Pike not taking my bait

[Suffolk Lad]

quote:

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Originally posted by PerfectPiker:

I need some advice on now to increase quilty of pike this season im wanting to bet my PB (17.5) but struggling to get over 6lb any advice will be welcome and if any one knows of place to fish in the suffolk area.

Many Thanks

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Try using eel sections, smelt or lamprey .. injected with extra Esox-attracting oils

 

Suffolk Lad

[Dick Dastardly]

Pike in the rain? I wont bore you with my views on high pressure weather conditions again(as Im sure regulars here will be sick of it!) but rain is normally hand in hand with low pressure.But as with all angling there are exceptions!One day on the River Rother it started to rain about 30mins into the session (about 7)this soon turned into a gale, the rain along with driving wind made the conditions horrible.It seemed a major effort to keep all the rods on their rests (even with rubber bands!!)Huddled under the brolly I discussed aborting the day with my mate,he was in total agreement that we would be wasting our time anyway.Whilst packing up (something that dont take me long!)We had a total of 8 jacks!!One on each rod and none rebaited. Couldnt beleive that any thing would happen in conditions like that.Only time I have ever gone home when the fish have been feeding.Another mate fishing down river of us where we had left the cars was in a bit more sheltered a spot by a bridge he too was catching.We have often spoken about that session since, very strange and out of charecter.Just goes to show though that anything can happen. :confused:

[Andrew Burgess]

I Agree with you about piking in the rain, but as with all angling exceptions.

[Dick Dastardly]

Not going up the Res today bruv?

[Andrew Burgess]

No bruv, not feeling well today, had a bad night, had a early night last night, woke up a 4.40am this morning. :confused: :confused: Going up there this afternoon to hand my pike competition form

[Steve Burke]

Following on from my earlier post, I had 2 half day trips recently, one on Sunday and one yesterday, both starting just before midday. Sunday was very windy yet mild out of the wind despite a very sharp overnight frost which had dropped the water temperature to 42F.

 

It produced just one run and one extremely hard-fighting fish of 13½lbs, and interestingly it came at 1.45 just a few minutes after it clouded over.

 

Perhaps it was the change of light that did it? This I find not uncommon, and not just with pike. Have others found the same?

 

Despite the high pressure this came on the bottom in 20ft of water. I fished one rod up the slope of the drop off, the other in the deep water. As usual I started with both baits at different depths, and gradually shallowed one, and deepened the other.

 

Although the pressure was even higher, the weather yesterday was totally different - flat calm, cold with hazy sunshine gradually changing to thick cloud. The water temperature was down to 40F.

 

I wouldn't normally have chosen to fish in such conditions as I've found calm, cloudy anticyclones in winter to be hopeless on most waters - not just Wingham. However, remembering the pike coming on Sunday when the cloud came over I went to the same swim to see if today would be an exception, having baited it up with mackeral when I left on Sunday.

 

It wasn't! I sat there all afternoon without a touch, despite ringing the changes.

 

I thought however I'd be in with a chance of a fish just after sunset, and sure enough I got a single bleep at 4.20 and the line pulled out of the clip. Unfortunately, no run developed (not unusual at Wingham as the fish are so unpressured). I tightened down, felt nothing, but after a few seconds delay hit it anyway just in case - I like to do everything possible to avoid deep-hooking. Nothing! I left the bait, lamprey in 20ft of water, for another 20 mins but not a twitch, and so packed.

 

Do others find cloudy, calm anticyclones the kiss of death in winter?

 

[ 17. December 2003, 01:11 PM: Message edited by: Steve Burke ]

[argyll]

I think we're all struggling this year. An overly hot dry summer, low water levels, loads of natural food in the water all conspired to give me the worse Thames and Broads pike season (so far that is)that I can remember. The perch and chub however remained unaffected, in fact they were on top form and went some way to making up for the disappointing pike fishing. Lets hope the rest of the season is a bit special.

[Rob Ward]

This Winters Piking has been pretty disasterous for me so far.

 

I've been out four times on my home waters and blanked every time.

 

I made one trip to the Severn and managed a Jack of around six pounds that took a float-paternostered Roach deadbait at around 9AM on a rising coloured river in heavy rain.

[Howard 13]

I've been out everyday this week and have had 2 everyday except for Tuesday. Like Steve, only one of these was under 8 lbs.(the biggest only 11lbs 4ozs)

 

I've fished 4 totally different stretches of the same river but have had 3 fish all about the same weight(between 10lbs 4 and 10lbs 5ozs)from different spots.If they weren't so far apart, I'd be convinced they were the same fish.

 

All of these fish were taken between 1100 - 1300, before and after these times I think I only had 1(half)run.

 

I see Steve doesn't rate calm, cloudy days - are these the best conditions at the moment Steve? (it's been calm but bright and sunny with a couple of frosts here)

 

I must admit I'm not realy a full-on piker but have to say how much I've enjoyed this week, the last 2 days especially.

 

ATB,

Howard.

[Steve Burke]

Howard 13:

I see Steve doesn't rate calm, cloudy days - are these the best conditions at the moment Steve? (it's been calm but bright and sunny with a couple of frosts here).

It's calm, cloudy days coupled with high pressure I don't rate. This "anticyclonic gloom" has been pretty poor for me for all species on almost all waters.

 

I've also never done well for big pike in heavy rain, although it's quite the opposite for other species, especially perch.

 

Otherwise what's best for pike seems to vary from water to water. At Wingham, sunshine combined with wind is usually really excellent. This is especially so when it co-incides with a weather change, especially a sharp drop in temperature.

 

Some of you may remember a trip I reported on last December when, after a prolonged mild spell, the temperature dropped like a stone. As a result I was champing at the bit to get out! Fishing into the teeth of a force 7 north-easterly I lost count of the number of pike I caught. Despite the sudden drop in water temperature the pike were so active that some tailwalked!

 

I went to Wingham with Peggy this afternoon to take some photos rather than fish, and to my surprise there was ice in the margins. The water temperature had been 40F just 2 days ago.

 

A sudden drop of temperature is forecast on Sunday together with snow showers and a strong north-westerly wind. I'll definitely be going then as some friends are coming down, so wish us luck. A photo of a double figure pike in the snow would be a perfect Xmas present!