The Pike is a perfect predator and has been around for millions of years. Built for speed with all its fins pushed way back. So with one flick of its tail it is gone. Its eyes are on top of its head, they have very good sight and it also has sensors on top of its head under its jaw and down its lateral line. These sensors detect vibration, pressure, temperature and scent so if there is any kind of movement at all the pike will know about it, even if the water is murky. Pike have been found completely blind with no sign of loss of weight. This is not surprising as pike live in deep water where the light can't get to, and that is where its sensors come in. In fact its sensors are so good, it can tell when a low pressure is coming in days before we could tell. That iswhy pike tend to have a feeding spell a couple of days before it turns cold as it is harder to get food when it is cold. They have a large mouth, pikes teeth face backwoods and the others are long and sharp and are designed to impale and hold the prey, Whilst hoping to give enough damage to the prey so it doesn't get away. They have 2 long pads at the top of the mouth that goes from the front of the mouth to the back of the throat. These are covered with teeth to grip its prey. They even have small teeth on their gill raikers so smaller prey can’t swim out the gills. Their colours and patterns give them perfect camouflage, which makes it a formidable ambush predator.
U TUBE VIDEO FOOTAGE OF A PIKE TAKING A LARGE TROUT PLUS OTHER CLIPS
Feeding Habits There feeding habits are simple! if it is small enough to eat and it moves, eat it. They will eat any smaller fish even smaller Pike. The bigger pike have even been known to eat ducklings and small mammals that swim along the bank and even the odd grass snake. It is movement that triggers a strike but once it is in its mouth it will swallow it if it can. If the Pike is in the shallows it will lie in a snag or weed and wait for food to come to it. If it is in deep water it will hang mid water under the shoals of prey fish and strike from underneath. They will eat any dead or dieing fish, which makes it an important part of the eco system to prevent disease from dead fish and help keep a healthy stock of fish healthy. The Pike will feed a few days before a cold spell so they can conserve energy when the temperatures are low. Pike are often found with leaches on them from where they lie up in the colder months. Very young pike eat water fleas and other tiny aquatic life but after only a few weeks they move on to members of their own species and other fry. A pike will come out of nowhere and grab its prey and then run with it. It then turns the prey around in its mouth. This isthe only chance the prey has to get away, then it is swallowed head first, as most fish can only swim forward there is no way out. Spawning Females usually have up to 20,000 eggs per pound of their body weight; so large specimens may carry more than 5000,000 eggs each spring. The female pike is the larger of the 2 sexes and can weigh up to 18kg (40lb) or more: males rarely get any bigger than 5.5kg (12lb).After spawning, pike feed heavily to regain their strength. The usual victims are other fish, such as perch and roach, using the shallows to spawn. It has been known for a female to take a smaller male when spawning is over.
Fresh Water Dead Baits Fresh water baits can be roach, perch, skimmers, eel, in fact any fresh water fish, even smaller pike as pike are very cannibalistic. I find baits 3" to 5" long work best for me and roach and perch are my favorites. I slit open there belly's from frozen so when the bait defrosts it oozes out the scent. This can bring in the pike in quite quickly. To my mind there is no better method to catch a pike. The pike will use less energy eating a dead fish than trying to catch one. This is what makes it such a good method.
Salt Water Dead Baits
Smelt - is one of my favorite baits, it holds the hooks well and has a good odor and smells a little like cucumbers. strange but they do work very well.
Eel - is a popular bait to, it can be cut into sections and bleeds well.
Sardine - these are hard baits to keep on the hook as they are a very soft once they defrost but a rubber band will do the trick. I haven't done to well on these but some people swear by them.
Mackerel - these are a good all rounder and is a very popular. It can be cut in half and the tail section work best for me.
Lamprey - these are the so called wonder bait, just like smelt was a few years ago. I must admit they hang on the hook like a good'en and bleed for hours.
Herring - another favourite for some and easy to obtain from your local fishmonger.
These are the sea baits we get in the UK but you can use any fish that is small enough. As long as the bait is not covered in spines or are poisonous. Most good tackle shops do a selection of frozen baits.
A Range of Lure's
A pike is attracted by the movement, colour or vibration of the lure. Now lure's come in different types, shape and colours. There is a massive range in lures available today to suit all types of situations. The choice is yours!
Basic Rigs
Unhooking Pike
Unhooking pike is an important part of fishing and it must be done properly for the well-being of the pike and your own safety. There is nothing worse than a trip to the hospital for a couple of stitches or a nice prize pike going belly up.
First of all there are a few things you will need.
A unhooking mat, this is a padded mat for the pike to lie on while you unhook the fish. this is so if the fish jumps or flaps about there will be less harm to it. The next thing are a good pair of forceps. I have 3 in 6" 8" and 10" long. The larger the Pike the bigger the mouth and the the forceps needed. Sometimes it is easer to go in through the gill cover especially if they are deeply hooked It is important to get the fish back to the water as soon as possible. It is up to you to take responsibility for each fish you catch and the water you are fishing. Some people use gloves to unhook pike to stop from being cut. I tried gloves once but as I pulled my hand out the glove was stuck to the gill rackers and this can damage them, the worst thing that can happen is you get your finger scratched. each to there own. It is important to note that if you are going to fish for pike for the first time it is better to with someone who is experienced in unhooking pike to show you how its done.
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