hunting grounds are located. Therefore, fishing in pike in April for spinning is especially good along vegetation growing off the coast.
Rigging
When buying equipment, the main attention should be paid to the reel, which should withstand such far from small fish, into which a pike grows in the spring. In April, you can catch spinning with any bait. The most catchy in this period are the spinners. But in April, a large pike does not fall on spinning rods. Fishing in the middle of spring is a pleasure: the weather is neither cold nor hot, there are no algae that interfere with the fishing.
Bait
When the pond becomes warmer every day after the cold winter, the pike is also activated. In late April, in some reservoirs, you can catch it all day, resting only at night. Moreover, she will peck on bait fish, and on artificial bait. When fishing for roach, silver bream or bleak, the bait must be put in half-water or even a little deeper. In April, pike is well caught on spinning in coastal shallow water. At the same time, the size of live bait does not play a special role, but it is still better to use medium-sized fish with a length of five to ten centimeters.
Features of fishing
In the morning and evening, the bait should go to the bottom at an average speed, while in the afternoon fishing should be in the middle layers. When the fisherman manages to draw the lure along the brow, parallel to the shore, it can be considered that he is provided with a catch. After all, it is in such places that the pike watches over its victim. In the spring on a spinning rod, in April, especially in the backwaters and at the places where small rivulets flow in, this toothy predator is better to fish on the "spawn".
Zhor after spawning
Spawning time in different reservoirs is different. In the middle part of Russia, this period usually falls on the second spring month. And a week or two after the end of spawning, like any other fish that has completed spawning, it begins its active zhor and pike. In the spring of spinning, in April in particular, she, hungry for hunting, rushes to any bait. Usually this period lasts two or three weeks, but in some regions it can be quite shortened.
Usually the post-spawning zhor coincides with the flood peak. Therefore, fattening pikes linger at the places of throwing eggs until they are fully fattened, waiting for the decline of water. An obvious sign that many experienced fishers know is, to start the spawning zhora, is the opening of oak leaves.
Fishing technique
As a rule, at the end of April, a pike pecks well at the spinning over the far or near edges of the pits. This happens as follows: sharply shifted to the side, the line after a second goes to the bottom. You should not hook at this time. First, it is necessary, having chosen the excess on the reel, to observe the behavior of the prey. If the pike stops and the fishing line does not move either, this means that the bait fish is most likely captured by a small fish, which, standing in one place, swallows the prey. In this case, the cut should be done in about ten seconds.
If on the contrary, the line abruptly and very quickly leaves the coast, then this means that a large pike has pecked. Most likely, grabbing the bait, she did not feel anything. This time we need an immediate cut, and, if tackle allows, sharp.
Finally
Pike is excellently caught in April, especially on spinning. The procedure is able to give fans a lot of positive emotions, especially if you go fishing during the period when the post-spawning zhor begins and the prey is intensely fed.
When going to a pond, you need to remember that in the spring the bite of this toothy predator most often begins at dawn and continues with varying success until dusk. But the most important thing that every angler needs to know is that spawning restrictions are introduced. Therefore, so that fishing in April does not cause trouble, you need to go to those places where the fish do not lay eggs. In addition, you need to fish from the shore and on the permitted types of gear.