Pike Fishing with lures

[Al88]

Hi everyone, I am fairly new ot the world of fishing and I am really enjoying it. I have had a lot of success with using floats and normal bait and I have now decided to try lure fishing for pike. I have been to the damflask reservoir in sheffield twice now in the past week, it is a large body of water which is well known for it pike, but I have had no success at all. I am unsure whether it is a lack of good technique, I have been casting quite far out, letting it sink and then slowly retrieving the lure, or whether it is due ot a lack of pike activity of late. I have used a number of different lures, Spinners, rubber shads and plugs. Can anyone give me any suggestions or tips?

 

Thanks a lot

 

A

[Newt]

Hi and welcome to AnglersNet. Here are a few ideas for you.

 

It could be that you had the bad luck to be fishing where the pike were not. Next time if it is possible, try some casts closer to the margins and near any obstructions you can locate (rocks, logs, whatever). Also, try being on the move with a few casts and if no takes, a move to another place. Roving is usually a better lure tactic than staying in one place.

 

It could be that the fish were in the mood for a different retrieve speed than you were using. I normally like to start the day with a lure that behaves well on a fast retrieve and fish it fairly fast. If no luck that way, I will try a succession of slower speeds and vary between steady and erratic.

 

The same 'mood' thing applies to the lure colour. Some days it does not matter but other days if they want only white and you are fishing with green you will have a very slow day. In general, subtle colours or transparent (as some rubber lures are) is best in really clear water, black or dark blue is best in really murky water or at night, and cloudy water is best with brighter colours.

 

Lure size can also be a factor. If the pike are in the mood for a 6" or 10" meal, they may ignore a 3" lure unless it hits them on the nose or something.

 

I don't know the reservoir you are fishing but generally, if you know what species and what general size makes up the usual forage for pike in that water, you will have a pretty good idea of what size, shape, and colour lure is likely to bring you some fish.

[Jeff S]

I read these articles by Leon Roskilly when I first started after pike. Hopefully you can enjoy them as much as I did and get some good information from them as well.

 

ps. Read them all! Totally worth it.

 

Pike Basics

 

The Case for Pike

 

Lure Fishing Part One

 

Lure Fishing Part Two

[Al88]

cheers guys, that was really helpful.

[Newt]

Good luck and let us know how your lure fishing goes. It is certainly my favourite method.

[Steve Burke]

Two of the keys with lure fishing is getting the speed and, in particular, the depth right.

 

In general the warmer the water the faster the retrieve speed that's likely to produce, although if it's very warm you may have to slow down.

 

You'll usually find a good proportion of the pike (and even more so the perch) that are willing to feed are at a particular depth. So it's important to get your lure to spend as long as possible at this taking depth.

 

One good way to find this depth is to start with a sinking lure such as a spoon and use the countdown method. With this you let the lure sink to the bottom, counting as you do so. With the next cast count to a slightly lower number, and so on until you get a take.

 

Alternatively, start at the surface and work down. This is especially useful if you expect the fish to be high in the water, perhaps because of low light, or the swim is very weedy or snaggy.

 

Another tip is to engage your reel so that the lure sinks on a tight line and so you can strike a take without having to pick up slack line. It may very slightly reduce your casting distance, but there's no point casting further if you're not fishing effectively!