Widely regarded as one of the greatest pike anglers, former record holder Neville Fickling reveals his angling knowledge in an exclusive, mini series in Angler’s Mail. This week: can we predict when pike will feed?
OVER the years I’ve had some pretty heated debates with other pike anglers about feeding times for pike. In the end I’ve had to stick with my personal experience, which is that feeding times do exist. Unfortunately, to muddy the water in some situations, predictable feeding spells are very hard to tie down.
Barrie Rickards and Ray Webb in their 1971 masterpiece Fishing for Big Pike clearly showed that on some waters feeding periods do exist. They made it clear that turning up at 10am on some waters resulted in the main feeding period being missed.
Certainly in the period September to October you have to be there at dawn, because the key feeding time is from then until 9am. After that you’d think there were no pike in the area. Go back the next day in the same swim and you’d experience a feeding period again, with a few hours of hectic sport.
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Making Short Work Of Specimen Chub
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A guide's guide to guides
Canadian Jeff is a great guide, helping anglers to catch the fish of their dreams.
