Catch A Pike In Winter

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Fishing Academy

I talked in detail on the pages of the magazine about pike fishing in the summer. However,

pike is one of the few fish that can be successfully caught in winter. True, it is much more difficult to hunt for a toothy predator in winter than in summer. And not only because of the harsh weather conditions, but, first of all, due to the fact that the predator is inactive at this time.

She rarely hunts and takes a long time to digest food. A biological scientist somehow established that if a pike swallows a kilogram fish, then for the next ten hours it will rest. In winter, such a rest can last even more than ten days.

But every pike caught in winter is much more valuable and desirable than in summer. But about where, how and what to fish for pike in winter, we'll talk …

First, let's find out where to look for the pike. And here there is no consensus among fishermen: everyone, as they say, fences his own garden. For example, in the journal "Rybolov", the author of the publication states: "In winter, the pike keeps at a depth near the bottom." The magazine "Fish with us", perhaps, supports this statement: "The ideal habitats for pike in winter are ridges and edges bordering on deep water."

In the book "Useful Advice" in the section on fishing, they think differently: "It is widely believed among anglers that pike prefers deep-sea places in winter, this is not entirely true. The predator also keeps at a meter depth, more often near the reeds under the coast. Even when there is barklessness in the pits, in shallow water you can “find fishing happiness”.

In the journal "Rybolov-club", the author, referring to his many years of experience, writes: "In the deepest part of the pit (pool), pikes are extremely rare."

It's hard to tell who is right. Again, based on my own experience, I believe that successful pike fishing in winter depends on many interdependent factors. If we summarize at least some of them, then we can draw the following conclusions:

• not all pits (whirlpools) gather pikes for the winter; and it does not depend on the depth and size of the holes;
• in a certain place (pit, pool), pikes of almost the same size are always collected, which allows them to avoid cannibalism;
• if a large pike - "log" has settled in a hole or other hunting place, then there will be no other decent-sized pikes nearby;
• sometimes the pikes in the pit are quite dense, literally a meter or a little more from each other. My acquaintance, an experienced pike, claims (and I have no reason not to believe him) that once, at the exit from the pit in which the sunken tree lay, twelve pikes were caught from eight holes;
• it is well established that pikes stop at the same places every year. But how to find these very places is a daunting question.

However, it is not enough to find them, it is also necessary to catch them correctly. The holes should be drilled two or three meters from each other, and all at once along the arc of a circle and in such a way that, being in its center, in three or four large steps you can reach any of them.

With a really dreary bite, try to do the following … Install four to six fishing rods every five to six meters along some underwater ridge (edge). If there are no bites within half an hour, drill a new hole behind the last drilled one and transfer the first of the installed tackles into it, and so on.

You can catch pike in winter on: girders, winter fishing rods with a jig, with small fish hooking on a hook, live bait, bait, tackle, balancer. Particularly "advanced" anglers manage to catch winter pikes with silicone lures, twisters and other modern artificial lures.

But whatever you try to catch pike in winter, you must remember that each tackle requires a different approach than in summer. For example, in the most common lure fishing, some anglers make a common mistake. Trying to attract a predator, they now and then pull the fishing rod, not for a minute leaving the spoon alone. When performing such manipulations, the angler does not take into account the behavior of the pike in winter. Indeed, at this time, the predator, conserving strength, will not rush after a rapidly moving bait. She will not chase after too small prey. Therefore, the pike is much more willing to take a spinner or other bait with its smooth movement.

Please note that in winter, the pike must be lured so that it is within its reach. That is, toss it up, as they say "under the very nose."

When posting, you must always be on the lookout, as a bite can occur at any time. It can be a blunt blow or the fish is slowly leading the tackle, most often towards the shore. The bite of a large pike is very similar to a toe, because, having seized the bait, it often sinks to the bottom and freezes. Or does not rush from the hole, does not tear the line, but only pulls it.

If at this moment the pike is not hooked, it will throw out the bait from its mouth and leave. It is here that not too experienced fishermen often make a mistake: they do not hook in time, but stop the rewinding of the line and often, if the fish is not spotted by itself, it is freed from the hook.

You should strike sharply. Experienced pikemen argue that such a hooking, although for a short time, still leads the predator into a state of numbness. However, this is quite enough to drag the fish into the hole and then lift it onto the ice.

It happens so that false bites, following one after another, are overpowered. Experience shows that in such a situation it is most advisable to switch to a smaller bait. If this measure does not help, change the game of the bait by trying different options.

Hence the inevitable conclusion: the pike must be looked for. Remember, as in the famous ad: "Find a fish and catch it." In a word, act according to the biblical commandment: “Seek and you will find” (that is, you will find).

Alexander Nosov