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On some days, even inexperienced spinners do not return home without a decent catch – the pike actively takes almost any bait. On other days, the toothy is in a half-asleep state and in order to provoke her bite, one has to excel in every possible way, using all her experience and fishing arsenal. What are the reasons for such changes in the behavior of the pike. The answer is simple – in weather conditions.
Perfect pike weather, does it exist?
Is there really, as many anglers claim, ideal weather for pike fishing? If only everything were that easy! The ideal “pike” weather looks different every time of the year. In December you can expect bites on a sunny day and in rising temperatures, while in May with the same weather, the prospects for a catch will be poor. Therefore, I will describe to you four ideal days for each predatory fish season. Along with daytime weather, consider some general points. They are equally important, but many anglers simply do not take them into account. For example, in what weather and at what time of the year on your reservoir did you fish the best? Are there any parallels and what between the best days of fishing? If you combine your experience and my observations, you will soon become excellent at predicting “pike” weather.
Perfect day for pike fishing in spring
General position:
The weather should not be too hot. If April was warm in summer, then the pike had already satisfied their hunger, moved from shallow spawning grounds and dispersed across the lake. Then it’s hard to find. The usual April weather is ideal, rather cold and rainy, which smoothly turns into a sunny season.
Day weather:
Weather reports predict “high pressure effects”. Thick fog hangs over the water. As soon as it dissipates, look into the sky blue. The sun is shining in full force. Small fish approach the shore, bleak and roach splash on the surface. On such days, the pike bites like crazy. I remember a 6 kg pike, which had at least three roaches of about 200 g each in its stomach, when it also took my dead fish.
Catching tactics:
One who does not like to walk cannot become a good spinner. You must look for pike. Predators are greedy, you can set baits longer than 15 cm: silvery imitations of white fish are best, sometimes vibrotails, sometimes wobblers. Catch coastal areas in the morning. Often, meter-long pikes watch for prey in shallow water. So close to the shore, as at this time, large pikes never stand again. During the day, you can also cast into deeper waters, especially transitions from shallow coves and sandbanks to deep water.
Perfect day for pike fishing in summer
General position:
Everyone groans: “What a summer!” The temperature has dropped, the beaches are empty. And so it has been for many days. Clouds are running in succession across the sky, it is raining all the time, but there is almost no torrential rain. Sometimes there are thunderstorms. Pessimists fear that autumn has already arrived.
Day weather:
It’s pouring rain. The air temperature is about +15°C. Light morning mist. The water level (in the river) is slightly higher than usual. During the day, “Irish” weather reigns: rain and sun replace each other. From time to time we remove the hood from the head, then pull it back on. The west wind blows in gusts. Sometimes a splash is heard on the surface of the water – this is a pike crashing into a school of small fish, because it is now surprisingly active.
Catching tactics:
It doesn’t matter if you are fishing with a spinning lure or a dead fish, take a smaller bait, as in spring. This should be done for two reasons: now the natural prey of pike is smaller than in spring, because fry go in flocks and it has already satisfied its post-spawning hunger. Therefore, it is best to use medium spinners, as well as wobblers, vibrotails and dead fish ranging in size from 9 to 12 cm. Try your luck in front of thickets of aquatic plants, especially water lilies, pike are always in ambush here. My motto is: first check the pond for obstructions, then seduce the pike. The bait must be carried out evenly and shallowly – in the summer the pike is “compliant”. You can also fish in open water, but not below the thermocline, at depths of 2 to 4 m. Pay attention to good perch spots, pike often prowls there.
Perfect day for pike fishing in autumn
General position:
The wind is tearing more and more leaves from the trees, for many days in the morning the grass in the meadows is covered with frost. The sun is still trying to shine during the day, but already at half strength. The barometer is at Clear.
Day weather:
Cold morning, frost, night fog. Small fish came out of the coastal reeds, they can be caught by a lift only at a depth of more than 1 m. The day will be warm compared to the morning. There are rare clouds in the sky, clear weather prevails. But the west wind blows, and the air becomes more and more fresh during the day.
Catching tactics:
For two reasons, we fish especially well in autumn. Firstly, the pike is hungry and fattening up for the winter. Secondly, pike, following small fish, leaves their hiding places, leaves the reeds in the coastal zone and moves to deep water. Now you can perfectly catch on the transitions from the banks overgrown with reeds to open water. These can be edges, the edges of underwater plateaus or “perch ridges” near the coast. When catching pike with a spinning rod, a dead fish on a tackle has proven itself well. In the process of stationary fishing with bait fish, you should use the wind. Moisten the fishing line with grease and mount the float-sail. The larger the area that your bait fish explores in the catch zone, the more likely it is to bite. With the intensification of cold weather, you need to choose larger and larger baits.
Perfect day for pike fishing in winter
General position:
After the winter frosts have become permanent and the snow cover has appeared, sometimes a thaw occurs, the snow melts on the ground. The barometer knows only one direction: up.
Day weather:
The temperature once again reminds of autumn. High pressure. In the morning, wisps of fog float across the open water. The sun is shining, the sky is blue, only a few white clouds float by. Not a breeze to blow the temperature down. White fish and perch, which have already become lethargic, peck like at the end of October.
Catching tactics:
It is best to fish stationary, if possible in deep water. At the bottom, the water is now the warmest. If the “perch beds” you last fished in the fall are deep enough, you can try to fish them again. But now, cast the bait not over the top of the hill or to the side of it, on the slopes, but at the foot. Natural baits are now more catchy than ever. This applies to both live bait fed from the bottom, and dead fish, carried out by spinning slowly and jerkily. Artificial baits should also be driven more slowly. This works well with vibrotails for plumb fishing. Catch in deep pits, forage fish accumulate here. If you are lucky, you can catch a few pikes in such places, since predators are now standing in a small area.
As you can see, pike’s weather preferences are quite diverse and largely depend on the time of year and a number of other conditions. The above recommendations should not be taken as something of a reference, if they turn out to be true for one reservoir, then this does not at all guarantee a good catch on another.