Piking 10/02/06

[riverside]

Hi

 

Haven’t been fishing for a while so I went pike fishing today on a stretch of river I’ve fished a few times before. Caught two pike, one of 9lb 2oz on ledgered sardine and one of 12lbs on a head section of lamprey.

 

Although I don’t keep exact records of the time of day I catch pike, I do kind of keep a mental note, and the amount of times I’ve caught a fish between 9 and 10 o’ clock at the venue I fished today does seem to stand out. I’ve had this happen October through to February. Do any of you think that individual waters can have their own feeding hotspot times?

[Dick Dastardly]

Yes definately.Also different swims have different hot times.

[argyll]

They do, at least my usual spots do. But be prepared for them to change over time.

[Peter Waller]

Very definately, and those times can vary by season too.

[Leon Roskilly]

I believe that 'hotspots' with set feeding times can happen as a result of the changing position of the sun, and the pattern of sun and shade from underwater features and bankside vegetation.

 

Pike's colouration is ideal for blending in with the dappled pattern of light caused by sunlight through weed or the leaves of bankside trees.

 

And when the sun is in the right position at a particular spot, the pike set up their ambush positions, moving on as the sun moves across the sky and different parts of the lake fall into sun and shade.

 

On days when it's bright enough to make a difference, expect to find pike feeding in a particular spot at the same time each day, but remember as the sun climbs higher and the days grow longer, the times and places where the pike wait in ambush amongst the shade and shadow will change.

 

On arriving, and before setting up at a particular spot, just think on that for a minute or so (and on other factors such as patrol routes, pre-spawning gatherings etc etc) before deciding where to place your baits.

 

Too often pikers head for previous hotspots without any idea why pike were feeding there on a previous occasion and why they may or not be feeding there today.

 

There is always a reason.

[Tom Vahey]

Absolutely, and further to Leons comments they will hang out in spots where the prey fish are nicely silhouetted against the sky.