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Pike
Pike are carnivorous fish and usually feed on any small fish including smaller Pike. They're not fussy about whether it is alive or dead so sea fish such as half mackerel, sardines, herring, sprats, or eels will catch Pike as will artificial spinnerbaits around 6-8" long. Roach are a big favourite of Pike too but they do literally eat anything even small mammals
such as voles or mice caught in the water.
It has even been known for them to eat ducklings.What you will need is a wire trace
as they are toothy fish and can easily bite through your line. Ledgering a deadbait without a float is probably the most popular method for catching Pike but if you're doing this then you will need a bite indicator.
There are specialist Pike rods available which are particularly suited to the task but this is
not essential. Just choose a rod with a test curve of around 2.5-3lb and a reliable reel.
Use 20-25lb main line and a wire trace to
your hook of about 30-40lb bs. Hooks can be doubles or trebles in sizes 6-10 and preferably barbless as it can be a major underaking to unhook a species with so many sharp teeth
and the barbless variety will make this task much quicker and simpler. Pike are easily damaged and so the less handling the better.
Once landed (make sure you have a large landing net), unhook the Pike with long
handled forceps and keep your hands away
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from those teeth. You may want to have a pair of cutting pliers to hand as well in case you need to break up the hook.
Optimum time and positioning
Pike can be caught in both the summer and winter months although they prefer cooler temperatures. Therefore, in summer, fish much deeper (maybe even bouncing along the bottom) as the Pike retreat to the cooler, deeper waters.
In March, fish for Pike around soft weed beds where the Pike are preparing to spawn.
From April onwards the Pike start to feed more avidly to recover from the efforts of spawning. The warmer weather gets them feeding more ferociously too and they can gorge themselves on your bait so be careful of deep hooking! It does however, mean that the faster moving lures now start to become more productive.
Once the weather gets too hot Pike can become stressed and feeding may drop off but as soon the weather cools again it can spark a feeding frenzy. Pike like off-colour waters although muddy waters are not good. Look for waters with soft bottoms and good weed beds especially when they are close to a drop off in to the deeper water. In coloured waters use rattling lures so that the Pike can locate the bait.
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Carp Rods
