How to catch pike in spring, summer and autumn on the Lower Volga?

Yuri 07/19/2020 837

Pike fishing is not just an exciting activity, but also an entire art. Successful fishing involves knowing the habits of fish, constantly moving in search of a good place, changing baits, correct hooking and many other nuances. Let's start with the simplest thing. Let's figure out what kind of fish this pike is.

Pike is a predator that can easily be caught at the Sazanya Bay Fishing Base. She can eat fish, worms, other toothy animals and even animals, for example, ducklings. The predator is usually not very picky when choosing food, so it is caught using silicone, spinners, spinners, wobblers and other artificial baits.

It's worth remembering! You need to hunt for pike in different ways at different times of the year.

Pike fishing in autumn

Autumn is considered the best period for catching a predator.

In September, pike are usually in shallow water. There is still a lot of food in the water, she is just getting ready to feed and is not very active. At this time, it is best to catch predators with large, brightly colored baits, such as wobblers and spinners.

From the end of September to November, pike have a zhor. By this time, the water has completely cooled down and the temperature drops, and the predator strives to build up a thick layer of subcutaneous fat in order to survive the winter calmly. It bites on any artificial bait, be it a spinner, a twister or a vibrotail. It is best to start fishing during this period.

In November, the activity of the fish gradually decreases, and it descends to depths from where it is not easy to catch it, although live bait or jig are capable of this.

Fishing methods

Two types of fishing are considered the most famous and effective: trolling and casting. To fish for pike in the first way, you need to get on a boat and go to the selected part of the reservoir, and then cast the bait and swim slowly. Then the bait will be constantly in motion and thereby attract the predator

When fishing for pike by casting, you need to force the bait to move using a fishing line or rod, it depends on the bait itself. For example, twitching involves twitching the tip of a spinning rod and your own play of bait.

How to properly fish for a predator

To catch pike, you need to know how to do it. The toothy predator does not respond to standard fishing methods and requires special techniques. Here she is:

When biting, the pike must be hooked immediately. In order for the fish to hook for sure, this must be done sharply and strongly, since the predator has a powerful mouth that is difficult to break.
After hooking, just don’t let the pike sink to the bottom and wait.
In five to seven minutes of resistance, the predator will completely weaken.
As soon as she gets tired of squirming, start pulling her out. To do this, slowly and carefully lift the spinning rod and then lower it sharply so that the line loosens and can be easily wound onto the reel.
Repeat step four until the fish is very close. After that, get it out with a net or leash.

Who gets caught, what and when

Still, the Lower Volga is simply a wider part of the river with a moderate current. The fish is the same as in almost all other hone arteries. Let us conditionally divide the species composition into “habitual” and valuable groups. The first category includes our common “belly”: bream, carp, perch, pike, pike perch, catfish, burbot, asp, roach and other species. The second group, or rather, what is left of it, includes sturgeon, beluga, sterlet, stellate sturgeon and thorn. Poaching and the construction of hydroelectric power stations have seriously affected the ecology and species composition. Currently, about 70 species live in the Volga, 40 are commercial fish. Sturgeon representatives of the aquatic fauna suffered the most.

All these problems began back in the days of the Russian Empire, when there were four fishing seasons:

in spring, late March – mid/late May;
from July 15 to September;
from September 1 to November 1;
all winter.

At the end of the 19th century, the authorities began to sound the alarm - from that moment on, the Volga was considered a heavily polluted river, especially its lower part. The Federal Program for the Conservation and Prevention of Pollution was adopted in 2021, and by 2025, the authorities decided to reduce wastewater emissions by modernizing facilities.

IMPORTANT! All the dirt, all the garbage is collected from the Upper and Middle Volga and flows into the Lower Volga zone, where the local cities add more to it.

Despite all this negativity, fishing in the Lower Volga region remains popular, but is seriously limited - this concerns the ban on fishing for valuable species, which nature conservation structures have declared endangered species. If we talk about our usual “underwear”, then everything is the same as everywhere else. Fishing directions are all: feeder, zherlitsa, zakidushki, fishing rods with floats, spinning rods, picker. They fish here all year round, for example, in August the fish prepare for winter: there is a strong hunger, so they bite on almost all baits.

The peculiarity associated with the behavior of fish lies in the climate, especially closer to the delta. Here's the thing. Not far away is Kazakhstan, where, as many people know, winters are cold and summers are very hot, despite the fact that this zone is located in the South. Fishing in the Lower Volga in August is more interesting - the fish feed heavily to provide themselves with energy reserves for the cold winter. In the Volgograd, Saratov, and Astrakhan regions, this phenomenon is most pronounced. Fish migrate almost throughout the river, swimming to the shore in search of food. In autumn, activity may gradually subside, and in winter it “fixes”, but continues to depend on pressure - in principle, nothing new.

Some Karpovs need a mustache to enhance their tactile qualities. Such sensory organs allow fish to operate in muddy water and “feel” the bottom.

The Lower Volga is wide and deep in places, so the majority of fishermen use boats, because they are forced to go far from the shore for trophies. By the way, low activity of fishermen is observed in Saratov, especially in summer. Most fishermen try to go outside the city (it is heavily polluted, especially the Factory District) somewhere to a lake or pond, of which there are a lot. The Volga itself in this area is overgrown in places and there is a lot of garbage. It is mainly spinning anglers who fish from boats and the shore - many fish directly from the bridge. Winter people go out to the river more actively, taking flags (girders) and fishing rods with them.

IMPORTANT! What’s convenient in Saratov is that there is an island literally in the middle, and you can get to it via a bridge by bus – there’s a stop there. Go down and that’s it, you’re already in the middle of the Volga.

The baits, of course, are the same as they use in all other reservoirs: worm, maggot, bloodworm (when it’s colder), pearl barley, corn, live bait. There are no problems with this, if you want, dig it yourself, if you want, buy it, the fishing market is so developed that you can easily purchase almost all types of attachments and lures both in a real store and via the Internet. Bait too, especially since it is practically nearby (Belgorod), its products in most regions of the Lower Volga are inexpensive, since they do not need to be transported far. By the way, speaking of companies, sports teams in this part of the river also actively compete - in Saratov, and in Volgograd, and in Astrakhan.

The tributaries and branches are also not boring, and even more so in the spring!

The vastness of the lower zone of the reservoir makes it clear that it is inhabited by very large fish, especially when it comes to catching catfish. Sometimes it is not fish that live in the pits, but literally giants. Catfish in the Lower Volga are also caught using the usual methods; they mainly use underwater versions of nets so that the tackle is not affected by water transport. There are amateurs, many in Saratov, who are fond of underwater hunting with a special gun. A pneumatic harpoon, so to speak. In aquasuits, they dive from boats, dive and look for a trophy. The most time-consuming task is not to shoot, but to pull out a catfish, because the larger it is, the stronger it is. Many “submariners” also shoot other large fish, especially during a sharp increase or decrease in atmospheric pressure, when the inhabitants are “standing.”

But here we must also not forget about the norms of the current legislation, because in some places fishery inspection officers do not favor such hunters. And it even happens when the line is either limited (number of hooks) or cannot be set at all.

Pike fishing in summer

In summer, pike behave calmly and are quite passive. She can peck all day long only in cloudy times, and in the heat it is possible to catch her only in the early morning or late evening.

In addition, the predator does not try to eat as much food as possible, since there is always enough of it. Nevertheless, it is quite possible to catch pike in the summer.

Selecting a location

The main role for catching pike in summer is played by a well-chosen fishing point. Depending on the type of reservoir, fish can live in different parts of it.

Pike living in large rivers prefer their coastal zones. Medium-sized predators swim near snags, reeds and other vegetation, and large fish sometimes approach the shore, but almost always then go to the depths. Small pike can be caught almost everywhere.

When fishing on small rivers, you should carefully study the reservoir. Since the bottom in them is rarely below 1-2 meters, fish can be located almost at every step. Look for it in places covered by the shadow of trees, cast the rod into holes or pools.

On ponds and lakes, pike is the most powerful predator. There, no one is afraid of her, she behaves aggressively, quite often gets hooked and swims around the entire perimeter. The predator especially often avoids snags, reeds and shaded parts of the water.

Fishing in spring on the Lower Volga

In March, the snow cover finally leaves the shores, partly cloudy and dry weather sets in, and the air temperature firmly occupies a position of +5°C. From mid-March, when the ice drift ends, fishing in open water begins. The water is still very cold and the fish stay at a depth in the riverbed edges.

Before the flood begins, pike perch are caught with a spinning rod, and asp are caught on bait thrown to the bottom. In April, perch and pike are actively biting, preparing for spawning in calm bays, and under the steep banks there is an opportunity to catch a small catfish using bottom tackle.

Large bream can also be caught using bottom tackle, and with a float rod in the ilmen, in a couple of hours it is possible to fill a fish tank with rudd, bream, roach and other white fish.

April paints the banks with the first greenery, the air temperature reaches 20°C and the most popular fishing season among fishermen of all categories begins in the waters of the Lower Volga. In April, pike perch bite all day long, schools of white fish rise to spawn, and Volga catfish, which have not yet recovered from their winter torpor, are active in the pits. The more the water warms up, the more asp begin to peck under snags and coastal bushes. If you feed the place, then a rich catch awaits the fisherman who settled on the shore with a float rod.

As soon as water is released at the Volzhskaya hydroelectric station and the river level rises, the conditions for successful fishing change. Pike perch and Astrakhan pike go to the shores to hunt for white fish, which rush into the bays to spawn. At the end of April in the Lower Volga there is the best bite for white fish, at this time you just have time to cast your fishing rod. The fishing is excellent for silver bream, bream, roach, crucian carp, rudd, sabrefish, and carp can also be caught.

Fishermen wait all year for the end of April, when fishing in the Lower Volga becomes especially intense, but it was from April until the last days of June that a ban on fishing outside the city limits was introduced. Fishing at this time is only possible at fishing bases that have special permits.

How to catch pike in spring

As in the autumn, in the spring the predator has zhors. It replenishes energy lost during the winter.

This period begins when the water heats up to 7-10 degrees Celsius and continues until spawning. Fishing is a real pleasure at this time.

After the zhora, spawning begins, and then the fish gets sick, recovers and rarely sticks out from the thickets and depths. During these periods it is almost impossible to catch pike. It is best to wait for the second zhora, which passes a week or two after the first. This is where there really is room to roam.

Features of spring fishing

When catching a predator in the spring, you need to take into account important nuances characteristic of fishing at this time of year. Here they are:

pike loves places with standing water, where the depth is no more than 1.5 meters.
After spawning, the predator is weak and does not hunt large prey. Use small baits.
In some regions of the Russian Federation it is prohibited to catch pike during spawning.

We hope that we have helped you understand how to catch pike in the fall, summer and spring. Happy fishing

What time to catch pike in August and where to look for it

At the beginning of August, the summer heat is still there, and the water is boiling from overheating. At the moment, the behavior of pike is not much different from July. She still feeds at dawn. Only the time period shifts by an hour and a half. If in July the best time to catch pike is around 4-8 am, then in August you can successfully spin for up to 10 hours.

In August, on the river, a decent pike continues to sit on the edges and holes in hot weather, leaving them only in the cool time of the day, or on a cloudy day. The grassfish continues to actively hunt in shallows where the water is still warm, but most often prefers shallows close to fresh water.

In ponds and oxbow lakes, grass pike can be successfully caught along water lilies, on deep dumps and above nettles - this applies to small and medium-sized specimens. Large specimens are still rare at this time, but sometimes you come across them.

By mid-to-late August, the water gradually cools, pike becomes more active, and spinning fishing becomes more interesting and productive. You can already feel a breath of autumn coolness, the pressure is gradually dropping, the predator goes hunting in the daytime, especially if the sky is overcast or there is a light, continuous rain.

Pike fishing in August is especially effective in rain and cool weather, when you can successfully fish not only throughout the day, but also have a chance of catching a trophy.

Active biting is observed before a thunderstorm for 2-3 hours, as well as during fog at dawn.

The pike bite in August greatly depends on the weather conditions of a particular year. August 2021 was abnormally hot and not much different from July, so spinning had to be done based on realities, and not calendar dates.

Tactics and strategy: how to catch pike in August using a spinning rod

You should always analyze the specific situation on the reservoir and, based on the data, build a strategic fishing plan.

August is sultry - we choose a cloudy day, or we go to a reservoir with an overnight stay in order to go fishing as early as possible before dawn and work the shallows, areas near water lilies, above nettles and other underwater vegetation, and deep drop-offs.

Closer to noon, we move to holes and pits, look for rubble of trees and bushes, and work in such areas. Do not miss the shallows if the grass pike is of interest.

At depths, jig baits, spinners and spinners give results. In the shallows, surface wobblers and poppers, lighter spinners and lightly weighted rubber.

Texas rig is the best option for snag holes in search of trophy August pike

Closer to September, when the water brightens and cools down, we focus on more solid trophies; pike from two kg and above become active as the weather gets colder and this moment should not be missed.

Fishing spots are channel edges, deep holes, whirlpools, deep slow riffles and reaches. We fish along the bottom and near the bottom. Heavy spoons, jig baits.

End of August, pit on the middle river of Ukraine - silicone works

Fishing for pike in August using a spinning rod: