Bridgewater piking in summer?

[smiley]

Has anyone had success at Piking on the Bridgewater at this time of year? Had some success in winter but never tried in Summer. Is it worth it with the coloured water????

[kev d]

Originally Posted by smiley

Has anyone had success at Piking on the Bridgewater at this time of year? Had some success in winter but never tried in Summer. Is it worth it with the coloured water????

I had one in winter, 21.2lb deadbaiting.

[kermit]

Hi there Smiley,

Pike seem to be pretty good at feeding in coloured water (I'm assuming they eat something in the summer months!). I read somewhere that their senses are so good they can still live and feed happily if they go blind..... Not sure how this was ascertained though but it is a measure of how good their senses (other than sight) are.

However, please forgive me if I'm about to tell you something you already know, or if the following comes across in any way patronising. This isn't my intention at all.

Piking in summer requires a lot more care than in winter to ensure fish wellfare; generally oxygen levels in the water are lower in summer and pike sometimes struggle when caught under such conditions. Therefore, summer piking rule 1 is to have the fish out of the water the absolute minimim length of time.

Summer piking rule 2 concerns deadbaits. In winter pike tend to be relatively lethargic due to cold water temperatures and will take a while to eat a deadbait. This gives you a bit of time to let bites develop before striking. In the summer this is not so - deadbaits will tend to vanish into Mr Pike's belly much, much quicker. Therefore, summer deadbaiting is not something I'd recommend - particularly if you are a relative newcomer to piking (I've no idea if this applies to you). In summer deep hooked pike area real possibility as the bait can be in the pike's stomach before you've even noticed a bite. When this happens, removing the hooks can mean having fish on the bank longer than is ideal (see rule 1!).

For me personally I do most of my piking in autumn/winter. I occasionally do some summer piking, but this is always with lures. The chances of deep hooking are virtually nill, plus lure fishing is ace fun when the fish are warm enough to get chasing lures My deadbait gear is left well alone over the summer and I'd recommend others do the same. Ultimately, how and when to fish is down to the individual, but please bear in mind the above.

Mike.

[FLURO]

Wise Words Kermit and pretty much what the British Pike Angling Club say on the matter.

I want to do a bit this summer myself and with the time i have availaible and the ease/amount of tackle i have to take to my local canal i am going to give it a good go on the lures- had reasonable success this winter but now the water has coloured up not sure what my chances are?

Did a 3hr walk/session along my stretch the other day and never so much as had a follow or half a chance. What lures and tactics would you recommend, as its coloured my first choice was a spinner bait and then a couple of rapalas casting far bank ,down the track,margin etc- really worked the water yet nothing and too be fair its full of jacks so i was a bit suprised.

The recent rain wouldnt have helped and i know in the winter it knocks them about a bit, but any experiences or help you or anyone could provide would be most appreciated.

Really got the pike bug this winter and despite continuing with my carping my heart really hasnt been with it since-Love the spur of the moment sessions and the fact i havn't got loadsa gear and have to plan it like a military operation!!!

Cheers
Fluro

[kermit]

Fluro,

Something like a spinner bait sounds spot on to me. As the water is coloured, something with a bit of vibration is a pretty good choice. Shallow diving plugs with good action can be worth a try too. However, don't discount a more 'natural' bait when the water is coloured. Lots of fish I've caught on my canal come to Storm Shiner soft baits (about 4" long and look just like a roach).

The other option is to try a splashy surface bait (effective and soooooo much fun when you're getting takes ). The near and far side shelves are ususally about 18 inches deep, so any pike lying there will notice surface baits. Something like a jitterbug or bass snatcher would be good.

Mike.

[stes]

A mate of mine as had a 20 out of there this year with quite a few other high doubles

[smiley]

Thanks for the advice. Will give it a whirl