Catching pike on live bait in autumn

Every angler wants to catch a trophy predator, no matter how long ago he got this hobby. There are a lot of methods of catching, spinning is the most popular and successful, but not everyone likes it. Catching pike on live bait in autumn often brings more significant trophies, success in this matter depends on the quality of the collected tackle, but the bait should not let you down.

Tackle formation

In autumn, pike fishing is very diverse, the decrease in daytime air and water temperature pushes the predator to more active feeding. She scours the pond in search of food and swallows almost any bait offered. This is what spinningists use, they fish the territory from different angles: both from the coastline and from a boat.

But not everyone likes such an active holiday; pike fishing in the fall on live bait is also popular. It often happens that such a tackle will bring a decent trophy.

Fishing of this type should take place with the appropriate gear, they must be able to properly assemble. But before that, it is desirable to find out which particular fish specimens should be counted on during this period.

Floating rod

Float gear is the simplest and most effective, with its help you can go to peaceful fish and predators. The formation of tackle is carried out, starting from what kind of trophy they want to get, for different inhabitants of the reservoir it will be different. Successful pike fishing on live bait in the fall involves the use of such components for equipment:

It is imperative to use a leash, without it the pike can easily cut the base of the fishing line. The length of the leash is chosen average, not less than 20 cm and with a slightly lower breaking load than that of the base.

Float gear is used to fish the water area both from the shore and from a boat; this gear is considered universal in this regard.

Mugs

Pike are successfully caught on live bait in the fall and with the help of a pike or a mug, this tackle can be placed on a pond only if there is a watercraft. It does not have many components, it consists of:

• flat foam coil;
• 10-20 m of fishing line with a diameter of up to 0,6 mm;
• steel leash 20-25 cm long;
• sinker, the weight of which depends on the live bait;
• stop beads;
• bait hook.

The cord for snapping circles is not used, it does not make sense. It is better to take a fishing line from inexpensive options.

This method allows you to catch a large area of ​​water, circles can be placed in close proximity to the reeds, bushes, branches, snags, where the pike usually stands in anticipation of prey.

Before using homemade foam circles, be sure to paint one of the sides in a bright color, usually red or carrot. Next, the tackle is set so that when biting, it is the painted part at the top that will make it clear where the pike liked the bait.

Other tackle for live bait is less suitable, as practice shows, it is with these that you can catch trophy pike specimens.

Site Selection

Pike fishing on live bait in autumn is planned much earlier; from the beginning of summer, a real fisherman begins to look closely at ponds and lakes, river whirlpools and backwaters. The ichthyofauna of the selected place is carefully studied, the “density” of the population is determined with each visit to the reservoir.

The best places where fishing will definitely be successful have the following characteristics:

• small lakes and ponds, the depth of which will be no more than 2 m;
• backwaters and whirlpools with a minimum current, with dense reeds near the shore and vegetation in the water.

Immediately it is worth crossing out potential places for fishing, where there are a lot of perch and running water; in the autumn, this particular inhabitant of the reservoir will not give the pike access to the bait.

Particular attention should be paid to “toad frogs” of small size and up to 1,5 m deep. If in spring and summer a variety of fish will splash there, then by autumn there will be no one left except for hungry pike.

I’m catching a nerve

Each tackle collected will not work if used without a live bait. A small fish will be an excellent bait for a toothy predator in the autumn, the main thing is that it stays active longer.

The ideal option would be a fish caught in the same reservoir, in which it is planned to catch pike on live bait. For a predator, this will be the usual food that she enjoys every day. Depending on the reservoir, bait can be:

• perch;
• roach;
• karasiki;
• bleak;
• rudd;
• minnows.

It is better not to use ruffs for such purposes, sharp fins can severely injure both the fisherman himself and scare away the predator.

It’s not worth using lumpy fish or dead live bait, it’s definitely not possible to interest a pike with such a “delicacy”, but it’s easy to scare away.

Live bait fishing technique

One of the most important elements in catching pike with this method is a properly planted live bait. An active fish can be equipped with a hook in several ways:

• the most common is the hook on the dorsal fin;
• a double or tee is threaded through the gills, for this a hook without a leash is immediately placed in the fish, and only then fastened;
• snap through both lips and nostril will be no less effective.

Experienced anglers recommend using a rig with a single hook for fishing in still water, but use tees and doubles in the current.

It doesn’t matter which of the methods of catching pike on live bait in the fall was chosen, the technique remains the same: casting, biting, pause, hooking, hauling. It is this sequence that should always be, otherwise the pike will simply spit out the bait or cut the hook with the leash along the base. But there are some nuances that can confuse even an experienced angler, they should be studied in more detail:

• usually, when fishing with a float tackle, a pike immediately grabs the bait and takes it a certain distance. Waiting for 8-10 seconds, they cut and begin to haul the catch.
• It happens that the capture of the live bait occurs differently, the float shudders, then disappears under water for a few seconds, then reappears. Cutting at this moment should not be carried out, it is necessary to pause for up to a minute.
• The float can swing from side to side for 30-60 seconds. At such moments, the angler also has to wait, the pike plays with the live bait, turns it to his face to swallow better. As soon as the float begins to move slowly in any direction, it is immediately worth making a notch.

An important point when fishing on a float tackle is balance and a complete lack of haste. Only having managed to withstand all the necessary pauses, everyone will be with a trophy.

It is easier to catch on circles, in this method the main thing is to correctly position the live bait, for this it is set at a height of 15-20 cm from the bottom, the fishing line is fixed in the slot on the foam and waiting for the coup.

Features of live bait fishing in autumn

You can use live bait to catch pike in spring and autumn, in summer this type of tackle will not work very well. From fishing immediately after the ice melts, autumn fishing will have many differences and features:

• Live bait size: in the spring they use a very small fish, autumn fishing will require larger specimens.
• The quality of the components used for equipment: in the autumn, it is necessary to take more reliable cords, fishing lines, leashes.
• Accordingly, bait and hooks are used larger.
• In autumn, the live bait fish can be additionally equipped with a triple hook in the tail section.

You should not use a very large live bait, it can scare away even a large specimen of a predator.

Now it has become clear how to catch pike on live bait correctly, the process is quite exciting and productive. The main thing is that the tackle does not fail, and the angler’s self-control does not fail.