Fishing for pike in April using spinning rods. Lures and tackle for pike

The best time for fishing

Pike fishing in mid-spring has many features. The main one is spawning prey. When water bodies warm up to six degrees Celsius in April, pike go to a depth of up to one meter to begin the spawning process.

For spawning, she chooses a quiet backwater, where there is no stormy current. After laying eggs, within a week she begins to feed, starting active pecking to restore strength. It is believed that this toothy predator can be fished in any season of the year. However, there are certain time periods when pike fishing is especially attractive. In April, for example, you can catch some good specimens with a spinning rod. An excellent catch can also be obtained in the fall: from the last days of August until November.

Where to look for prey

It is better to go after pike at the very beginning of spring, when the water in the rivers rises significantly and the sun is already warming up the water well. In the central zone of our country, this period occurs at the end of April. Usually at this time the bite, starting at dawn, continues with variable results until dusk. In many reservoirs, pike fishing is best at the end of April using a spinning rod.

Quiet, cloudy spring days, when the first leaves have already appeared on the trees and bushes, are especially successful for fishing this toothy predator. In general, judging by the reviews, the best time to catch pike is in April. You can get quite a rich catch using a spinning rod with a spoon. After all, at this time, not only adults, but also one-year-old young animals fatten. At first glance, it seems that the water in the reservoir has “come to life.”

For spinning

You can fish for this desired prey at any time of the year and in any way. But, according to experienced fishermen, it is pike fishing in April with a spinning rod that can be especially exciting and a real pleasure. It is this circumstance that makes the army of spearfishing enthusiasts wait with bated breath for spring. In order to catch pike in April using a spinning rod, it is not at all necessary to buy expensive gear. It is enough to have a simple spinning rod on hand, because it is impossible not to notice the bite.

Before this toothy inhabitant of the underwater world begins the spawning period, she prowls in search of food in the reeds and reed thickets. At this time, a huge number of small fish gather here: roach, silver bream, rudd. Looking for food, this fish, moving along the coastal thicket, freezes in places where there are gaps. It is precisely in such areas that her hunting grounds are located. Therefore, fishing for pike in April using a spinning rod is especially good along the vegetation growing near the coast.

Spinning fishing in April in southern Russia

Lower Volga

The beginning of April marks the opening of the mass fishing season on Akhtuba and the Lower Volga. And it’s the spinners who start it. But it is worth remembering that the beginning of April is a very unstable period for these places, and after 10-degree heat it can easily rain and snow. Therefore, strictly speaking, it is better to go to the Lower Volga after the grass and leaves of the trees have turned green.

Zander.

The main and most interesting fish in early April is pike perch. The “fanged one” is now in mating season, as is clearly evidenced by the white dots on its face. At this time, the predator becomes aggressive, and its bite is very “evil”, with a strong blow. There is an opinion that before spawning pike perch does not so much feed as it “presses” and drives away everyone it considers competitors or enemies.

The best bait for the “fanged” one at this time is a “spinner” with an easily rotating blade No. 2-3 and a heavy weight head (20-40 g - after all, the usual fishing depth is 5-8 m). The optimal wiring is either step-strike or demolition.

I remember how unexpected the victory of Vadim Kalinichenko from Kyiv was at one of the first fishing festivals. There was only one reason for the success - the Master spinners, which few people knew about before. All the other participants, including me, fished with rubber and foam rubber. Result: with a very weak bite (the best results of the others are 1-2 tails), the “big-headed” spinner outperformed the jig in catchability by about 5 times. After that, I repeatedly compared these baits (including in the same place) and became convinced that it was in April and specifically on Akhtuba that the “Master” type spinner was definitely better. I see only one reason - the pre-spawning aggressiveness of pike perch. In all other months, as well as for all other fish, “rubber” and foam rubber at depth, as a rule, work better than “spinners”.

Although petal No. 2-3 looks strange in combination with a 40-gram weight head, this does not prevent the bait from catching fish perfectly. In this case, the “body” of the spinner is secondary - it can be a cambric or polyethylene foam body with a tail made of wool or tinsel, or just a silicone octopus (Fig. 7).

Fig.7. Spoons for spring fishing for pike perch: a) “Master”, b) with a polyethylene foam body, c) with an “octopus”.

If fishing is done along the edges of the pit, the wiring should be stepped. Bites, as when fishing with jigs, occur during the inclined fall of the bait - it is clear that the petal must rotate. The load is selected such that the fall phase of the spinner lasts 2-5 seconds.

In deep places with strong currents, demolition wiring gives the best results. The spoon is cast across the current or slightly higher - by the time it reaches the bottom, the drift angle will reach 30-45o. With two turns of the reel, we lift the lure and, on a stretched line, let it drift in an arc in the lower sector until it is carried out onto a straight line. To control the bottom, the load is selected so that the interval between successive “strikes” is 5-10 seconds. A bite on a stretched line is transmitted with a powerful blow - you won’t miss it. Especially if you come across a school of migratory “sea” pike perch. A little later, bersh begin to be caught in the same way.

Pike perch fishing continues almost throughout April. Usually, at the beginning of the month, larger migratory fish (3-8 kg) bite, but the bite is very unstable. Subsequently, the bite evens out, but the fish caught are already of the local standard (1-3 kg). The closer to the end of April, the better the overall bite, and the smaller the difference in catchability between “headed” spoons and jig baits.

There is another interesting point that I had to encounter several times. In my opinion, it is associated with the iconic water temperature of 4°C, which we have already discussed. Just at the beginning of April, when it is still cold, pike perch can be caught well with jigs. But at a certain point (usually associated with reaching 5-6°C in the air), the “fanged” one suddenly stops biting from the bottom, but begins to be caught well by trolling with wobblers. And now all the boats are no longer anchored, but slowly ply along the river with loose cords. But a few more days pass, and jig fishing becomes successful again, but pike perch is still caught well with wobblers.

I see only one possible reason. As long as the water is colder than 4°C, its “heaviest” warm layer remains at the bottom, in which the fish stands. This layer does not disappear immediately, but remains for some time, even if the remaining layers have already warmed up to 5°C. But the fish senses warmer water and rises above the still remaining bottom layer. Therefore, it no longer reacts to jigs “knocking” on the bottom, but bites on higher-reaching wobblers. With further warming, the water mass warms up even more, its temperature becomes above 5°C, the bottom layer is destroyed, and the fish again sink closer to the bottom.

Som.

With the beginning of April, the catfish wakes up. It comes out of the deep holes where it spent the winter and gradually begins to visit both the perimeter of the hole and the nearby edges. At this time, the “mustachioed” fish often bites on jigs, trolling wobblers, and the same “big-headed” spinners.

Although few people catch catfish on purpose - usually the “mustachioed” one is caught along the way when catching pike perch. Interestingly, the giant prefers the same baits as smaller predators - “rubber” and foam rubber. True, in most cases the catfish does not bite in the spring, but still catches on the pre-tail part of the back. This suggests that the “mustached” one not only feeds, but also “beats” what it doesn’t like with its powerful tail. Although up to 40% of bites are normal - in the mouth.

It is in April that the largest catfish are caught - 60-100 kg. But if the “mustachioed” one has grown to even 30 kg, his strength in his native element is already quite comparable to ours. Therefore, the main sign of a large catfish is that immediately after a bite it simply cannot be stopped. To defeat such a specimen – especially if the tackle is designed for pike perch – is an extremely difficult task. Fishing can last two, three, or more hours. And more often than not, only a torn fishing line with mucus residue reminds us that just a minute ago a real giant was sitting on the hook.

To prevent this from happening, let me remind you of a few basic rules for catching catfish:

Use a leash and use the sharpest strong hooks - they will cut through the fish normally and will not unbend when fishing.
It is better to go fishing together and have a strong hook in the boat.
When you bite a large catfish, quickly remove the anchor, otherwise the “mustached one” may wrap the fishing line behind the anchor cord - then the fish will inevitably get off. And vice versa, dragging the boat along with you, the catfish will get tired faster.
Fishing should be moderately forceful. The main thing is not to let the catfish into snags and other “strong” places where the fishing line can get tangled. If the fish stubbornly goes in a direction that is unfavorable for us, ask someone on a boat with a running motor to stand in the way of the catfish - often in this way it is possible to turn the “mustachioed” one.
Having “torn” the catfish from the bottom, get ready for the last battle right under the boat. You will probably have to work the rod around the entire perimeter - so raise the motor, remove the oars and all obstructions.
The most crucial moment is dragging the “mustachioed” into the boat. This is done either with a hook or with a mittened hand, picking up the catfish under the gills. Be especially careful not to tip over yourself. If you cannot get the prey into the boat, swim to the nearest shallow water and pull the catfish ashore.
Even in a boat, catfish are still dangerous. Be careful - an unexpected blow from a powerful tail can not only break the rods, but even knock you off your feet. It’s better to immediately place the prey on a strong rope hook - and then it will be easier to wash the boat of mucus.

Pike.

As soon as the ice melts on the flood waters, pre-spawning pike fishing begins. “Toothy” is now with eggs and is preparing to sweep them out. But while it’s still cold, you can’t expect a good bite.

The picture is complicated by the fact that the pike at this time stays very locally - in the warmest places. I remember how we spent half a day looking for a “toothed one” on a famous bay lake, but we found it only in one place - in a long shallow bay with old grass. The bay was completely exposed to the sun and wind, which drove warmer surface water there. But there was pike – as they say, “not enough.” Occasionally there was also a perch.

It is believed that before spawning, the “toothy” should frantically rush at any fishing bait, trying to satisfy its hunger and gain weight before spawning. Alas, my practice has not yet confirmed this. On the contrary, there were a lot of fruitless exits, escorts and idle “jabs”. Perhaps there were fish in other places, but for some reason they didn’t bite there. Of the baits, large bright twisters on light jig heads, held in a “step” at mid-water, worked best. Wobblers and spinners caught noticeably worse.

However, pike fishing in early April is very similar to the lottery. And the reason for this is unstable weather. Today it’s warm, but tomorrow it’ll rain, and even worse, it’ll snow. Just a couple of days ago the bite was good, but now it seems like there is a complete absence of fish.

But the sun is warming more and more, and nature is blooming! As soon as the grass and leaves turn green (usually around mid-April), it means spring has finally arrived.

Spinning players have fun! A mass feeding of many predators begins. Right now there is a real pilgrimage in the Lower Volga and Akhtuba. Indeed, along all the bays and eriks, perch joins the active pike, and on the river, along with pike perch and bersh, asp and chub begin to bite.

Perch, asp, chub.

With the onset of the “green” period, perch on flood lakes and eriks begins to actively take spinning baits. It is caught mainly in small places with last year’s grass, but more and more often it is also caught in channels. The best baits at this time: “spinner”, spinnerbait, “rubber”.

And on the river - however, so far without a noticeable “fight” - asp and chub begin to take. The main difficulty is that these predators stand in a fast current close to the shore - mainly behind fallen trees. And it takes considerable skill to throw the “spinner” exactly under the crown and guide it in the current between the flooded branches. Even a small mistake here can lead to a snag. But the bite is not long in coming. Finally!

Unfortunately, the general April glutton is short-lived. And the point here is not even about the fish, but rather about the hydrological situation. At the end of the month, with the opening of the dams, the water in the Lower Volga quickly rises and becomes cloudy. Pike and perch disperse into spawning areas flooded by floods and stop biting for a while. On the river, the water is so muddy and fast that the fish change their sites, press against the banks and, as it were, wait out an unfavorable period.

Krasnodar region

April on the Azov estuaries is the most pike time. Nowadays, most local spinning competitions take place here.

Since the beginning of the month, the “gorging” of non-spawned local pike weighing up to a kilogram has continued. And already from mid-April, the spawned local and marine “toothy” ones join it - a global glutton begins, lasting until mid-May. During this period, pike take literally all baits and, as they say, “up to a dozen tails from one spot” - so the “catch norm” is reached in 20 minutes. The predator lives mainly in small, well-warmed areas among reeds and sedges.

Around April 20, the post-spawning feast of perch begins on the estuaries. Now the hungry “striped ones” will actively feed until the summer heat. Large schools of perch cruise along the open water of the estuaries, accompanying schools of Azov herring, and small groups of “striped” constantly hunt along the border of the coastal sedge. Spinners use small twisters and vibrotails, spinnerbaits, “spinners” and shallow-water wobblers.

In April, sea pike perch go to spawn in some Azov estuaries following the ram. Moreover, flocks of “fanged” always move along certain routes - these are not only the deep parts of the estuaries themselves, but also some channels (locally called “passages”). This is where you can catch schooling pike perch and easily “fill” your bag with fish. However, in most of these places all fishing is prohibited.

Everything said about the Azov estuaries should not be taken too literally. Indeed, in reality, a good bite is not observed everywhere, and not every day. Often fishing is spoiled by unfavorable weather and especially strong winds. In addition, here, too, “you need to know the places” - like everywhere else.

Bait

When, after a cold winter, the reservoir becomes warmer every day, the pike also becomes active. At the end of April, in some reservoirs you can catch it all day, resting only at night. Moreover, it will bite both live bait and artificial bait. When fishing with roach, silver bream or bleak, the bait should be placed in half-water or even a little deeper. Pike can be caught well in April using spinning rods in shallow coastal waters. In this case, the size of the live bait does not play a special role, but it is still better to use medium-sized fish with a length of five to ten centimeters.

Pike fishing in May

It is better to go pike in May, when the weather is cloudy and calm. The best reservoir for this will be a shallow river. At this time, daytime predator fishing will be the most successful, although there may also be a bite during the day.

Artificial bait is less perceived by predators, so May pike must be caught with live bait, using bloodworms and small maggots.

The best fishing in small rivers will be where the current stops. In this case, you need to use a float fishing rod with the smallest hook with a size of 20 - 22 with a fishing line of 0.15 - 0.18 mm.

The following are used as live bait in May:

dace;
bleak;
roach;
white bream;
chub;
small perches.

For pike fishing in May they use:

spinning rod – 2 m;
fishing line – 0.27-0.35 mm;
composite steel leash 10 cm;
single or double wide 20 mm hook;
olive sinker 10-20 g;
appropriate float.

Zhor after spawning

The spawning time in different reservoirs is different. In central Russia, this period usually falls in the second spring month. And a week or two after the end of spawning, like any other fish that has finished spawning, the pike begins its active feeding. In the spring, on a spinning rod, especially in April, she, hungry for the hunt, rushes to any bait. Typically this period lasts two or three weeks, but in some regions it can be quite short.

Usually the post-spawning zhor coincides with the flood peak. Therefore, fattening pikes linger in the spawning areas until they are completely fattened, waiting for the water to recede. A clear sign, which many experienced fishermen know, of the beginning of the post-spawning feast is the blooming of oak leaves.

Peculiarities of pike behavior in April

The month of April for many fish species is a recovery period after spawning. When the milt and eggs are shed, the fish inhabitants do not react to anything for 4-8 days; they simply slowly move around the reservoir without a specific goal. Next, the toothy resident begins to actively feed, so she will rush at almost everything. She needs to replenish her empty belly; the predator is more attracted to small fry of different types of fish.

The post-spawning feast occurs at different times in each body of water; you can learn more about this from the article on our website. The duration of the period also varies, from 10 to 20 days, depending on weather conditions and the food supply in the reservoir.

Fishing technique

As a rule, at the end of April, pike bite well on a spinning rod over the far or near edges of the holes. This happens in the following way: having sharply shifted to the side, the fishing line sinks to the bottom within a second. You should not hook at this time. First, you need to select the surplus on the reel and observe the behavior of the prey. If the pike stops and the line does not move either, this means that the bait was most likely grabbed by a small fish, which, standing in one place, swallows its prey. In this case, the hook needs to be done after ten seconds.

If, on the contrary, the line moves sharply and very quickly from the shore, then this means that a large pike has bitten. Most likely, having grabbed the bait, she did not feel anything. This time, an immediate hook is needed, and, if the tackle allows, a sharp one.