home Bream What is the best way to catch pike in November? Successful pike fishing in November using a spinning rod

What is the best way to catch pike in November? Successful pike fishing in November using a spinning rod

Autumn is coming to an end, the first freeze-up is not far away, and the time is approaching winter fishing. In some regions, the first strong ice is already standing, and anglers are running along its cheerfully crunching surface with balance beams and spoons.

And in those regions where there is still open water, pike can be caught with a spinning rod in the best way in November - you just have to go to good places and catch her.

Pike in November for spinning – where to look

Forage fish are consumed more and more deep places, closer to the wintering pits, and the predator, like a wolf after sheep, moves in the same direction. More recently, at the very beginning of autumn in the upper and middle horizons of the reservoir.

Now, at the end of autumn, pike bites mostly occur on the lowest horizons of channel dumps. The predator stands in the pits, at the entrances to the pits and at the exits from them, and picks up rich prey from forage fish. Belle clusters in large schools, and where there is commotion, there are careless fish, stragglers, and sick ones.

In November, good pike are caught using spinning rods at the exits from the bays of reservoirs to the main channel, where the so-called “ribs” are formed.

In such places, the pike waits for schools of roach and bream crossing over the underwater hills. Here she has the opportunity to attack prey from below, standing at the very base of such a “rib”.

On lakes from which fish do not fall into rivers and deep channels for the winter, everything is white and predatory fish accumulates in the deepest places. Now you don’t need to look for the predator along the hills and islands, it is all over several points. And if these points are known in advance, then fishing for them is more reminiscent of fishing in an aquarium - casting, retrieving and biting.

In November, you can catch pike with a spinning rod from the shore - you just have to find a spot.

November is last month in the final trolling season. Wobblers for trolling are used by big size with the greatest depth - pike stand deep in November.

All small lures have already been put on the far shelves of fishing suitcases and are waiting for next summer - their season is over.

November - the time of small wobblers is over.

Heavy ratlins and heavy castmasters perform well during this period. If you are not afraid of losing expensive baits, then feel free to use them to penetrate the entrances and exits of holes - your reward will be thick tails in your boat.

It is in November that you can successfully catch pike in a plumb line, rafting downstream over the channel edges. Read about this fishing method in materials about vertical lures.

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November is a cold month, the water in rivers and other bodies of water is already very cool at this time, and freeze-up is about to begin. The peaceful fish had long since rolled into their wintering pits, and predators followed them.

Late autumn before freeze-up is an excellent time for fishing for predators. That's why pike fishing in November promises excellent prospects for fishermen. During this period, pike are very actively caught using spinning baits. But it does not last long and largely depends on the size of the reservoir. So on small reservoirs this period can last from 2 to 5 days, and on big rivers more than a week.

Where is the best place to look for pike in November? First of all, it should be looked for far from the shore in deep wintering holes, in snags and thickets of deep-sea plants, in holes located at the confluence of rivers, on river bends where there are steep banks. You can also look for pike in places where there are differences in depth, and at the exits to the channel from the bay of the reservoir.

The choice of reservoir is of no small importance in pike fishing. Spinning pike fishing in November , usually starts on small rivers, then you need to move to medium-sized rivers, and ultimately finish pike fishing in open water on large rivers and reservoirs, where ice sets in later.

You should know that in the pre-winter period, pike do not need to go hunting. It accumulates in the same wintering pits as other fish. Therefore, if a predator is caught in such a hole once, then next time it will definitely be present there.

In November, ice cover appears on water bodies in many regions. . AND weather, and time of day significantly affect the behavior of pike. The most active pike bite is observed in cloudy, stable weather without pressure changes and strong winds.

Sometimes in November there are days when the pressure jumps sharply and at the same time an anticyclone arrives; it is on these days that pike are very actively caught on a spinning rod.

Early morning and late evening best time for pike fishing in November for spinning baits. However, there are occasional exceptions: the pike begins to actively peck in the middle of the day, most often such pleasant moments happen in small reservoirs.

In November, at great depths, pike, as a rule, are caught with large baits, which means the tackle must match them. It should be noted that in November larger specimens are usually caught than, for example, in the summer or at the beginning of the autumn season.

Spinning

Now let’s talk about which one is better to choose a spinning rod for pike fishing in November. Pike fishing in November requires a careful approach to the selection of gear. Usually, to catch spotted predators at this time, it is recommended to use rods of medium-fast or medium action. It is recommended to equip rods with medium-fast action with monofilament, and medium-action with braided cord.

As for the test characteristics of the rod, they directly depend on the mass of the bait. For example, on small bodies of water, a rod with a test rating of up to 20 g is quite suitable. But on large rivers and lakes, if pike fishing occurs at significant depths, you should use rods with a test rating of 30 g or more.

If fishing for pike with a spinning rod in November is carried out from the shore, then it is better to use a spinning rod that is at least 2.8 m long. And if you plan to catch pike from a boat, then a spinning rod length of 2.2 m is quite sufficient.

Equipment

It is best to equip a spinning rod for pike fishing spinning coil with a spool size of 3000 or more. It should be taken into account that you will have to work with quite a lot of weight, so the reel must have at least 5 bearings.

Of course, you can equip your fishing rod with a multiplier reel; with a large weight it can work without breakdowns for a long time, however, this is quite an expensive pleasure.

If you plan to catch pike in November using the jig method, then it is better to equip the spinning rod with braided fishing line, as it is more sensitive in the process of tapping the bottom. The braid should have a thickness of 0.12-0.15 mm, and the monofilament should have a thickness of 0.27-0.33 mm. Soft tungsten wires are used as a leash, and for a retractable leash it is better to use a fluorocarbon line with a cross-section of 0.3-0.4 mm.

Lures for pike fishing in November

As a rule, in November, pike are mainly caught from the bottom, which means that bottom baits are mainly used. For pike fishing, baits such as edible rubber, silicone, spinners, wobblers with deep depth and dead fish are used.

It is believed that pike bite best on large and medium-sized spoons in November. At great depths, spinners of such models as “Kastmaster”, “Atom”, “Kuusamo Professor”, “Williams” have proven themselves well. Most often, the spotted predator grabs silver-colored spinners or combined colors with the presence of silver.

Double ringing vibrators also perform well; they attract predators by creating acoustic waves.

Among the wobblers for deep fishing, “minou” are used with working depths of more than a meter. For better immersion and the ability to work near the bottom, wobblers are usually loaded with a “Cheburashka” and done in a stepwise manner.

If pike fishing in November is done by trolling, large wobblers with a length of more than 12 cm are used, as well as a model such as a “jackbait”. Wobblers for fishing in November should have a fairly large depth. After all, the bulk of bites in the pre-winter period occur near the bottom.

Particularly effective fishing for pike in November using silicone . However, when prolonged frosts begin, silicone baits somewhat reduce their effectiveness in small bodies of water. But on large lakes, rivers and reservoirs, they continue to attract predators, especially if fishing occurs at significant depths. On large bodies of water, large jig baits are unrivaled. In November, pike continue to be excellently caught using foam fish. The color of the bait at this time is of great importance. Pike are most actively caught using lures of bright acid colors.

It also gives very good results in November. pike fishing in November with live bait or dead fish if used as bait for spinning rods. As a rule, such bait is used for a retractable leash. Tackles with two double hooks work great. Typically, such a rig, bait in the form of a fish, can withstand about 10 casts.

As for spinners, they are usually not used in November.

Spinning pike fishing in November has a lot of advantages, so catching pike in late autumn is not only interesting, but also practical. Indeed, in November, such fishing often pleases the fisherman with significant trophies. And if you consider that fishing is not only excitement, but also communication with nature, despite the cold weather in November, then a lot positive emotions the fisherman is guaranteed.

Many anglers consider the month of November to be partly a winter month. This is explained by the fact that snow lies almost everywhere, rivers and lakes are frozen. Fishing becomes possible not only from the shore, but also from the ice. If the ice covering has an optimal thickness of 5-7 cm, then you can walk confidently onto the ice.

It is worth noting that vital activity underwater world decreases. The fish reluctantly rises to the upper layers of the water. As for pike, this predator tries to go to depth.

There are at least two reasons for this:

Upcoming cold weather;
Small fish. It is an excellent food for pike.

So you need to diligently prepare for fishing. A common means of fishing is spinning. Those who like to cast this gear always carefully prepare for fishing for such a trophy. You can catch pike with different baits, there are more and less effective ones. More about this below.

What to catch?

In pike fishing, various baits are used: these can be spinners or silicone versions, and they are also caught with live bait (this bait is practically relevant all year round). There is a certain list of parameters that baits must meet. It includes sizes, colors, shapes. Now about this in more detail.

Lures

Pike is considered a fairly large fish. On average, its parameters are as follows: length - about a meter, and weight - from 5-8 kg. Of course, for such “colosses” you should select large baits. This can be a spinner 8-12 cm long.

As for color schemes, baits should be selected taking into account different weather conditions:

Light-colored baits are suitable for fishing in ponds with muddy water, a dark bottom, or when the weather is cloudy outside.
Dark-colored equipment is used if the water is clean, transparent, and the bottom is light.
Silver-colored baits are considered the most successful, as they shimmer beautifully in the water, creating a play of color and light. It seems that this bait is a small fish, because silver is a common color of scales.

Poppers are ideal for luring predators to the surface of the water. This type of bait has the shape of a fish. It has two main features:

Equipped with popper tees - there are two of them.
There is a depression in the muzzle area.

How to catch more fish?

Over 13 years of active fishing, I have found many ways to improve the bite. And here are the most effective:

Bite activator. Attracts fish in cold and warm water with the help of pheromones included in the composition and stimulates its appetite. It's a pity that Rosprirodnadzor wants to ban its sale.
More sensitive gear. Read the appropriate manuals for your specific gear type on the pages of my website.
Lures based pheromones.

You can get the rest of the secrets of successful fishing for free by reading my other materials on the site.

The latter feature manifests itself when fishing with a spinning rod. Water enters the recess of the “fish”, which then comes out in bubbles. It gives the impression of a living fry. This type of popper action attracts pike.

Spoon

In cold November, when the pike has thoroughly stored up fat in this last autumn month, it is difficult to stir it up and lure it out of its shelter. She is reluctant to do this, since she is full and food is always at hand: fry, small fish, and so on. Fishermen have to manage to make a catch.

They prepare the gear and equipment more carefully. Spoons are suitable for pike fishing, but you need to choose oscillating models. They create an imitation of a fish, from which waves spread through the water. These very waves attract lurking predators.

Twisters or vibrating tails can be an excellent replacement for spinners. These are cheaper than good spinners. And if, for example, a twister fails, it won’t be as bad to lose it as it would be to lose an expensive spinner.

Where to fish?

November pike fishing will not be successful if you randomly throw a spinning rod or fishing rod into the hole. But first, a few words about fishing time. For the month of November, the optimal time for fishing is early morning, although the rest of the day can also provide good fishing results. Now about where to look for predators.

On small bodies of water

The size of the reservoir is not at all important for the pike to live in it. This is the type of fish that can be caught from a small pond or a large, high-water river. By the way, large trophies can be found in a small lake and vice versa. Size doesn't matter here.

It turns out that in a shallow body of water it is necessary to find a place of refuge for predators. They know their territory and usually do not “walk” in other areas of the reservoir. The territory they choose is their home and ambush. It is from here that they observe their prey and, accordingly, hunt

These are the places:

Like any other fish, pike will prefer a snag or a piece of log to an open, unprotected area of the bottom.
Also, in small rivers, lakes and other bodies of water, pike tends to occupy depressions in the bottom topography, even if it is a hole only two meters deep. For such a trophy, the main thing is to have at least somewhere to hide, because this fish is a real predator.

On the rivers

If we are talking about a river, then you can navigate by reeds and water lilies. Individuals of the pike family often love the boundaries of aquatic thickets. This good places for hunting, that's why they hide here.

Any fish that swims up to the reeds becomes the unwitting prey of pike. Hunting is accompanied by constant gurgling and splashes of water. This is a sure sign for the fisherman that the desired trophy is somewhere nearby.

In deep sand quarries

Here, in deep places, pike loves to be. In general, it gathers in flocks, but the number of individuals is small.

Particularly large specimens can be found and hunt alone. Deep holes for pike are a real salvation in the coming frosts, because there they find shelter and food.

Reviews about fishing for pike in November using a spinning rod

I am incredibly attracted to November fishing. The time of year - it seems that it is no longer autumn, but winter is still on the way. It is during this difficult period of the year that the fish thoroughly gains body weight for the coming winter. There is a chance to catch a particularly large trophy. My personal record so far is 45 cm in length and 5.5 kg in weight.

I always try to go to the lake at the peak of the pike feeding season. According to my observations, it lasts a maximum of two weeks. I fish with a spinning rod and cast often. If there is no catch in sight, I change location. In this case, you need to try to find a cluster of pike. This predator is constantly hiding somewhere in hard-to-reach places.

My last fishing trips were not the most successful. There were too many gatherings. But for the last time, luck smiled at me. I decided to fish with a dark green twister. I chose the area in the form of two decent-sized pools. They are about 4 meters deep. I think this is ideal. That day I was lucky enough to pull out a small beetle weighing 400 grams and a pike weighing about 1.5 kg. At least some catch.

My fishing brought me fruit when I fished with vibrating tails. Initially, I had to cast the spinning rod for a very long time and many times. The wiring I chose was simple - stepped. In one of the pools, it was already the third in a row, I started to bite. I'm trying to pull it out, but it doesn't work. There were so many accidents, but it was biting with terrible force. And after the fifth attempt to accept the trophy, I still managed to pull out a gorgeous specimen weighing 3.7 kg. Of course I was very pleased. The fishing was a success. A couple more good pike were added to my catch.

I love November fishing. I always hope to bring back a big fat trophy from such fishing. I go to a river several kilometers from home. I like one place where it’s convenient to throw a spinning rod from a raft. Early in the morning I started doing some simple wiring, and I was immediately lucky. During the pause after the first throw, there was a confident bite. It turned out to be not empty, and therefore did not fall off - I pulled out a pike weighing 2.5 kg. I think it was more than great for starting fishing. Then everything went like clockwork, the catch was rich.

Fishing for pike in November with a spinning rod does not always please the angler with stable results. Late autumn is not the most pleasant time to be on a pond. But, with the right approach to choosing a fishing spot, using catchy baits and well-chosen tactics, you can hunt for the toothy predator until the freeze-up.

This behavior of pike is associated with the availability of food supply, which is now concentrated in local places, and unstable weather. In November, air pressure and temperature are constantly changing, which affects the toothy’s mood. During short-term warming, the predator often experiences a burst of activity, so it is unwise to miss such favorable days.

Fishing in November with a spinning rod is not tied to the time of day. Now there is no clear morning or evening appearance of the predator. Pike can take bait all day long. Moreover, whether it is a cloudy or sunny day is no longer so important.

Where to look for pike in November

In late autumn, white fish migrate to deep areas of reservoirs and prepare for the winter. Naturally, the pike follows it, which is located next to schools of small fish, hunting for it throughout November.

In November, pike are caught in the bottom layer using a spinning rod. Before winter you will not find the toothy one in the upper horizon. It rarely goes to high ground and does not stand on the top of edges or slopes. The best places for hunting predators in late autumn are:

Deep holes and pools with a slow current, where small fish concentrate.
Exits-entrances to pits, channel ditches.
The lower parts of slopes and deep edges.
Shrouded deep locations.
Places with medium depths, where the current “twists” and the bottom topography is uneven.

Pike often approach the places where small rivers and streams flow into the main channel. It is important that there are decent depths and shelters at the bottom, from where it will be convenient for the toothy fish to hunt for fry.

How to catch pike in November using a spinning rod

On small rivers, lakes and where promising places can be reached from the shore, it is not advisable to use a boat. In November it is uncomfortable to be on the water, and the pleasure of fishing will be blurred. Shore fishing for pike with a spinning rod in November in such conditions will be the best solution. About the technique and tactics of coastal pike fishing.

On large bodies of water: reservoirs, large rivers and huge lakes, you can’t do without a boat. In the coastal zone you can only count on catching small pike. All seasoned predators stand on deep dumps, edges, in holes and ditches where white fish are concentrated.

In November, pike fishing on the river using spinning rods is carried out mainly using jig methods. You can forget about surface baits, twitching wobblers or back-loaded spinners. The following lures for pike come to the fore:

Silicone twisters, vibrotails, worms.
Oscillating spinners.
Front-loaded turntables.

Less commonly used are deep-sea wobblers that can dive to depths of up to 10 meters. But it is inconvenient to cast such baits with a spinning rod; they are more suitable for trolling.

Video about catching pike with a spinning rod in November:

The gear used for spinning fishing in November does not differ from classic jig gear. The requirements for fishing rods, reels and lines are standard. Helpful information on choosing a rod in the article: top 10 spinning rods for jigging.

The best lures for pike in November

When going fishing for pike with a spinning rod in November, you need to have a minimum set of working baits that will allow you to catch a toothy one under any conditions. In first place you can put silicone vibrotails. Equipped with open jig heads, these “silicones” effectively seduce predators on even bottom and classic stepped retrieves.

In snagged areas, it is better to use twisters mounted on offset hooks to prevent frequent snagging. If the pike is completely passive, then you can use silicone worms, but the weight of the load needs to be increased so that the height of the bait toss and the time it falls to the bottom are minimal.

Oscillating spoons are unfairly forgotten by many fishermen. On a clear bottom they still produce good catches. There are many domestic and foreign baits that regularly catch pike in November, for example, Mepps Cyclop spinner.

Finally

In November, pike fishing is not always successful. But during this period there is a very high probability of encountering a trophy specimen. The end of autumn is considered by seasoned spinning anglers to be the time to catch large toothy ones. Therefore, large baits, strong fishing lines, thick steel leaders and strong hooks are used.

November. Every day the colors of nature become dimmer. Of course, there are sunny days, but this happens less and less often. And I really want to stop the steady movement of time in order to soak up the warm rays of the sun a little more. I would like to, but not everyone. The time has come for real fishermen - hunters for extreme sports, difficulties and trophy representatives of the fish family. Amateurs have long since reeled in their fishing rods and are waiting for the first ice, or even a distant spring. And only true spinning anglers pray for a belated freeze-up... And if you want to fight the elements, catch a trophy fish, to feel like a man with a capital M, but the instinct of self-preservation keeps you at home - it’s only your fault...

As you know, during the autumn off-season, fish need to gain the weight necessary for a comfortable winter. The pike is especially furiously engaged in this process - the desired enemy of any fisherman. There are many publications about pike fishing and its behavior during this period. The authors, of course, should be trusted: the materials are not written out of thin air, but are based on the personal experience of fishermen and ichthyologists. However, in most publications, pike life is described in relation to a specific body of water, a period of time, a specific situation, and many of you will agree that such a theory needs to be tested. Although sometimes the check happens by chance due to the irony of fate.

Depth of pike habitat and its migration in the pre-winter period

Almost all classical literature (L.P. Sabaneev, N.B. Lopatin, B.M. Kurkin, A.Ya. Shcherbukha, etc.) provides a lot of information about the behavior of pike with the onset of cold weather, which can be reduced to one thing: with decrease in water temperature | pike migrate to the deepest parts of the reservoir. The vast majority of modern publications speak about the same. From a logical point of view, there are reasons for this: white fish roll into wintering pits, pike food items move away from the shores, followed by pike, which at depths feeds on large individuals for small ones; energy costs. However, my experience refutes this...
So, winter. The reservoirs are covered with an ice shell. The maximum depth of a reservoir, for example, the Dnieper Bay, is 12-15 m. We catch pike with girders. Where can you quickly catch live bait - perch, roach and silver bream? Under the shore. At depths of 0.5-1 m. And which vents then work most often? Right! Those that are installed at depths of up to 4 m. It is at these depths that pike can get enough of small fish. Someone will say: this is a small thing, the pike needs a lot of it!

And remember how many live bait can be caught from one hole to a dozen or more. Considering that the “population density” of pike is higher than that of roach and perch, we can conclude: pike feel good at these depths, and therefore they bite and are caught. And how can we now believe that with the advent of cold weather, pike migrate to depth? Say that pike bite at depth. Yes, they bite, but this is the pike that lived at depth.

Now for more specific examples. Mid December. Pressure 730 mm. Leaden, almost black clouds overhead. Persistent rain often gives way to snow. The strongest wind drives half-meter waves. The river, or rather the former Kozinka River. There are three of us in the boat. No other fishermen are visible, or maybe they are not there at all. We catch by trolling. The main depths of the channel are 4-5 m, but there are also holes - 7-10 m. The deep places are filled with roach, silver bream and bream. Sometimes bream and large roach are caught behind the tees of wobblers. Using wobblers with different depths, we comb all deep places. The result is only a couple of small pikes. Changing the size of wobblers also does not bring the desired result. We decide to cheer up a little and stop for lunch. More precisely, we don’t stop, but simply turn off the engine and unwind the gear. The boat is carried quite quickly towards the shore. The echo sounder is a meter deep, not a single fish. The comrade eats his sandwich first, takes a rod from the SALMO Sting to fish the shallows. But before making a cast, he begins to move the wobbler along the water along the side from side to side, selecting the speed of the retrieve. We hear the squeal of the clutch, and a one and a half kilogram pike flies into the boat with a flourish... The fish took the wobbler, swimming from side to side right next to the boat! If this happened in the summer, no one would be surprised. But winter is just around the corner! The water temperature is 3°C, the depth is a meter, you can even see the bottom... So, with short casts around the boat, we caught 12 pike in 40 minutes.
Another case. Still the same Ko-zinka. Beginning of December. Trolling. The echo sounder shows fish at depths of more than 3 m. Shallower - silence. Four hours of trolling do not bring a single bite. Changing colors, models and sizes of wobblers does not bring results. We are brought out of our thoughts by the splash of a pike at the edge of the reeds, almost at the very shore. We swim across a twenty-meter patch of grass, and behind it there are only five meters of clear water to the reeds.
Casting SALMO Perch 8 F (RR). Two turns of the reel - a lightning-fast pike attack and emotional fishing on a short line accompanied by the squeal of the clutch. Ten minutes - and four quite good-toothed ones in the boat. What was the pike doing in the shallows? The water is very cold, all the fish have rolled into deep places. Or maybe she lived there in the summer and was going to spend the winter there, feeding on small perches?
As many eloquent titles say: in trolling anything is possible! Therefore, I will give an example of coastal pike fishing. A very deep bay of the Dnieper. The greatest depth is 18-20 m. All summer, the pike took bait at depths of about 7-8 m. Only occasionally a shallow one was caught on the dump behind the grass. Often, not only the depths, but the entire coastal zone were carefully fished. The main baits for shallow fishing were Mann’s Predator vibrating tails different sizes with heads corresponding to the depth, center-loaded spinners No. 1-5, surface wobblers SALMO and RAPALA, as well as poppers and light oscillating spoons. The result is only a few random bites and small pike. The pike did not show any splashes, and not a single adult predator was spotted near the shore. With the cooling of water, air, and a change in weather for the worse, the pike bites at depth stopped. And one of the evening fishing trips simply puzzled me.
It so happened that there was only an hour to go fishing before dark. But it was during this hour that I was shocked. Not a single bite at depth. All the pikes, and 8 of them were spotted, attacked the bait at the very edge of the water. The toothy ones accompanied the bait from the dump to the very shore and into last seconds the wiring was attacked. Moreover, only one of them was spotted... The option that it was the same pike disappears: I don’t think that one individual could behave so actively and accompany the fisherman on a 70-meter stretch of shore.
For two weeks in a row, every evening I managed to persuade several pikes, earn a couple of kills and up to a dozen empty but furious bites. I didn’t forget to check the deep places - not a single bite. Maximum depth, where bites occurred - 3 m.
Rain, strong wind, and all the pike are half a meter deep! However, the fish did not show itself at all on the surface. It seemed! would: active pike prefers active baits - spinners ‘with a large angle of deflection of the petal, sweeping wobblers. But no. Even a predator. began to ignore the proven Predator No. 3. The favorite turned out to be the smallest white with a black back Mann’s Assassin on heads 3-6 g. And even with this miniature bait there were more empty bites than realized ones. In addition, with a sufficiently high activity - almost every spotted predator made a “candle”, the one and a half centimeter bait, the pike managed to bite either the tail or the stomach with such force that the rod was torn from the hands. It seemed that with the onset of cold weather, the predators collectively ran aground... And this is the complete opposite of the line of behavior cultivated by the authors in the fishing literature.

The mouth rejoices at the large piece. But is it?

There is an opinion that in late autumn pike prefers to feed on large prey. That is, having dined on one large individual, for example, a roach or a bream, the fish spends less energy than chasing small fish. Theoretically, everything is correct. But, like any living creature, the pike experiences moments of burst of activity, a passive state, in short, the pike’s mood changes. Moreover, it seems to me that this does not depend on the weather or other external factors.
Remember two different autumn fishing trips on the same body of water. Everything seems to coincide: atmospheric pressure, precipitation, and even the direction and strength of the wind. But during one of the fishing trips there is a real pike bite, and the second does not please with a single bite. Lures of the same size, color, game with the same working depth no longer attract the spotted beast. What is the reason for this behavior of pike is unknown...
Two fishing trips near Kiev (December 14 and 21) seven days apart. Cherries, area of the 3rd lock. There are three of us in the boat. In the depths of the water there are three wobblers SALMO Perch 8 cm, JAXON Karas 8.5 cm and SALMO Perch 12 cm. All wobblers with a sweeping active game are combat, working, proven. During fishing, the pike only took a twelve-centimeter model, and the pike was small. The fish ignored smaller wobblers, although 8 cm for a kilogram pike is the favorite size. No tricks made her catch that day with small wobblers.
Next fishing trip. The weather is identical. The main characters are fishermen and wobblers. The scenario is guessed with your eyes closed. Again, a large wobbler brings pike one after another, and the pike is not interested in smaller brothers. BUT! As soon as I replaced the SALMO Perch 12 with its eight-centimeter brother, the pike began to attack all three wobblers...
There is a hypothesis that the more powerful vibration of a large wobbler simply drowned out the fluttering of small baits, i.e. the pike paid attention not to the largest, but to the most aggressive prey... And when the baits “matched in height”, it calmly switched to “feeding” on small prey, without particularly consuming grub.
My personal experience, the experience of my father and our entire fishing company refutes the generally accepted thesis about the “big piece”. In the pre-winter period, seasoned pike respond well to models of wobblers 8-9 cm long, but they often do not pay attention to larger baits. Confirmation? Three fishing trips in the same conditions: a large trolling wobbler caught a dozen and a half pike weighing up to 2 kg, and 8-9 cm wobblers caught three seasoned pike from 5 to 8 kg and several individuals weighing 3-4 kg.

Decline in pike activity since freeze-up

We arrive at one of the recreation centers on the river. Kozinka. We go to the owner and ask for the boat. The counter question is alarming: “Boys, did you take the goods?” Indeed, the entire river, with the exception of a section of 100 by 500 m, is covered with ice. We decide that we can do without skates and solemnly dedicate our boat “Bakai” to icebreakers...
What kind of reduction in pike activity can we talk about when the bite on the SALMO Perch 8 and RAPALA Shed Rap Shallow Runner 8 (SH) wobblers was such that we stopped taking pike up to 5 kg in the landing net.
Fish activity is confirmed by fishing on January 9th. The ice became, the river remained under its cover for two weeks, and for a week open water formed again. It was during this short period of open water that we went fishing, which gave us considerable pleasure.
I think it’s not at all a matter of the presence or absence of ice cover. This may be funny, but if it were possible to place a wobbler under the ice, then the pike would actively peck at it all winter...

Which is better: artificial bait or live bait?

You often hear that live bait is a universal bait for catching pike, and indeed any other predator. It’s just that many people don’t want to bother with preparing and caring for live bait.
In summer, when pike activity is low, live bait can certainly help out. But in late autumn and early winter - I'm not sure. I often managed to catch lovers of “live bait” (walking and sedentary) with the help of a banal vibrating tail and uniform wiring. Why did we decide that the pike attacks our bait, considering it a food object? Maybe she is expelling a competitor from her territory or grabbing the bait in her mouth out of curiosity? Maybe she's like Small child, tries everything to its teeth...

Last winter we caught pike with girders on one of the Desna oxbow lakes. Between the four of us we had about 25 baitfish and only one small pike to our name. Deciding to try my luck with the balancer, I was rewarded with a bite from a huge pike, which literally bit the line in the hole. Then I got five more bites, but caught only one pike under a kilogram. And all this among the installed zherlits! The pike was not interested in delicious crucian carp, roach, perch and spined lance, but it liked the ridiculous piece of iron. Well, isn't this curiosity or hidden aggression towards something new and unfamiliar? Although, my guesses are just a hypothesis... There are many more examples of strange behavior of pike. Why was pike actively biting in January?

The best applications for the month of November are twisters and various other edible silicone for jig fishing. We remind you that you can always purchase them online, and at very reasonable prices.