On the lake I fish for quality roach there is a fair population of pike,to upper twenties,the singles have developed a behaviour I haven't noticed before and it's lake wide,all of them do this,when you hook a roach they follow it in,but do not attempt to take the roach,instead they wait,just a few yards out waiting for you to return it,then they attack,it's very successful too as the roach flee from the angler,they are not aware of the ambush that's been set,I've tried sitting there with the roach in the landing net out of eight and scaring the like away,but they are patient and cunning and just sit out of sight.
Pike behaviour, on the change?
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theartist
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I've had this on a few waters, with big perch too, if you want to catch one just dip the fish as close as you can to the bank like you were returning it - bang!
Certainly happens on my club lake where they wait for the weigh-in for returning fish.
Thats why a member got very badly bitten and ended in casualty.
He made the mistake of rinsing his fingers in the edge thereby imitating a distressed fish being returned.
Bang...9 stitches.
Thats why a member got very badly bitten and ended in casualty.
He made the mistake of rinsing his fingers in the edge thereby imitating a distressed fish being returned.
Bang...9 stitches.
thecrow
Well-known member
Never heard of this before but it must be learned behaviour, maybe they are more intelligent than we give them credit for.
David Gane
Well-known member
A few years back I was live-baiting from a fishing boat on The Broads. Live-baiting is something I don't do any more, but that aside I recall on one occasion that I had had a small bream on the hook for about half an hour. I was having no luck and it was clearly tiring so I decided to unhook it and return it the water to give it a second chance at life. I leaned over the side of the boat, returned it and with my face just a few inches away from the surface watched it swim away. It got about three feet when the head of what must have been at least a 20 pounder smashed through the surface and swallowed it whole. I JUMPED OUT OF MY SKIN!!!!
I have a theory that pike know perfectly well when a prey fish is hooked that something slightly out of the ordinary is going on. As a lure angler I often get follows without takes from pike that are interested but still cautious and again I'm sure they realise that what they are watching is a bit unusual. Sometimes they are "up for it" and feeding well and on those occasions they'll have a go at a target anyway. On other occasions they are a bit less voracious and so a bit more selective. Whether that's a change in behaviour, or just quite normal behaviour I couldn't say.
I have a theory that pike know perfectly well when a prey fish is hooked that something slightly out of the ordinary is going on. As a lure angler I often get follows without takes from pike that are interested but still cautious and again I'm sure they realise that what they are watching is a bit unusual. Sometimes they are "up for it" and feeding well and on those occasions they'll have a go at a target anyway. On other occasions they are a bit less voracious and so a bit more selective. Whether that's a change in behaviour, or just quite normal behaviour I couldn't say.
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I think pike are very intelligent judging by a couple of observations this Summer. Trotting on the Stour I had three of them lining up on the near side bank waiting for returned fish.
On another occasion I’d been watching a pike that had stationed itself about three feet from a reed bed and been there unmoved for a couple of days! I carefully lowered a piece of luncheon meat halfway between the reeds and the pike, the pike very slowly inched forward until it was about six inches from the meat and there it stayed for another few hours hoping the meat would attract its prey.
On another occasion I’d been watching a pike that had stationed itself about three feet from a reed bed and been there unmoved for a couple of days! I carefully lowered a piece of luncheon meat halfway between the reeds and the pike, the pike very slowly inched forward until it was about six inches from the meat and there it stayed for another few hours hoping the meat would attract its prey.
Another Dave
Well-known member
Maybe the behaviour is sweeping through the species like a 'hive mind' thing...
sam vimes
Well-known member
I've seen a few rather distinct types of learned behaviour in pike.
The first is basically the same as that in the OP. It has been especially obvious on one of the rivers I fish. The pike would queue up at your feet. I've had as many as four pike (that I could clearly see) fanned out in front of me.
The second one I've seen involved pike lying directly over a baited spot. It relies on having a very clear water venue to actually see it happening.
The third involves a deep gravel pit with steep marginal drop offs. The pike learned to sit on the slope facing up the slope towards the bank. Anything drawn over their heads, or up the slope, was hit, sometimes repeatedly.
The first is basically the same as that in the OP. It has been especially obvious on one of the rivers I fish. The pike would queue up at your feet. I've had as many as four pike (that I could clearly see) fanned out in front of me.
The second one I've seen involved pike lying directly over a baited spot. It relies on having a very clear water venue to actually see it happening.
The third involves a deep gravel pit with steep marginal drop offs. The pike learned to sit on the slope facing up the slope towards the bank. Anything drawn over their heads, or up the slope, was hit, sometimes repeatedly.
O
O.C.F.Disorder
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I cant believe there is doubt that pike are intelligent?! I have seen many pike follow in lures that humans cant tell are made of plastic let alone a fish. I have also watched plenty of underwater behavior videos of pike where they have very clearly checked for line. Pike are smart but I would liken them to a smart child, very switched on most of the time but can sometimes get excited and run in a road.
When pike are hungry they normally take a fish,regardless,it's the behavioural change that interests me,for years and years like would chase as if they could take a hooked fish,these fish simply are not playing that game,these fish follow your fish in,some seven or eight feet behind,then sit as wait,knowing you are going to put said fish back,this is a different occurrence than has happened for all of my years of fishing,amazing in my book.
How interesting, never heard of this before.
Fish can definitely learn. If we can train fish to feed on a certain bait by prebaiting then we must be training them (eventually) by repeat captures to avoid that bait.
I have known a few carp anglers with lesser IQs than fish!!
Fish can definitely learn. If we can train fish to feed on a certain bait by prebaiting then we must be training them (eventually) by repeat captures to avoid that bait.
I have known a few carp anglers with lesser IQs than fish!!
theartist
Well-known member
What I've also noticed with pike is that they get into a kill mode even when they have fed, I've had fish take a good roach then within ten minutes the same fish is back for more. The same thing happened when a heron took my fish, it came back for more within half an hour. I guess all animals pounce on that opportunity for a feed up and make the most of any such opportunity
The behaviour I'm seeing involved a deep clear pit and I have seen as many as four lined up waiting,but not for fish coming in,but going out.
sam vimes
Well-known member
Yep, same as I've seen on one particular river.
thecrow
Well-known member
I reckon the Roach must be thick as if they had anything about them they would jump back out of the water and onto the bank immediately after they were returned 
One nearly did Graham,trouble is the banks are built up for bivvy usage,you know,billiard table flat and eighteen feet square,two and a half feet from the water,this water is full of roach,from ounces to well over two pounds,that's without everything else in there,but like have a distinct liking for roach over 4ozs,don't know why 2oz boys are not so appealing.
Just to offer another possibility here…yes it could be the Pike are learning or it could also just be a genetic survival of the fittest type of thing.
Take hedgehogs for a moment (bear with me on this..) the reason we see less flat ones now is because basically a hedgehog that is caught in the headlights of a car does one of two things. It will either run or it will curl up. No prizes for guessing what happens to the curled up ones. The result being that the Hedgehogs with the instinct to curl up slowly get wiped out and the remaining hedgehogs with the run for it instinct survive and multiply passing their run instinct to their offspring.
Perhaps something similar is happening to the Pike on that water. The ones that chased fish on the way in may have been hooked more often and dragged out and suffered as a result more than those that didn’t. The result being that chasers slowly died off leaving the waiters to become dominant.
Take hedgehogs for a moment (bear with me on this..) the reason we see less flat ones now is because basically a hedgehog that is caught in the headlights of a car does one of two things. It will either run or it will curl up. No prizes for guessing what happens to the curled up ones. The result being that the Hedgehogs with the instinct to curl up slowly get wiped out and the remaining hedgehogs with the run for it instinct survive and multiply passing their run instinct to their offspring.
Perhaps something similar is happening to the Pike on that water. The ones that chased fish on the way in may have been hooked more often and dragged out and suffered as a result more than those that didn’t. The result being that chasers slowly died off leaving the waiters to become dominant.
theartist
Well-known member
They nearly always go for the biggest fish you hook, you are offering them a selection after all lol, the pike will probably shadow that shoal or be in an area where the right size fish are for the rest of it's life and grow with them. I've watched pike on a few small rivers 'grow' with the roach starting off as small fish then becoming doubles, they would take small fish to start then it would be big fish relative to their size. Why waste effort on a snack when you can get a full english