Traditionalists suggest that the prime time for targeting pike (Esox lucius) starts in Britain on October 1st running through until the end of the coarse fishing season on March 14th.
The truth is that pike anglers are free to pursue their quarry at any time of the year, although many fisheries do not allow pike fishing during the spring and summer months. There is no doubt that the number of anglers fishing for pike drops dramatically once the pike start spawning around April; picking up again from September.
Canadian Pike
In Canada and the Northern Sates the pike feeds voraciously throughout spring, summer and fall. However, during the warmer summer months, the larger pike do retreat to deeper, cooler waters. In crisper autumn temperatures they move back to warmer, shallower sandy bays.
Despite their fearsome reputation, pike are very delicate. They expend a lot of energy when hooked and this causes their oxygen levels to drop. Summer is usually a time of low oxygen levels anyway in many European waters, making the pike particularly vulnerable to stress.
Because of this many experienced pike anglers observe a self imposed moratorium on summer piking in Europe, waiting until the first of October before wetting a line.
However, for some, spring and summer offer an opportunity for a trip to Cumbria or the highlands of Scotland where huge glacial lakes are very slow to warm up and may never reach high temperatures or suffer from low oxygen levels.
Northern Pike
In North America, the Northern Pike as it is known (exactly the same species as its European cousin) is much more of a year round quarry and has even adapted to some low salt water content environments.
Known in many quarters as the freshwater shark, it is indiscriminate in what it chooses to attack and eat. Ducks, frogs, whitefish, insects, carrion and its own family members are all well documented to have all fallen victim to feeding activity.
Taking pike for the table is much more prevalent in North America where the regulatory authorities recommend returning larger pike, seen as superior spawners, and keeping only small and medium-sized fish.
The tourism industry supporting pike fishing is also wider and more varied in the States due to the sheer size of the area where pike fishing is possible, although there are some well established charter companies in the East Anglian, Fenland and Norfolk areas of Great Britain which have prospered since pike fishing began to grow in popularity.
Additional Sourcing
NorthernPikeBook.com – accessed September 2010
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Keith Higginbottom - Keith Higginbottom is an award-winning journalist and publisher based in the UK. During a 30-year career spanning newspapers, consumer ...
