Fishing is one of the most popular sports in the world. It’s something that anyone can do regardless of where you live or how much experience you have. When you’re searching for a species that makes fishing exciting and challenging, many anglers seek out the pike. This large, predator fish is very aggressive so it may not be suited for everyone but if you want an exciting adventure, it’s a good choice.
Pike will fight hard when you get one hooked to do everything they can to get lose. You need to prepare for this fight or you’ll probably lose your catch. They also have a tendency of stealing your bait away so you have to pay attention to your line. Using a bobber can help but if you’re not alert and watching your line, you’re going to lose a lot of bait.
Pike Fishing Tactics
Catching pike is not easy so you need a few good tactics to help you reel in a nice catch. There is no one certain thing that will work for pike every time you go fishing. Therefore, you need a variety of tactics to try. When one thing is not working, you can switch to something else and this can help to increase the number of bites you get.
Here 5 new pike fishing tactics to try on your next fishing trip:
1. Fish with live or dead bait- Live bait always gets the attention of this species and it’s what most anglers recommend but it’s not your only option. Pike will also be attracted to the smell of dead bait and sometimes, it can increase the number of bites you get. Match the bait to the size pike you’re trying to catch for the best results. If you’re fishing for the smaller fish, minnows and insects work well. However, when fishing for the larger ones, try something more appetizing like perch.
2. Go fly-fishing for pike- It may be harder to use this tactic because it takes awhile to learn how to use a fly rod correctly but once you do, it will be very effective for catching pike. The bright lures used when fly fishing along with the quick movement captures the attention of this fish. This tactic was designed for fishing in shallow water and it won’t make a lot of noise that will scare the pike away.
3. Fish with spoons and noisy crankbait- These are two of the best options to use when fishing with lures. Spoons wobbly when you pull them through the water and this looks like real baitfish making it difficult for the pike to resist. Noisy crankbaits create a vibration that lures the fish to your bait.
4. Fish around underwater structures- This species will hide out around underwater structures such as submerged trees, logs, branches and weeds. This is where the baitfish is usually the most plentiful and they like to stay close to their food.
5. Go jigging for pike- Jig fishing is an excellent way to reel in this fish. They are attracted to the brightly colored jigs because they stand out in the water. The best colors to use are red, yellow and white when fishing for pike.
If size doesn’t matter and you just want to reel in as many fish as you can, then fish in the shallow water first. Most anglers head straight out to the deeper parts of the water but there are many fish just lurking around in the shallows waiting for their prey to come by. However, if you want to catch the biggest fish, then you do need to go to the deeper parts because this is where they’ll be located.
What Makes Pike a Difficult Species to Catch?
There are several things that make pike harder to catch than other species. First, they are too smart to strike at anything that doesn’t look real and they can see well. For this reason, you have to make sure the fish can’t see your fishing line and other gear. The bait must be presented correctly and you can’t let them see you.
Pike have sharp teeth, which can easily cut regular fishing line into and many inexperienced anglers lose their catch because of this. To keep this species from biting your line into, you need to use a wire trace leader. Your gear has to be strong enough to handle the struggle but you need small tackle because they have a small mouth.
Pike pinpoint their food and then strike. They don’t strike at random, so you have to present something that actually gets their attention or you won’t get any bites. They don’t swim in schools so it can be difficult to find them. The same reasons that make pike hard to catch are the reasons that make them a popular game fish. They’re a challenging and fun species that make you work hard to for your catch.