pike fishing using lures?

[Steve Burke]

Whilst accepting that lures aren't as good in winter as they are in summer, I simply can't agree that it's not worth using them in the colder months.

 

It's rare that I can't catch a pike or two on lures on any of my local waters in winter. Perhaps the only exception are some trout reservoirs that become very hard then, especially if they colour up. Even on these I've shared some mammoth winter catches, including one memorable day of over 100 fish (mainly pike but some perch) to two of us. In fact we packed up early as we were too knackered to carry on!

 

Indeed, there are winter days when lures are actually better than live or deadbaiting. And not just the odd day too. Yesterday for instance a friend of mine (a very good angler) blanked on baits whilst I had 5 pike on lures in just 2 1/2 hours.

 

As Leon said you normally have to fish slow and deep in winter. That's how I usually start but, like Leon, I'll experiment if that doesn't produce. I recall many a day when pike were slamming into lures on the drop, even in bitterly cold weather. BTW, this is a good reason for engaging your reel immediately the lure hits the water, otherwise you'll miss the majority of these takes!

 

Location is also important as on many waters pike are less spread out in winter. For that reason I often like to start with a spoon. This is because you can quickly cover a lot of water, including different depths, by counting the lure down.

 

And finding the taking depth of the day can be critical. Often you'll find that there are more pike in other parts of a lake that are willing to feed at that depth. If you fish at the wrong depth you may well blank rather than have a red letter day. Indeed, I think that fishing at the wrong depth is the single biggest reason for novice lure anglers blanking. A common problem is fishing say a shallow running plug, a Big S for instance, when the pike are 15 foot down. Some days of course they'll come up for them, but even more often they won't.

 

I find that spoons often cream off the more active pike; I can then catch more fish by changing to a different lure, say a soft plastic that I can work more slowly. This worked well yesterday for instance with a couple of fish plucking at the spoon I started with, but really hitting a plastic shad worked even slower.

 

Whether I choose baits or lures often depends on the mood I'm in. Some days I just want to chill out, and then I'll choose to bait fish. But even then I'll be fishing more actively than many pikers, frequently twitching baits back, changing the depth (easy with a sunken float paternoster), or recasting. It's amazing how often a bait cast to exactly the same spot immediately gets snaffled by a pike!

 

Other days I'll be feeling more active and will enjoy a bit of exercise. Then I'll choose to lure fish.

 

But most of all I'll choose to lure fish simply because it's fun!

[Dick Dastardly]

MC I obviously dont know if this applies to you or not but a lot of guys only give the lures a go when other methods fail.This is inevitably in poor piking conditions so a false impression can be given.

 

In general (as Steve et al) have said it does slow down but on rely good feeding days the lure can still out fish baits even lives. Ive found pike to be most active hunters in high pressure conditions.Give it a go.Still no joy then come up here a few times and with any luck you will hit a high pressure day on my local river then it will give you the bit of confidence you need.

 

That said in low pressure conditions I wouldnt even bother going if I only had the option of lures! I think that a good piker needs to be competent (and confident) in all legitimate methods to capitalize on the best sport.

 

And lets remember that "best sport" isnt allways numbers or size.As several have said lure fishing can simply be just such great fun!

[Andy Macfarlane]

I just wish Abu would bring out a furry side-plate for their multis. Gloves are cumbersome and side-plates are freezing.

[corydoras]

These Canadian anglers seem to have no problems catching pike in the wintertime with lures, so if it works in Canada, why would it not work here?

 

Youtube Video ->

 

I forgot to mention that live bait is illegal in Alberta

http://www.winefredlake.com/fishing.html

Edited November 4, 2008 by corydoras

[Leon Roskilly]

I've not really paid any attention to pressure conditions,

 

If you haven't got a barometer, this one is pretty accurate

 

http://resource.npl.co.uk/pressure/pressure.html

 

And these pressure charts give you a good idea of what is about to happen.

 

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/surface_pressure.html

[Peter Waller]

I have always thought that it is a bit of a fallacy that lures don't work in the winter. They do work, and can work well, especially during high weather fronts. A really deep diving plug, with a large diving vane, can be tripped along the bottom, the vane digging into the silt, can yield no end of pike. Mind you, it does help if you understand the likely whereabouts of pike!

[Neil G]

Of course lures can work in winter but the fish do really take some finding, especially on rivers

 

Changing venue is also another way of catching, I've accepted that a lot of local rivers are just not producing anymore so have now decided to travel further...ballache but sometimes it's what you have to do

[Vidar6]

I have always thought that it is a bit of a fallacy that lures don't work in the winter. They do work, and can work well, especially during high weather fronts. A really deep diving plug, with a large diving vane, can be tripped along the bottom, the vane digging into the silt, can yield no end of pike. Mind you, it does help if you understand the likely whereabouts of pike!

 

Spot on, Peter

 

There are some very good pike anglers in this country that aren't fishing anything but lures all year long and they are able to catch even in the depth of winter.

 

I agree in the fact that slow and deep most of the times seems to do the trick during winter, and personally I have been doing very well on 4-6 inch jigs twitched back along the bottom.

 

Saying that I saw numerous pike, up to high teens, caught on a top-water lure last year in mid November so no rules without exception it seems.

[Steve Burke]

MC, I have heard of a few waters that don't respond well to lures in winter, and it's possible that the Sussex Ouse is one of them. Whilst I've not found a river like that myself, I have found it hard going with lures on trout reservoirs in the winter.

 

Often though that's because of coloured water. In these conditions I've often struggled despite using all the methods that work well in the States for other species. Bait anglers have caught a few fish on these days, but their catches also fall in murky water, although not to the same extent. It seems that pike on such waters almost shut down then - in fact you often catch trout reservoir pike with a lot of leeches on them in winter suggesting that they've been inactive.

 

Could coloured water be the reason for the blanks?

[Dick Dastardly]

Thats a pretty logical guess Steve. Coloured water does cause a drop off in sport all round.On normally ultra clear waters such as TR's it seems to have a far greater impact.

 

MC have you tried wobbling dead baits? this is a very effective method and would be an easy transition for you to try?