Content
- The path to a trophy pike.
- Now let's talk about everything in order. Favorite hunting spot for small pike.
- A few words about heavy jig. There are simply no jig baits too large for catching trophy pike.
Pike is the most accessible and popular prey for spinning anglers.
But what is Trophy Pike?!
We can say that everyone has their own dream, one fisherman dreams of a banal “three ruble”, another “ten” is not enough.
And yet, it seems to me that we can take the notorious meter as a starting point. A meter pike is approximately six kilograms of live weight.
We took a starting point, but where is the limit? And there is no limit.
I recently read on the Internet that while filming another episode of a “cool place,” a trophy pike was caught, and I quote, “The fanged one pulled almost 40 kg, or more precisely, 38 kg 700 grams.” I don’t believe it, although there is no reason not to trust the source of information.
Of course, this trophy pike was taken on the Volga, and we are talking about the Ob River, and more specifically, the Suzunsky region.
But believe me, there are decent specimens here too. I had to deal with trophy pike, but twice when I landed a trophy, I was simply stunned.
It looked like there was a submarine on the hook! In both cases, the outcome was the same - an unbent hook.
Guinness Book of Records
Information about the largest pikes caught in Russia or abroad is not always supported by reliable evidence. But there are record-breaking specimens, the capture of which is quite well documented.
- Spinner from Germany Stefan Gockel, while fishing in the Netherlands, caught a pike 1.2 m long. The previous record that he was able to break was 1.18 m. Interestingly, Gockel was able to handle his trophy in 10 minutes - that’s how long the fishing lasted. Experienced fishermen know well that they have to spend 20-30 minutes, and sometimes more than an hour, fighting large specimens.
- Mark Hutton in Canada hunted for trophy pike on purpose. And in the end he actually managed to catch a decent specimen. The length of his fish was exactly 1.18 m. Thus, Stefan Gockel's record surpassed this figure. But, be that as it may, Mark Hutton’s pike is a very worthy trophy that would be an honor for any angler.
- The next record belongs to the muskellunge. The largest pike of this species was caught by Mark Carlson Rockford in America. Its length was 132 cm and its weight was 27 kg. Fishing was done by trolling, fishing took 15 minutes.
- A slightly smaller muskie was caught in the United States on the St. Lawrence River by Michael Forgeon. The length of this pike was 130 cm.
The path to a trophy pike.
It may not be easy and long, but endurance and patience will definitely lead you to the trophy. From my personal experience I know that if you strive to catch a trophy pike, you are guaranteed to succeed.
Once, having set myself the goal of catching a trophy specimen
, in four fishing trips I caught seven qualifying pikes, from six to ten kilograms each. One fishing trip was especially memorable when three pike were caught - six, seven and eight kilograms, respectively.
Why is it so difficult to catch a trophy pike
?
While medium-sized pike are caught quite often? Firstly, the number of meter-long pikes in the reservoir is not so large, and secondly, they feed less often. While smaller individuals feed intensively, increasing their body weight. A trophy pike gets full quickly, having swallowed a couple of fish weighing a kilogram, rolls under its favorite snag, where it calmly digests the food. This process can last several days, only after which the predator becomes active again, but again for a short time.
What are the components of success in trophy hunting?
The first is knowledge of the reservoir and the ability to read the river
The second is proper equipment and the ability to use it.
Third - a little luck and a lot of patience
The largest pikes in the world
The largest specimen in the world by weight was caught on Lake Uvldah in the northern latitudes. Its weight was 56 kg. The largest trophy was caught on Lake St. Lawrence in Canada. Its length was 130 cm. There are also reports of muskies weighing 60 and even 70 kg caught in North America.
But this is still a different type of fish. Reference! The legend about the largest pike, which is called the Heilbronn pike, is widely known. According to legend, in 1230, the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II personally caught this fish, after which a gold ring was attached to it. She was then released into Lake Beckingen, located near the city of Heilbronn. According to legend, in 1497, that is, 267 years later, this fish was caught, and its length at that time was 570 cm and its weight was 140 kg. But this story has not been confirmed.
Now let's talk about everything in order.
Knowing the body of water where you will have to look for approaches to trophy pike will greatly facilitate the task ahead of you. If you don’t know a body of water, you can’t do without the ability to “read” it. Straight sections of the river alternate with turns. These are the turns you should pay close attention to.
The concave part of the river’s coastline is steep; a strong current washes the bank, washing away the roots of trees growing on it - this is a channel hole. In such a hole, under the trunks of trees that have fallen from the shore, a trophy pike finds refuge
As a rule, the bank opposite the pit has a convex coastline along which a sandy and shallow section of the river is located.
Favorite hunting spot for small pike.
Next you need to pay attention to the sections of the river preceding such turns. If a turn in the river is followed by another turn, then perhaps the river at the end of the sandy bank will wash over the sand spit going deep into the river. This is a very good place. The sand spit pushes the current away from the shore, forming a backwater. Usually, forage fish accumulate in them, and pike necessarily visit such places.
If there is a long and straight section of the river between the holes, look for a place with a weak current and a concentration of forage fish. An echo sounder will make this task easier for you.
So we demarcated the river, taking into account the direction of the flow. It is not difficult to understand that the beginning of the pit is the entrance, and the end of the pit is the exit. In straight sections of the river with a weak current, as well as in backwaters with an almost complete absence of current, plankton and, as a result, white fish are concentrated, which in turn is an excellent food source for trophy pike. It remains a practical matter of trial and error to find the path along which the trophy pike goes to the pasture.
This path is not easy, but that makes the fishing more interesting.
To find promising fishing spots, you have to move a lot around the reservoir. I can't imagine hunting for trophy fish without a motor boat equipped with an echo sounder and satellite navigator.
I am not an advertising agent for fishing tackle manufacturers, and therefore I do not name the brands that I prefer. However, I will say that I like American spinning rods, and Japanese reels.
It is advisable to have a spinning rod with a fast action, with a line weight of 20-25 lb and a top weight of 40-50 g on the bait.
When choosing a reel, I pay attention to the strength of the structure and the reliability of the mechanism. Size no less than 4000 according to Shimano classification.
The cord I'm quite happy with is the Power Pro braided cord. Durable, with a classic weave, the cord does not have a thread sheath, thanks to which it retains its original qualities for a long time. And this is not advertising. For trophy fishing I use a diameter of 0.28 mm, the color is lemon yellow.
Lures are a broad topic.
The largest pike in Russia
The largest specimen caught in Russia was caught on Lake Ladoga, on the territory of the Republic of Karelia, near the city of Sortavala. Its weight was 49 kg 200 g. This trophy was caught almost by accident. During spin fishing, a 5-kilogram pike took the bait. For most, even such a trophy is something out of the ordinary. But while fishing for this fish, it was attacked by another one - the same one, weighing about 50 kg. She sat on the hook and was then pulled out of the water. In general, attacks by large pike on fish that are hooked and dragged to the shore or to a boat are rare.
But reports of such incidents appear periodically. It is not for nothing that live bait is considered to be the best bait for predators. But usually the fish are not detected. Despite the fact that there is quite a lot of information about the largest pike caught in different parts of the world, there is a possibility that we will never know about the largest specimens caught. As a rule, fish grow best and reach their maximum size in protected areas, as far away from civilization as possible. In Russia, this is primarily the north and Siberia.
It is likely that the local residents who caught the largest pike simply will not want to advertise its capture. And even if they were willing to do so, they would not be able to reliably document the size of their trophy. Another point is that the fish were much larger earlier, when the level of technological development of mankind was much lower. Thus, the available information about the largest pikes is probably not complete. One can only guess, looking at these figures, how much the largest of the caught specimens could actually weigh.
Important! There is a legend about “Boris Fedorovich’s pike”. This story says that in 1794, during the cleaning of the Tsaritsyn ponds near Moscow, a fish was caught, on the gill cover of which there was a ring with the inscription “Planted by Tsar Boris Fedorovich.” It is known that the reign of Boris Godunov began in 1598 and ended in 1605. Thus, it turned out that the age of this pike was about 200 years. But there is no evidence that it really existed.
Turntables
A few words about heavy jig. There are simply no jig baits too large for catching trophy pike.
The bigger, the better. The limitation on the size and weight of the bait is imposed by the fishing method itself. The windage of large silicone baits makes it difficult to make long and accurate casts, and, unfortunately, wiring such baits is difficult. The maximum size of vibrotails I use when fishing with jigs is fifteen centimeters. When searching for pike in sections of the river with a weak current or when fishing vertically, I use silicone vibrotails 25 - 30 cm long.
I do the installation on a jig head, with an additional tee. An additional tee on the back of the vibrotail is not an extra detail at all.
I often use articulated equipment, a Cheburashka head weight and mounting a twister on a double, if there are no snags in the fishing area, then on a tee.
I use heavy spinners, about 40 g. The leash is made exclusively of nichrome, with a diameter of 0.5 mm. I don’t use swivels or carabiners, only twisting. If possible, weak points should be eliminated.
Now you are already in the boat, armed with knowledge and a powerful spinning rod. In front of you is the entrance to the riverbed pit. Your echo sounder shows a depth of 4-5 m. Somewhere here there is an invisible path along which a predator leaves its shelter and makes a predatory raid on peaceful fish.
And may you be lucky, may your expectations not be long. But remember, when there is contact, a powerful sweep must follow. It is necessary! You need to try to “pull” the silicone through the pike teeth brush.
When fishing, you shouldn’t rush, but keep close contact with the predator. You should be in charge, not her. Sometimes she makes jerks of terrible force, capable of crushing powerful gear. You need to be able to parry, use the friction brake and take control at the slightest opportunity.
To lift a trophy pike aboard your boat, you will need a large, durable landing net or hook.
When removing a hook from the mouth of a trophy pike, take care of your hands and use a tool.
Pike lifestyle and habitats
Predatory fish are conventionally divided into two types - “ambushers” (those that attack their prey from cover) and “catchers” (predators that directly pursue their prey). Pike belongs to the first option. Compared to other types of fish, it has its own characteristics. Where should you fish for pike? Here are the basic principles of searching for it in a body of water:
- The predator lives in places overgrown with grass. Most often it sticks to the shore and stagnates in the roots of trees. Larger pike live at depth in the steeps and hunt only in the early morning or late evening.
- Pike has the ability to change its color. That is why in different bodies of water and places you can find both light golden and dark brown predators.
- The main feature of pike is its eyes. They protrude from the head. Thanks to this, the predator has a large overview of the area, even when standing in one place.
Predator food
Pike eats almost everything that comes its way, mainly of animal origin. Its victims may be:
- juveniles and adult fish;
- worms, beetles, larvae, leeches (especially after spawning);
- rodents that swim across a body of water;
- small waterfowl.
Biting periods
There are three main periods of active pike biting:
- Pre-spawning period.
- Post-spawning period (1-2 weeks after spawning).
- Autumn bite before wintering.
In summer, the predator is inactive. This especially depends on weather conditions. The bite intensifies during a thunderstorm and at low atmospheric pressure (indicators of 145 and below).
Spawning
The timing of pike spawning depends on the temperature of the water. The thermometer readings should be no less than + 3 degrees Celsius. As a rule, this falls in the first ten days of March. Pike begin to spawn only at the age of three. The female lays her eggs on fallen branches or coastal vegetation. The number of eggs depends on age.
Blitz tips for successful pike fishing
For fishing to be successful, there are several important points to consider:
- Pike hide in snags, in the grass, in the bends and turns of the river.
- The choice of gear depends on the size of the pike, the pond and the bait.
- Depending on what kind of bait will be on the tackle, you need to use one of the classic wiring.
- The activity of pike depends on the time of year and weather.
- Larger specimens hide in the depths.
If you take into account all the features of pike fishing, the catch will be large and such a vacation will bring a lot of positive emotions. No tail, no scales for you!
Spinning lures for pike
Most often, spinning gear for pike fishing is equipped with artificial bait. First of all, fishermen adopted oscillating spoons - metal plates curved in a special way for their best play in the water. Amateur fishermen have been using spoons for at least two centuries. On one side of the spinner, a tee hook is attached using a winding ring, on the other side there is a ring for attaching a leash with a swivel.
Choosing what to take on a toothy hunt:
- Catching pike with a wobbler;
- Top 10 lures for pike fishing with a spinning rod;
- The best wobblers for pike;
- Top 10 best budget wobblers for pike;
- The best balancer for pike;
- Winter lure for pike.
Spinner spinners are very popular among spinners. In such baits, the metal petal rotates around the axis of the hook when moving in the water. Spinner spinners are smaller in size than oscillating spoons, but are often superior to them in terms of catchability.
Wobblers are a modern voluminous bait. There is a plastic insert in front of the bait to create a certain depth. Most often, wobblers are used for trolling. Previously, this fishing technique was called a track - the spinning angler casts the bait into the water and the boat or boat begins to move, towing a wobbler behind it.
Twisters and vibrating tails are an invention of recent decades. Silicone baits are placed on jig heads. Most often they are used at a time when the fish stays at depth.
