When not to fish for pike in winter

[Mark Thompson]

Is it generally regarded that with a drop in temp like we are now experiencing it is best to wait a few days for pike to adapt to the colder conditions before fishing ?.
I accept when it warms up after a cold snap it can be a productive time.
Cheers

 

[Gavin Hoe-Richardson]

My experience is that they are generally more lethergic but don't go 'off the feed' completely. I think that they just have shorter feeding spells, right place, right time and all that. Mid-afternoon usually works best for me when there's ice in the margins (perhaps because its warmed up slightly.)

 

[Mark Thompson]

Cheers Gav

 

[Kristian Price]

I have caught pike at minus 6 before on the Bristol Avon. It was a funny old day, no runs or takes through 1 section, a quick cast with a spinnerbait to a raft of rubbish in another caught one jack and then my mate had 10 runs from the same area in about an hour before it went quiet. Just that trigger required, or right time, right place.

I quite often catch pike in the winter with leeches on, so agree with the sentiment that they lie up.

 

[Ian Law]

Hi Mark,
I don't confess to being a pike expert, I have however caught many of them using all methods. I believe like alot of our angling it's down to temp trends this time of the year. I did go out on Sunday to a location where blanks are very rare, (lucky me eh...), but following the temp crash I wasn't confident of catching, and so it turned out to be the case. If it stays freezing cold for the next week or so, then I will feel more confident in that it's been consistently cold! If it warms up....then clearly all the better, and I expect to run out of herrings

Ian