Spring pike fishing starts in May. It is in the first days of May (with a prolonged spring - a little later) that you can seriously start catching a predator - and continue fishing almost until freezing. But what makes May fishing different from others - I will tell you in this article.
Pike Fishing in Spring After Spawning
Thus, when the water warms up to 10-12 °C, pike go to spawn. Before spawning, she feeds quite actively, but she prefers small baits because her belly is filled with eggs. During spawning and after spawning there is a "dead season" for one and a half to two weeks, but after that the most interesting fishing period begins.
Males are the first to recover after spawning - they start feeding already a week after spawning. "Moms" who experience much more stress during spawning rest longer - but hunger takes its toll, and a rested pike goes hunting. She doesn't have much strength, so she hunts according to the principle "big piece - mouth happy": the bigger the prey can be caught in one hunt, the better.
After spawning, good baiting lasts up to three weeks, but that time varies from body to body. Therefore, it will be necessary to get to know the water body well to know when pike are in it after spawning and with a full belly.
Where to look for pike in spring?
Finding pike, especially in an unfamiliar body of water, is quite a difficult task. Yes, after spawning, the fish are active and quite willing to attack the bait, but you still need to look for it. Therefore, when starting pike fishing in the spring, I would recommend having an echo sounder with you.
- Echo sounders allow you to scan the topography of the bottom.
- After checking the bottom with an echo sounder, you can get the most accurate picture of the depths according to the map.
- With the echo sounder, it is possible to record the movement of predators - and catch fish where the fish are.
What baits to choose?
Bait selection is up to each angler, but I choose baits as follows:
At the beginning of May and until about the middle of it, large wobblers of natural colors work. 110 and 130 sizes Megabass Ito Shiner, Jackall Rerange, ZipBaits Orbit is just what you need.
Rattlins are optional. They can either not work at all or "graze" active fish.
A little later, the jig starts working, which means that the pike has already satisfied its first hunger. I can mention the jig baits that worked very well last year Esfishing Ripple Shad, Easy Shiner (where without him) and Nasty Shad.
Pike fishing in the spring can be very productive - and almost guaranteed to be. So get your echo sounders, lures and rods ready! No scales!
