Wise Up To Wary Pike

NEVILLE FICKLING Britain’s best-known pike angler, angling historian and carp fishery boss reveals all in this fortnightly column.

I THINK it’s fairly well accepted that many species of fish, most notably carp, become harder to catch the more they are fished for. What about pike? My long-term sparring partner David McLaughlin, who has written for various publications, would say no. Needless to say, I would beg to differ.

The fundamental part of catching any fish is that it must eat your bait. Fish eat your bait because they need to feed to survive, so a nice free offering will usually be taken, the fish then hopefully ending up in the bottom of your landing net.

Let’s take Chew Valley Lake as an example. In the opening few days there are some good catches. Unfortunately, by the fourth and fifth day the fishing starts to get harder. Most of the big pike are caught on deadbaits, although a few fall to lures, so why do results tail off?

One can assume that the captured pike have been put off feeding. Yes, they are caught and released with minimal trauma, but the shock of capture obviously has some effect on them. Some will, however, make the same mistake the following week, but the fishing will inevitably become harder and harder.

On a water that contains a large stock of big pike, the initial period of success will last for longer, but gradually the fishing will also get tougher.

There is nothing easier to catch than a pike that has never been caught. I’d sum them up as being suicidal, but once angling pressure starts to increase, the same fish become harder to catch.