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Autumn is a hot season for pike fishing enthusiasts. A predatory fish begins a seasonal zhor, it shows maximum activity, rushes to any offered bait. During this period, it is recommended to catch pike on spinning gear.
Where to find pike in autumn
Photo: Pike in autumn
With the onset of autumn cold weather, the predator quickly changes its location in the reservoir, looking for the most profitable food supply and shelter for hunting. The best option for fishing at this time is to use a boat. Sideboard fishing allows you to cast into tight and hard-to-reach places with minimal risk of leaving hooked tackle. The boat also allows for quick relocation after unsuccessful fishing trips.
Lake, pond
On reservoirs with relatively stagnant water (lakes), the spotted predator easily finds places for an ambush. It can be:
- drowned snags or flooded trees;
- thickets of reeds;
- margin of a carpet of aquatic vegetation;
- thickets of water lilies;
- bays or exits from deep pits.
A pond is a hydrological system in which there is a certain current. The oxygen regime of the reservoir does not allow any other predatory fish to live there, except for pike (in some cases, perch). The behavior of fish in this ecosystem is specific. The pike hides along the flooded channel, at the turns of the watercourse, where there are grass “caps”.
On the river, on small rivers
Large trophies are found on a large river, medium-sized pike or grass pike live on small ones. The differences between such reservoirs are the current, the constantly changing bottom relief. You can find a toothy one by adhering to the following rules.
- Fish do not like fast currents. She hides in the backwater.
- The predator hunts only along the channel and coastline.
- The main hiding places are snags, reeds, and rare algae.
- The probability of meeting a pike increases near flocks of small fish.
Fish prefer places with changeable depth: the more irregularities in the river, the better. Catching pike on the rivers is more difficult than in stagnant water, but more interesting and reckless.
How and what to catch pike in autumn
Autumn pike fishing allows the use of diverse baits. The main thing is to choose the tackle that is most suitable for the existing conditions.
Tackle
Существует несколько разновидностей снастей, с которыми можно охотиться за щукой:
- Spinning fishing на искусственные приманки. Спиннинг остается лучшим орудием для осенней рыбалки на щуку. Характеристики снасти подбираются на основе месяца ловли. В сентябре берут короткий спиннинг: не больше 240 см. В этот период щука продолжает кормиться в прибрежной зоне, в дальних забросах еще нет необходимости. Другие показатели снасти – бланк среднего класса, средне-быстрый строй (тест от 5 до 20 г). С приходом холодов длина подходящего спиннинга увеличивается: оптимальный размер – 270 см. Строй быстрый.
- Mugs. You need to pay attention to the circles. These are large spools, on which 10-20 m of fishing line is wound (section 0,30-0,35 mm). The exact weight depends on the size and mobility of the chosen bait. Autumn pike can be caught both on drifting circles and on stationary ones tied to reeds, snags, trees on the shore, etc.
- Fishing on a float on live. The float is selected one that will be 2 times the weight of the bait. The element can be fixed in a fixed or sliding position. The second option is preferable for deep waters. It is recommended to take floats that have a signal ball of bright color. In this case, the device itself should be inconspicuous, the color of the water.
Lures for spinning
| Name | Description |
| jig | For fishing at depth, voluminous sailing lures, large and wide-bodied vibrotails are suitable. On light jig heads, the bait is effective in the coastal zone along aquatic vegetation. |
| Silicone bait | Silicone non-hooks: vibrotails and twisters with an active tail are recommended for curled places. Also, a silicone fish with a weight (jig head) is effective when casting over long distances. |
| Spoon | The best option for autumn fishing is a spinner. In second place are vibrations. |
| Wobblers | In early spring, they use classic minnow wobblers (shallow-water twitching), with the onset of cold weather they switch to deep-water ones: sheds and rolls. It is important to pay attention to the color of the bait:
|
| poppers | This is a surface bait that is only effective in September. After the pike goes to depth, the popper will become ineffective. |
Bait
For live bait you need a strong leash and a reliable hook. You can take roach, small carp, gudgeon. Ruffs with prickly fins can frighten off a predator. They put the live bait in different ways: they hook the hook on the dorsal fin, thread it through the gills, lips or nostril. The main condition is the longest possible preservation of the activity and mobility of the live bait fish.
See also: How to plant a live bait
Autumn zhor pike
Zhor is the increased feeding activity of the pike. It is necessary for the accumulation of strength before wintering. Allows fish to survive the coming low temperatures with minimal losses.
Depending on the season, predator activity may begin earlier or later. The beginning of autumn is characterized by a sharp change in temperature, which is especially felt in the dark. The water begins to cool, there is more oxygen, and the fish moves to a set of subcutaneous fat before the cold season.
It is no secret that in winter the food base of the predator is significantly reduced, which is associated with the departure of fish to the depth, burrowing into the silt of many amphibians, including frogs, tadpoles. During the winter, the predator consumes a large amount of energy, the period of dead winter, when there is not enough oxygen, is considered especially difficult. That is why autumn activity is inevitable on every body of water where there is a spotted beauty.
Depending on the type of reservoir, water temperature, wind strength and other factors, biting may be at different times of the day. Closer to October, the predator takes throughout the daylight hours, but in September it can go out to feed occasionally: at sunrise or sunset, during the warmest daytime hours or before noon.
Where to look for pike in autumn:
- in shallow waters;
- at the coastal edges;
- in bays of rivers and reservoirs;
- in places of grassy watering.
The peak of activity occurs at a time when underwater vegetation begins to wither. Spinningists use the space free from plants for fishing. Reducing the number of hiding places for pike makes it easier to find them. Active “spotted” does not stand in one place, it moves in search of food, but the route of the pike still takes into account shelters, because it is an ambush predator. The fish moves from one snag to another, passes along the wall of a cattail or a fading water lily.
An active pike often enters the middle current, can attack a flock of bleak near the surface, which is clearly visible from the shore. With high activity, the pike hunts singly, but the same flock of small fish can be attacked by several specimens at the same time. Large “toothy” does not shun brothers. In reservoirs with a poor food base, the main food for pike is smaller pike, as evidenced by numerous underwater filming and analysis of the stomach of a well-fed fish.
The autumn zhor of a pike makes the spotted robber hunt for everything that moves. The predator often picks up dead prey from the bottom, there are also known cases of catching a predator on pieces of meat or fish.
The diet of autumn pike includes:
- fish, including its own species;
- crustaceans, frogs and leeches;
- waterfowl rodents and birds;
- carrion, water beetles and other large insects.
Also, a predator can feed on bivalve mollusks, as pike perch does. At dusk, a lot of “toothy” is on shell rocks and sandy dumps. Trophy specimens are caught when fishing from a boat for molluscs, a good-sized pike often becomes a “bonus” for catfish.
Autumn zhor lasts about two months, but may be shorter. With the lowering of the water temperature marks below 5-7 ° C, the biting stops. This usually happens in November, when the coast edges appear at night. November is considered by many anglers to be a transitional month, in which fishing in liquid water does not make sense, and the freezing period has not yet begun.
Despite the high activity of the autumn predator, it is affected by the same weather conditions that worsen the bite: a sharp change in temperature, rains, storms, strong winds and changes in atmospheric pressure.
When does it start
В Европейской части России период осеннего жора у щуки начинается осенью, в начале сентября-начале октября. Основное условие для его начала – остывание воды и понижение температуры воздуха. Точных дат не существует. Наступление жора определяет ряд факторов:
- average water temperature;
- отмирание водной растительности;
- rains;
- the level of water transparency.
What happens during this period
Щука начинает особо активно искать себе пищу. Хищник выходит на охоту, гоняется за добычей, раскрывает свое присутствие в водоеме всплесками. В ход идет любая мелкая рыба, насекомые, планктон, части водорослей. Особо крупные особи не брезгуют мышами, лягушками и даже водоплавающими птицами.
When is the best time for pike to bite in autumn?
During seasonal zhora, weather conditions have little effect on the activity of individuals. Pike is also caught in sunny weather, but cloudiness is preferable – in cloudy weather, the water has poor lighting, the fish cannot accurately see the object.
The main condition for a good bite is to get to the “exit” of the pike.
In September it is preferable to fish in the morning and in the evening. Since October, the pike’s daily activity shifts, biting begins no earlier than 11 o’clock in the afternoon, the peak of activity is noon. The ideal day for autumn quiet hunting is cool, overcast, with light or heavy rain. At this time, the pike are biting best.
The influence of weather on pike biting in autumn
Pike do not like sudden changes in temperature and pressure. It is important to take into account the weather preferences of the predator in order to ensure the maximum catch. So, what is the optimal weather for biting and when is it most effective to catch.
Pressure
It has a greater influence on the activity of fish than the direction and strength of the wind. The main requirement is stability. Biting is more intense at reduced pressure. Ideal atmospheric indicators for pike fishing are from 750 to 760 mm.
Wind
Toothy is active in a weak, warm wind. It is optimal to go hunting if the southwest wind blows. Undesirable directions – east, north. In the complete absence of wind, it is easier to cast spinning, but the pike is more careful at this time (when it is calm, it sees the fisherman).
Temperature
Optimal indicators are from +8 to +13. Water ceases to bloom and overheat, the predator feels the approach of cold weather and goes hunting.
Features of fishing depending on the month
Fishermen divide autumn fishing into 2 periods: before the death of aquatic vegetation and after, when the algae “lie down” to the bottom, and the water becomes clear.
September
Fishing is still reminiscent of summer. You can find pike in September in the coastal zone, on the coastal edge, in overgrown backwaters and shallow bays. The predator keeps in the middle layers of the water, rises to the surface to attack the prey.
October
This is the peak of the season. The pike leaves the coastal zone, moves to deep areas, enters the oxbows of lakes and rivers, hunts near dying banks of aquatic vegetation. The most effective fishing in October is in channel dumps, whirlpools and snarled locations, in deep reaches.
November
Late autumn and the cold that came with it force the pike to go deep into the “wintering pits”. The pike spins in the edges of such holes, does not stop feeding throughout the day. The intensity of biting is no longer affected by the wind, since the fishing takes place at a depth. In late autumn, after the first frost, fishing becomes more difficult. The surface of the water is covered with ice, which reduces visibility. The pike stays deep.
Видео: Ловля щуки осенью на реке
Autumn zhor pike. Spinning fishing from a boat on the river with wobblers.
Fishing for pike in autumn is an exciting and exciting activity. You need to go out on a quiet hunt after the start of the seasonal zhor, when the water has cooled down and the weather is cool. It is best to catch pike in autumn from a boat. You can find a predator on zakoryazhenye areas and in water thickets. Wobblers, spinners or live bait are used as bait.