Pike season

[mikench]

I know about the close season on rivers but is there an unofficial close season for pike on still waters or is it merely a personal matter?

 

[steve2]

Only if the club or water owners are backwards in their thinking. OK to fish for them in their spawning season January, February, March but not when they are at their fittest the summer.

 

[sam vimes]

There is no seperate pike closed season. Any notion of there being one is down to tradition and the best efforts of the PAC to have this traditional season adopted by its members.

 

[john step]

Yup! personal choice or fishery rules only. I do so much piking in the winter that come the water warming up my thoughts turn to other things otherwise life would be too samey.

As an aside. When fishing for silvers after a lot of piking the line and tackle looks almost like gossamer. The contrast is immense.

 

[Finzky]

I think closed season is more in place to protect fish from unexperienced or killer anglers who don`t know how to catch and how to release fish with no or minimal harm. We do need to make sure mamas won`t be disturbed during spawn season, from other hand pikes are cannibals and eat their own childs during spawning season, so in my opinion is more to protect fish from dumb anglers than actually we (experienced ones) are making harm to fauna...

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

Only if the club or water owners are backwards in their thinking. OK to fish for them in their spawning season January, February, March but not when they are at their fittest the summer.

I couldn't agree more.

I thought of adding this to my latest article on tackling up for pike, but it is such a sensitive subject amongst some pike anglers. As you say, they fish for them especially in February and certainly early March when they are either spawning or prepping up for it. It might have something to do with the fish being heavier then and so upping their PBs, I don't know.

In May and June they eat around 70% of their annual diet, or so I read once and I am thinking that might have come from Barrie Rickards, famous pike angler. They are then at their fittest having got over their spawning and replenishing themselves so why not fish for them. I wouldn't fish deadbaits in summer, but that's just out of preference for lure fishing when surface fishing proves so successful and exciting.

The only time I wouldn't fish them in summer is when water temperatures get well up in the teens, ie: 17-18º C and above. Most other fishing should also stop when water temps go above 20º as that then becomes tropical, as aquarists would say. Last year Farmoor reservoir suffered a loss of hundreds of fish and that was largely due to temperatures as much as oxygen deprivation. All of our freshwater fish are cold water fish and pike are less tolerant of warm water than most, so don't fish for pike when it's very hot like last year.

EDIT BIT: I should also add that it's usually later in summer, late July and August, when water temperatures get much higher, not may and June and early July.

 

[Jimk2]

I couldn't agree more.

I thought of adding this to my latest article on tackling up for pike, but it is such a sensitive subject amongst some pike anglers. As you say, they fish for them especially in February and certainly early March when they are either spawning or prepping up for it. It might have something to do with the fish being heavier then and so upping their PBs, I don't know.

In May and June they eat around 70% of their annual diet, or so I read once and I am thinking that might have come from Barrie Rickards, famous pike angler. They are then at their fittest having got over their spawning and replenishing themselves so why not fish for them. I wouldn't fish deadbaits in summer, but that's just out of preference for lure fishing when surface fishing proves so successful and exciting.

The only time I wouldn't fish them in summer is when water temperatures get well up in the teens, ie: 17-18º C and above. Most other fishing should also stop when water temps go above 20º as that then becomes tropical, as aquarists would say. Last year Farmoor reservoir suffered a loss of hundreds of fish and that was largely due to temperatures as much as oxygen deprivation. All of our freshwater fish are cold water fish and pike are less tolerant of warm water than most, so don't fish for pike when it's very hot like last year.

EDIT BIT: I should also add that it's usually later in summer, late July and August, when water temperatures get much higher, not may and June and early July.

A lot is to do with water temperature and dissolved oxygen levels in the water.
There’s too many variables to go into it but I wouldn’t encourage any novice to fishbfor pike after spawning. The pike are ravenous and will fight very hard and may not recover. Plus they take the bait and both trebles will go!
Unless it’s on a huge glacial where water temp and oxygen levels isn’t affected and barbless hooks used by an experienced pike angler I’d be against it personally.