Autumn is the golden time for fishing for predatory fish. With the onset of the first cold weather, almost all aquatic predators begin to actively feed, preparing for winter. The first of them to “wake up” after a hot summer is pike. Her appetite is so powerful that sometimes even other predators, such as perch or small pike perch, become victims, not to mention peaceful fish. All day long the pike is on the move, changing water horizons. Therefore, it is not difficult to catch it during this period; it is only important to know with what and for what.
Tackle for pike fishing in autumn
To determine which bait is best for pike in the fall, you must first choose gear. Each fishing device has its own most effective bait.
You can catch pike in the fall using such predatory gear as:
- spinning;
- donka;
- circle;
- zherlitsa
Each of the above designs is used depending on the fishing conditions: size of the reservoir, weather, time of day, etc.
The choice of bait for pike in the fall directly depends on the type of gear. Let's try to figure out which baits are best suited for fishing for this predator in the autumn for each of the fishing devices.
From September to November
Since the season is short, considering that most of us can only devote weekends to fishing, it would be irrational to spend time on independently selecting bait, so we decided to help beginners and present the most catchy lures for pike in the fall.
Let's start with the fact that autumn is a flexible concept. The weather conditions at the beginning of September and at the end of November are completely different. Depending on this, pike preferences change, and what worked in warm water will not bring any results in cold water.
The most effective fishing is in difficult places - in snags and grass, which raises the question: what baits to use to catch pike in the fall with the least losses. These can be non-hooking spoons or silicone baits with an offset hook. Various leash equipment can also significantly reduce the number of snags.
Features of equipment for pike
Any fishing tackle for pike fishing must be reliable. For spinning, if you do not plan to take a trophy specimen, it is better to use braided fishing line with a thickness of 0.15-0.2 mm. For fishing with a donk, a girder or a mug, a monofilament with a cross-section of 0.25-0.3 mm is more suitable.
The use of a steel or tungsten leader is also important. Not a single fish in our latitudes has such teeth as pike. Cutting through a 0.3 mm thick fishing line is a piece of cake. Many novice fishermen lose their catch without even seeing it, precisely because of neglecting this condition.
Spinning pike fishing
Most anglers prefer spinning to other gear. It is mobile and effective in capturing a predator. However, its use requires certain skills. Without basic knowledge of casting and retrieving techniques, you risk not only being left without a catch, but also having trouble unraveling the tackle or retrieving broken baits.
To avoid such problems, you should practice casting on land using spoons or other baits without hooks. It’s best to take a few practical lessons from professionals. If you are more or less familiar with spinning, let’s move on directly to choosing a nozzle.
Spoons
The most proven and versatile type of predatory spinning bait is the spinner. Today there are hundreds of their varieties, designs and colors on sale. But for autumn pike fishing, rotating and oscillating spoons are most often used.
Rotating models or “spinners” are the best option for a beginner. They are not too heavy to cast and do not get caught on various obstacles so often. The “spinner” consists of a body presented in the form of a piece of steel wire or a small fish with a petal rotating around it.
The vibration created by it during uniform wiring can attract a predator from a distance of up to 20 m. It is best to use the “spinner” in reservoirs where there is a current. Catching pike in the fall on the river using a rotating spoon will give good results when fishing at medium depths.
When choosing such bait, pay attention to its quality. The slightest defect will cause the petal to stop rotating and the spinner to lose its properties. The best manufacturer of spinners is considered to be French. Its products are popular all over the world.
Oscillating spoons from the same manufacturer are the best lures for pike in autumn on reservoirs with standing water. Their weighted versions do an excellent job when moving along the bottom. The design of such spinners is quite simple. This is a metal plate curved in a special way, painted in various colors. Often oscillating spoons have a texture reminiscent of fish scales. Models in silver or golden colors have good efficiency. The former remind the pike of its favorite roach, and the latter - tench or yellow crucian carp.
When choosing a size, you should give preference to medium and large models. In addition, any artificial bait for catching pike in the fall should not contrast strongly with the environment. And the spinner is no exception. Transparent water will allow the predator to see the “prey” from afar. But bright models, on the contrary, will alert her. It is advisable to use spinners as bait in early and mid-autumn.
Silicone
Silicone is recognized as a classic autumn bait for pike. Silicone baits can work in any layers, it depends on the load. Unloaded silicine is used relatively rarely, but it is excellent for fishing in the upper layers of water. Heavy loads are needed to move along the bottom, medium loads are needed above the ground surface. The most used silicone lures for pike in the fall on spinning rods are vibrotails and twisters.
On a note
Almost always, a color similar to the perch works; at the beginning of autumn you can fish with bright acidic silicone baits; as the weather gets colder, spinners switch to calmer colors: machine oil, cola, white (without glitter).
For reservoirs with a current, vibrating tails with a movable and soft tail are suitable; for reservoirs with standing water, baits with a denser and larger tail are chosen.
Wobblers
Many experienced spinning anglers believe that the best lures for catching pike in the fall are wobblers. And they are right. These artificial baits most accurately imitate the appearance and behavior of peaceful fish.
There are only three types of wobblers:
- non-sinking (floating);
- suspenders (having zero buoyancy);
- sinking (plunging).
The first are used for surface fishing, the second - for fishing in the water column, the third - for fishing from the bottom. The most popular are non-sinking wobblers and suspenders. Submersible models can be successfully replaced with oscillating spoons. In the bottom space, visibility is usually minimal, so the predator reacts more to the vibration created by the bait.
The best time for spinning fishing using wobblers is late autumn. During this period, pike is the most hungry, and its favorite delicacy is perch. Therefore, a large bait painted in its color is considered one of the most catchy spinning baits for fishing in November.
Also very popular are minnow-class wobblers, which imitate the fry of peaceful fish. Usually such baits have an increased length. They can wake up even the sleepiest pike.
Top 15 autumn spinners
Turntables
DAM Effzett Executor
The geometry of each element of this spinner is calculated very precisely, which ensures confident, attractive play in any fishing conditions. The shape and size of the petal, the centering of the bait, the shape of additional elements that are located on the axis - everything is done perfectly. The bell-shaped body creates an additional acoustic effect when wiring.
Reviews:
I have been fishing with DAM lures for decades, and they always delight me with their quality and excellent performance. Executor flies far, starts with half a turn and runs smoothly, without sticking.
Andrey, Moscow
Excellent quality and great work. Of course, it’s not cheap, but it’s a pleasure to fish with such bait.
Fedor, St. Petersburg
Blue Fox Picker
Front-loaded rotating spoon. As is easy to understand from the name of this bait, the Blue Fox company positions it precisely as a spinner, designed for pike fishing. Although other predators also respond well to it. Like all front-loaded lures, this spinner is perfect for bottom step retrieving. Blue Fox Piker #3 weighs 21g.
Reviews:
Blue Fox is Blue Fox. Excellent turntables, and the price is reasonable.
Vladimir, Petrozavodsk
They start immediately, with half a turn. Therefore, catching with a step is very convenient. Few people use stepped wiring with turntables, but it works at five plus.
Valentin, Lipetsk
Myran Agat
A spinner with a weighted core that flies far when casting and is suitable for fishing near the bottom in deep areas, including those with strong currents. High quality workmanship and attractive play are all you need for successful pike fishing.
Reviews:
Heavy spinners are my favorite baits. They fly far and catch fish very well. Myran Agat is one of the best, the quality is top notch.
Artem, Makhachkala
Excellent quality turntable. It is heavy, so it can be used for fishing at depth. Pike loves it very much; on the last fishing trip there were as many as 15 tails. I'm buying more.
Sergey, Tyumen
Oscillators
Daiwa Crusader
This spoon from a famous Japanese company was originally developed for catching salmon, taking into account their habits. But it also attracts more “standard” predators. In addition to pike, perch and pike perch are well caught with this spoon.
This bait, like almost all spoons, looks quite simple, but its main advantage is its unique, inimitable shape, which provides an interesting and attractive game for the predator both on slow and fast retrieve.
Reviews:
The vibrator is just like a vibrator, excellent workmanship. Fishing is good, but you can get by with cheaper baits, which is what I usually do.
Maxim, Izhevsk
Very clear vibration. I caught my biggest pike with it.
Timur, Krasnodar
DAM Effzet Twin
This double oscillator first appeared on sale in 2000. Before releasing it to the market, the company’s specialists spent a long time testing it in water bodies to ensure that the concept was correct. Today it is used by thousands of spinners all over the world. The vibrations of the water that passes between the petals additionally attract fish.
In addition, the pike is irritated by the noise of the halves of this bait constantly hitting each other. The spinner is assembled from Effzet petals, the shape of which has long proven itself only on the positive side.
Reviews:
Probably the most catchy spinner. One day I accidentally saw this miracle in a store, decided to buy it and try it and never regretted it. Now there are a dozen of these spinners in the collection. They catch when the rest does not catch.
Ruslan, Vladivostok
Other manufacturers also have such double oscillators, of course, but I like the version from DAM the most. It looks really cool and catches what it needs.
Igor, Ulyanovsk
Akara Action series
An excellent choice for both casting and trolling fishing . This spoon has a fairly wide body and a slow, smooth action. Such baits perform better in cold water. 90 mm is the optimal spoon size for catching toothy fish of any size in the fall.
There is also a version of Akara Action Series Aver Eyes on sale, on the petal of which there is a contrasting “eye”. It is clearly visible to pike in the water and serves as an aiming point when attacking. This type of spoon is more catchy than conventional spoons.
Reviews:
I noticed and fell in love with Akara products a long time ago, I started with floats for fly fishing rods, then I tried everything else. Akara Action Series are inexpensive and very well made baits. I immediately caught five pikes with this spoon on my last fishing trip. But, as usual, they come off on casts, so it’s time to take more.
Egor, Omsk
The spoon with an eye is very good. Looks good and I like it, works well and pike like it.
Yuri, Astrakhan
Kuusamo Hauki
Classic pike bait from a famous Finnish company. It has a wide blade that works great even on the slowest retrieves. This is one of the best shakers for cold water. In autumn, pike are also well attracted to fast-moving baits - Hauki will also show its best side with such animation. With a length of 80 mm, it weighs 22 g - so you can throw it very far.
Reviews:
I bought this lure one day by accident and am very pleased. He regularly brings me trophy pike. Regular laces also hang on it well.
Shamil, Kazan
Similar to a regular spoon, only more elongated. A good weighty spoon, just right for deep fishing. It flies far, sinks quickly, the current does not lift it from the bottom (of course, if the current is not too strong, but the pike usually does not stay strong).
Daniil, Nizhny Tagil
Abu Garcia Pike 40
The number 40 in the name does not indicate the length of the bait, but its weight. With a weight of 40 g, this spoon is excellent for catching pike at great depths and decent currents, casting or trolling. The length of the spoon is 11 cm. Such dimensions and weight make this spoon a good choice for hunting pike in the fall.
On the retrieve, the bait shows a wide-amplitude action, which the predator really likes. The spinner is available in 8 color options , from which you can always choose the right one depending on the fishing conditions and personal preferences.
Reviews:
A serious spinner for serious fish. For large scale – that’s it. Moreover, the price is also quite reasonable. I actually bought these spoons at a discount and am very pleased. I fish by casting and trolling. Pike from 2 kg go very well on an acid-colored spinner. The silver color works a little worse.
Evgeniy, Vladikavkaz
A good spinner for a trophy fish, but the laces don’t mind taking it. I fish vertically from a boat.
Stepan, Murmansk
Smith Pure
High quality vibrator from a Japanese company. The series includes very small models, weighing 1.5-3 g, which are perfect for catching trout and other small fish. The line also includes spoons up to 18 g, which will be a good choice for pike hunting. Smith Pure is available in a variety of color options. The disadvantages include the price, which cannot be called low.
Reviews:
A rare spinner, hard to find, especially in a large size. But it is possible. And it's worth looking for. Smith is Smith! For those in the know, this name means a lot. The spinner really catches! Although in general it is mainly for chub and trout, pike is excellent for large versions. The original hooks are of very high quality and can hold any load without any problems.
Arthur, Cheboksary
The price is steep, but this lure really bites very well. I caught a pike on my first fishing trip, and since then I have had this as one of the working lures for pike, which are always in the box.
Nikolay, Tver
Rublex Eira
Rublex is a French company that has been producing lures of excellent European quality for over 50 years. The Eira spinner is interesting because in addition to the tee located in the tail, it is equipped with a double hook, which is located in the head. Thanks to this, the bait detects pike much better, especially in situations when the predator attacks the bait head-on, rather than catching up from behind.
This spoon has an interesting and unique action that attracts fish well in any conditions. There is an embossing on the surface of the spoon that imitates scales. The Rublex Eira comes in four sizes, with different versions weighing 9, 17, 18 and 30g.
Reviews:
I didn’t know what kind of company it was, but I decided to buy the spoon because of the second double. I don’t regret the choice, it works as it should, it catches pike, and is now one of my top ten favorite spinners. The double, like the main tee, can be easily changed, but there is no point, the original hooks are excellent.
Alexey, Samara
An interesting and at the same time inexpensive spinner, I decided to buy it. Catches excellently. I use pike, they bite pike perch and catfish, etc.
Mikhail, Salekhard
Blue Fox Esox
A short and wide vibrator from a renowned manufacturer. On the retrieve it shows a sweeping game , which perfectly attracts pike.
With a length of 65 mm it weighs 22 g, and with a size of 85 mm - 35 g. For catching pike in the fall, the latter is best suited. This size is excellent for hunting for medium-sized pike; both trophy specimens and very small pike can bite on it.
Reviews:
I decided to buy a vibrator from Blue Fox. Before that there were only turntables. I don’t regret it, I will buy more. It costs more than a rootless bait, but it’s also a good thing; you feel like you’re holding a quality bait in your hands. Uniform wiring, stepped, for demolition - it catches well on any wiring that I tried.
Ruslan, Sosnovy Bor
85 mm is my best lure for pike. It’s heavy, flies far, stays well at the bottom, and catches just right. Just right for medium and large pike.
Pavel, Irkutsk
A vibrator whose petal resembles a teaspoon or tablespoon without a handle. This spoon has been on the market for several decades. Today it is produced by many different manufacturers. An interesting feature of the Spoon is that after 3-4 oscillations it makes a non-standard “diving” movement. At the same time, the bait seems to be briefly knocked out of play, which very well provokes pike and other predators to attack.
Reviews:
My favorite lure for pike along with the Atom. These two lures are very wide and have a sweeping action – just what you need for fishing on lakes and ponds. Although they work well in rivers.
Afanasy, Sochi
Excellent spinner, I’ve been fishing with this lure for 40 years. Fish number 1 is pike.
Konstantin, Mozhga
Blackback
Another example of a Soviet classic. This vibrator is produced today by many domestic and foreign companies. Thanks to its catchability, it is still as popular as it was 50 years ago. Blackback has a symmetrical oval petal; its surface is usually embossed in the form of scales.
Reviews:
I bought this spoon by accident because I liked the name. There are not enough stars from the sky, but it catches properly. Always in my bait box, I use it mainly for pike.
Gennady, Ufa
I caught it 40 years ago, I still catch it today, I remember my youth. Modern ones are somewhat different from those that were before, but they catch as they should.
Valentin, Anapa
Rapala Bergman Original
A vertical spinner from a reputable company, which is perfect for catching pike at any time of the year, either from ice or from a boat. The bait plays expressively even with short strokes of the fishing rod. The tee is suspended, equipped with a red drop, which serves as an aiming point for the predator.
Reviews:
I bought this spoon for ice fishing, but I rarely go out in winter. So I tested it vertically from a boat - it works great. On my first fishing trip I got 6 pikes from the holes in an hour. My friends showed me vertical fishing for pike from a boat, now I fish like this all the time. You don’t need anything special for this type of fishing; you can use any spinning rod. Rapala
Marat, Ulyanovsk
Bergman is my main draw. I also bought it on the advice of friends, the pike loves it.
Boris, Krasnoyarsk
Strike Pro Cyber Vibe
Casting, vertical fishing.
With a length of 55 mm, such a bait weighs 15 g, and with a size of 65 mm - 26 g.
The colors are natural and bright, provoking.
Strong vibrations that are perfectly transmitted to the hand.
Three holes with different angles and aggressiveness of play.
Reviews:
The most catchy bait for vertical fishing. Thank you, you told me to buy one, I wouldn’t have thought to try it myself, I always walked past such “wild” incomprehensible baits that I saw on the shelves.
Egor, Elektrostal
I fish with Cyber Vibe casting and plumb. I accidentally bought one of these once, and who would have thought that I would catch any fish with it all year round. These are mainly pike, perch, and pike perch. I usually change tees to doubles, so there are fewer snags.
Kirill, Magnitogorsk
Just a few models from this list are enough to keep you with good catches. But the more different baits you have in your arsenal, the greater the chances of success. Although the main thing is not the tackle or bait, but the fishing technique, the ability to find a pike in a pond and correctly present it with a spoon. It is skill that determines success in the first place. And good baits will be an excellent help on the way to big catches.
Silicone baits
Catching pike in the fall with a spinning rod can also be done using various silicone attachments. Their advantage is that they closely resemble the movement of a real fish to a predator.
“Silicon” works equally well both at the beginning and at the end of autumn. Their low price and high efficiency have made them popular among beginners, who, due to inexperience, often lose or break attachments.
Silicone lures for pike in the fall should have natural but bright colors: pink, yellow, red. Silicones interspersed with mother-of-pearl are often used. At depth, this creates an additional play of light.
Cranks
It’s impossible not to mention cranks in an article about lures for pike in the fall. If you are targeting a large predator, choose cranks from 8 cm. Active autumn pike confidently attacks large prey, so you should not be surprised that a small pike will respond to a fairly large bait. Several cranks in the arsenal with varying degrees of depth will allow you to most closely examine the fishing zone.
You shouldn’t forget about fats and sheds either. Fats in the box of a spinner, especially a beginner, are not present as often as minnow-class wobblers, which can be understood, because in most cases a beginner chooses a bait visually, that is, based on the principle of whether it looks like a natural fish or not.
Fats do not look like fry, and even if they do have a resemblance, it is certainly not with the small fish that live in our rivers and lakes. We don’t have big-bellied exotics, but this doesn’t mean that pike don’t react to them.
It has been noticed that during the zhora period, fats work almost better than minnows and shads (wobblers, which are an intermediate option between minnows and fats); spinning anglers admit that the most catchy lures for pike in the fall during zhora are fats. They do an excellent job when catching pike in muddy water, as they are considered the noisiest and attract predators from a great distance, even with limited visibility.
A wobbler belonging to the fat class should not frighten beginners, since there are no special problems with wiring. These lures for catching pike with a spinning rod in the fall are initially designed for even retrieving at a calm pace, and with experience, you can experiment with the reeling speed and the nature of the retrieving, but for a novice spinning angler, the basic technique will suffice for now.
In terms of accuracy and casting range, shads are inferior to fats. In the latter, the shape itself promotes flight, and to make shads fly, systems with a non-fixed center of gravity are used (as in a minnow), which increases the cost of the bait, but without which there is no talk about the casting range and landing accuracy of the wobbler. The advantages of sheds are that they can be used both for uniform retrieve (like fats) and for twitching (like minnows).
Using live bait when fishing with donka, mugs and girders
For any gear (except spinning), live bait is the only and best bait for pike in the fall. No other bait, such as frog, pieces of liver or fish, will have a significant effect. Most often, live bait is used when fishing with a donk, with mugs, as well as with a summer or winter girder.
Bottom tackle for pike can be used all year round. The donka is quite easy to use, easy to transport, and its catchability is no worse than the same spinning rod. In early autumn it works great at night. They usually set up a night bait at sunset, having previously stocked up on bait. Live and dead fish are used as fish. The bait is placed under the dorsal fin, behind the base of the tail or behind the gills. Sometimes pieces of whole fish are used.
In order not to throw the donk after each bite, very often fishermen use a rubber shock absorber made of cord rubber. This solution allows you to tighten the main line, get the catch and change the bait without pulling out the load.
Another effective type of autumn pike fishing is the circle. This tackle is widely used in reservoirs where there is no current. The circle is a circle cut out of polystyrene foam, wood or light plastic with a groove machined under the fishing line. It is painted in a bright (usually red) color so that it is visible from afar. A fishing line with a weight and a hook with bait is lowered into the water to the required depth, and the circle sets off to drift freely across the pond. Only live bait is used as bait; other options here will be ineffective. To install circles and check them in the autumn, it is necessary to use a boat.
Features of pike behavior in autumn and the choice of bait
In the fall, the pike begins to eat , because the predator is trying to gain fat for the winter. At this time, she chooses large baits. When fishing with huge spoons, small fish will disturb you to a minimum, and the likelihood of catching a trophy specimen will increase.
Autumn is the best time of year to hunt for trophy pike, so this opportunity should not be missed.
The best catches in the fall can be achieved on gloomy days, with a light drizzle. For fishing in such weather, you should choose clearly colored lures. These are the baits that will be the best choice for fall fishing in most situations. They perfectly irritate the pike, forcing it to attack.
In autumn, the predator stays mainly in the depths . Accordingly, baits for catching it are traditionally required to be quite heavy. With lungs, fishing at great depths is problematic. For catching pike in the fall, spoons are mainly used. Excellent results can be achieved with heavy turntables with loading.
Lightweight spinners are a good choice for fishing in shallow and medium depths and for fishing in still water. It is more comfortable to fish with spoons, but spinners usually turn out to be more attractive to fish and bring better catches.
Attention! You can very successfully fish vertically from a boat using vertical lures. They make it very comfortable to check holes and deep snags. For such fishing, ordinary spinning tackle is also suitable; you can also use side fishing rods or winter fishing rods for trolling from the ice.
In autumn there is virtually no vegetation in reservoirs . Therefore, you can fish with spinners in any water area without fear of collecting grass on the tees. At this time, non-hooking baits are in minimal demand, although when fishing in snags, you definitely can’t do without them.
