Catching trophy pike in the fall with a spinning rod

Content

How to catch a trophy pike?
Selecting a location
Temperature and water level
Gear selection
Fishing technique
Total. The secret is simple
Interview When does the autumn feeding season for trophy pike begin?
How to choose the right place to look for a trophy?
Best lures in your opinion? Tell us in general about the fishing technique.
What advice do you have for beginners who dream of their first trophy?

Video: Catching trophy pike in autumn

We couldn’t help but touch upon the most burning topic of the autumn season, which worries the hearts and minds of the vast majority of spinners. Where the hell can I find this trophy? And how can you finally catch him?

When does pike eat in the fall?

When does pike eat in autumn? With the onset of cold weather, the so-called autumn zhor of pike begins. Pike fishing in the fall is the most exciting time of the year. At this time, the pike eats off and becomes very strong in the fight, sometimes even a kilogram fish is very difficult to pull out.

The autumn feeding of pike begins when the water in the reservoir becomes approximately the same temperature: 13 - 15 ° C, the behavior of all types of fish changes dramatically. Now it makes no sense for them to be in any one place, because the conditions become the same throughout the entire body of water, and they spread out wherever they want. Even schooling fish, such as roach and bleak, swim separately during this period. How do pikes behave?

Evenly cooled water provokes a rather sharp surge in activity in pikes. Now they have no need to lie down near springs and springs, and they swim out to hunt. But it’s not just cool water that contributes to this. In the fall, sensing the arrival of winter, the pike simply begins to eat off. It is in the fall that you can watch pike jumping out of the water, splashing, trying to catch prey.

How to catch a trophy pike?

In this article, I tried to succinctly formulate the main rules and postulates that will help you catch a trophy specimen.

Outwitting an old, wise predator is not easy; it’s not for nothing that no one has been able to do it for so many years. Anton “Fisher-man” Kharlanov , who during his fishing career has brought more than one old grandmother on board, will help us with this In addition, after his recent successes in fishing tournaments, many will probably be interested in his thoughts, understanding and approach to trophy fishing.

Read the interview with him at the end of this article. In the meantime, general thoughts - “How to catch a trophy pike?”

Selecting a location

This is one of the fundamental questions that needs to be addressed. There is no point in dipping bait in the water when you don’t end up either in “mom’s” house or on her table.

Of course, to successfully find such places and have full access to them, you will need a boat and a modern echo sounder. With an echo sounder that shows the relief well and allows you to distinguish snags from boulders, and rocks from steep slopes, your search will be much more successful.

First of all, you should pay attention to the deepest parts of the reservoir, no matter how trite it may sound. Explore in detail the surroundings of these pits, exits from them for irrigation, spits and shallows where the predator will go to feed. There may be many such places on the river and sea, but not all of them attract large fish. On the river, you should pay attention to holes in which the current will be moderately weak. A large, wise fish will not stand in heat and constantly fight it. First of all, this is a river that borders the main fairway channel, but the flow in them slows down significantly. The relief should be built in such a way as to form a current boundary, nearby participants of a strong and weak stream, a “return”, and nearby exits to small spits and irrigation.

The navigational guide greatly helps in finding promising places; modern maps in a chartplotter with depth contours are even better.

If in such places there is heterogeneous and unusual terrain, the chances of meeting good fish increase sharply. Rocky ledges where the current calms down, local snags, boulders at the bottom, behind which it is easy for a predator to find shelter, increase the likelihood of capture.

Of course, in these places there should be concentrations of white, forage fish. The more factors described above you find in one place, the greater the likelihood that your target lives somewhere here!

From personal observations, I will also note the following theses:

Local one or two snags will work better than an extensive underwater forest. This makes it much easier to find a fish and get it to bite than to throw a windbreak at it.
In coastal, even deep snags, pike up to 5-7 kg in size are most often caught. Real grandmothers live closer to the riverbed .
really large pike to bite . Either you will be incredibly lucky, or you need to wait for the exit. This is quite passive fishing - standing, methodically selecting bait. Please be patient .
There are many ways to place a boat in one fairly local spot. Don't neglect this. Often it is the correct placement and presentation of the bait that makes the difference!
And, of course, one of the main factors for successful capture is simple - “the further into the forest, the more firewood.” The less pressure and the more inaccessible the fishing spot, the higher the chances of catching a trophy .

Points

Previously, we found that the distribution of migrating pikes turns out to be more uniform. This does not mean at all that there will be a pike on every square meter of the river. By uniformity we mean approximately equal chances of covering a cluster of pikes (party meeting) or simply meeting active fish both in standard and non-standard places.

Standard places are the base that everyone knows. Holes, pits, snags, etc. These points were developed over many years of practice by a huge number of anglers. Their advantage is that they always work and you can get at least some fish from them. Non-standard ones are riffles and smooth shallow runs with a relatively fast current. Such areas are generally avoided during winter. And completely in vain.

Rifles

Winter riffles on small rivers are convenient because they are much easier to read. And in some cases they are so shallow that the bottom is clearly visible from shore to shore. At first glance, the pike should pass such inconvenient places as quickly as possible. But in reality, many pikes find quite convenient places to stay on the rifts. Often they turn out to be completely unobvious to us or even illogical. For example, in some cases the pike finds it convenient to stand on the stream. In this case, we are talking about ordinary rivers that are not heated by warm runoff.

In the background is a section of a long (250 meters) and flat run with a depth of 0.2-1 meter. Several small pike were caught from it

The most typical ambush sites for riffle pike may be a separate patch of grass in the middle of a riffle, a log, a small hole or a channel depression, even if the difference in depth is only 20-30 centimeters. If there is grass, half-submerged bushes or a fallen tree in the riparian area, this is a good place. If there is a more or less decent area with calm water, this is a great place. If there is also a depression, it is a hot spot. However, you should not ignore completely bare riffles. There are many cases when a pike flew out for bait as if out of nowhere.

Despite all their unattractiveness and unconvincingness, winter riffles turn out to be quite effective in terms of finding migrating fish. It is thanks to the riffles that we can better understand whether new pikes have appeared, what their size is and estimate further actions. Of course, such an estimate will be very shaky and will not give ironclad guarantees, but we have no other options. In addition, we encounter riffles without fail and it will not be difficult to allocate 5-10 postings to them.

Bottleneck

This is a general and conventional name for places the passage of which turns out to be difficult for fish. On small rivers you can literally find bottlenecks. For example, a sharp narrowing of the channel over a very short segment. At the same time, above and below the turning the width of the river can be quite normal or even exceed the average width values. Such places are obvious and we can see many of them on satellite images.

Another option for a bottleneck would be some obstacles that interfere with the free flow of water. This could be a dam (beaver or human), bridge fill, a cross pipe, or an unfortunate fallen tree. That is, these are places that are difficult or even impossible to pass.

Every winter there are several pike in this seething water. Depth - barely a meter

For example, areas below dams are often populated by large numbers of fish. On the one hand, due to the mixing of water, dining conditions are created with a wide variety of food. On the other hand, this is the same bottleneck that makes it impossible for fish to move upstream. The fish, moving upward, simply run into the dam and cannot go further. Others are drawn to them and ultimately, within a particular water system, we have an area where the concentration of fish and species composition are maximum and sometimes excessive.

Approximately the same picture emerges below bridges, if they are on bedding. The same is true below beaver dams or tree debris. The only difference is that such obstacles are semi-permeable. That is, it is difficult to overcome them, but, unlike human dams, it is possible. This means that the concentration of fish here will not be constant.

Thus, the migration routes of pikes have a number of similar bottlenecks, where pikes create a high concentration for some time. It is in such places that it is easier than ever to cover a party meeting. At the same time, you don’t need to be afraid of the characteristic bubbling and faster current with a large number of complex currents. Pike navigate the water much better than us and are able to find convenient places even in such conditions.

Since these obstacles are semi-permeable, some fish, having rested, go higher, while others are just approaching, we can observe different numbers of pike on different days. Including, we can end up in a fishless situation. However, during pre-spawning migration such places rarely remain empty. In fact, there is a situation here that is similar to a pit: you can count on catching at least some fish with a very high probability.

Still, it is important to understand that increases and decreases in concentration are best seen at long distances. So, we will see these fluctuations if there is only one large obstacle on the river. If the river is completely blocked every few kilometers, then the changes will be insignificant or absent altogether. That is, the more natural the life of the river, the better. In straightened and heavily regulated rivers the situation is worse. The pike can’t really accelerate in them, and therefore it is actually tied to the same points all its life, going out to spawn wherever it can.

Temperature and water level

Autumn, after all, is the best time for fishing.

Firstly, the water level drops significantly and the fish begin to concentrate. White fish gather in large schools, which makes it easier for both fishermen and predators to find them.
Secondly, the instinct of “the approach of winter” is triggered. Active feeding begins when the temperature drops below 15 degrees. From 13 to 8 is the optimal value for pike zhor.

But you need to understand that fish always eat. It just becomes a little easier to catch in the fall. But the first bursts of activity and the capture of trophies begin with the first noticeable drop in water in the river and the first cold, foggy nights. Late July-early August. And then gradually, if only the autumn weather pleases with stability, and not with sudden changes and pressure drops.

Monitor the water level and temperature - these graphs are a good help to navigate in time and predict the bite.

Autumn zhora period

For pikemen of all ages, the autumn zhora period is the most significant event of the year. Autumn is the time of active fishing for predators with almost any gear: spinning rods, mugs, girders and even donks.

From the beginning of September until freeze-up, pike fishing in autumn in Astrakhan is especially productive, when the water temperature drops below 20℃. Cold September mornings and colder waters encourage the predator to actively feed.

Important! It is necessary to understand that the beginning of the autumn pike feeding period is determined not by a specific date on the calendar, but by changes in weather and water temperature.

Photo of the pike catch at the Sazanya Bukhta fishing base.

Gear selection

This is where many inexperienced anglers make mistakes. It would seem that the understanding that when hunting for crocodiles you need reliable gear should be self-evident. Probably, beginners do not understand this until they hold and feel the real “submarine” at the other end of the cord.

Firstly, forget about unnecessary accessories - clasps, carabiners, swivels - all this is the first thing that will break and be a reason for an unfortunate derailment. Just a string tied to a braid - nothing more.
Secondly, no fluorocarbon leader, of course. Forget about it when it comes to grandma's teeth.
The length of the steel leash should be at least 35-40 cm. Twist two together if you don’t have a suitable one at hand.
High-quality braid that does not split from the first contact with driftwood and shell, not lower than 1.5PE .
A rod capable of forced fishing of the Heavy , no lower. The system is probably chosen for an amateur, but it is better if it is “Extra Fast” , which allows you to have good control of the bait in the current and great depths, and not fail during a powerful hook, which is important.
Class 4000 traction reel - leave less for fooling around with okushki.
High-quality hooks are a very important point. Jaws of such strength simply break and unbend hooks with a quality “slightly lower than the best.”
And, of course, a landing net. A large, reliable landing net and a skillful partner! This is also very important.

Fishing technique

A question that is difficult to fully disclose and explain on paper in one article.

First, use large baits. A big piece makes your mouth happy. Silicone less than 10 cm or 3.9 inches does not make sense at all when you are aiming for a trophy. The optimal size for searching is 4.5-5 inches, which will allow you to catch large pike, and not be completely bored, also picking up a “one and a half pike”. The deeper into autumn, the larger the bait and the slower its presentation. Only when it’s already approaching winter, and the fish become completely inactive, reducing the size of the bait can give more bites and improve the result.
Secondly, if you haven’t caught on streamers, now is the time to start. Large foam rubber from 120 mm will also come to the rescue - it is especially effective when fishing from under snags.

The technique of placing a jig itself (and we are not even considering the “Retractable Leash” and “Carolina Rigging” here) is an art that comes with time. It is important to master a variety of wiring and change them, try them, select them. As I already noted, catching a trophy in a pressed reservoir often means standing at one promising point, picking up bait and waiting.

In general, it can be noted that you should not wait for a bite from a crocodile by sharply and quickly feeding the bait. A large individual is not inclined to waste extra energy and play catch-up. Unless in this way you can “swing” and encourage the fish to bite on the next casts, specifically using a smoother, rolling retrieve after the active one.

It is worth paying attention to fishing with jerks and deep-sea wobblers . Large lures of this class are definitely pleasing to the eye of large pike. This is not a very common method of fishing in our area, but in vain. This can be your trump card when the jig is silent.

Large pike respect streamers and jerkbaits.

Total. The secret is simple

The more often you go to the reservoir and the more you experiment with gear, wiring and discover new places, the faster you gain experience and depth in understanding fishing and finding the right promising places. Experience that you will subsequently use to catch the coveted trophy. And one of the most important factors that greatly increases your chances is the inaccessibility and remoteness of fishing spots from big cities. It's corny, simple, but it's true. And now I bring to your attention an interview with a successful trophy hunter.

Tackle and bait

What should you take with you to the pond to take advantage of all the benefits of pike fishing? Basically, in the fall, predators are caught with two types of gear:

float baits;
spinning rod

Only practical fishing can show which method will be the most catchy on a particular body of water. It is also impossible to guess the most catchy bait.

Guess what this pike bit on?

Live bait fishing rod

To build a float bait, strong and reliable rods, reels and other elements of gear are used, because the fight will be with a large autumn predator. Let's take a closer look at how to assemble a float for catching autumn pike.

The rod is selected with a length of 3.5-4.5 meters; with such a “stick” it is easier to cast the float rig and fish out the predator at the last stage. It can be either plug-in or telescopic, the main thing is that it can be used to throw heavy equipment, including the weight of live bait.
The reel chosen is a spinning reel with a size of 3000-5000 Shimano units; its traction power should be enough to fight a powerful pike. The ability to fine-tune the friction brake is also important.
The fishing line used for fishing for a predator is monofilament; it is this type of fishing thread that best absorbs the jerks of a predator.
A sliding float is attached to the fishing line, limited on both sides by stoppers, the top of which should easily fit through the tulip and the passage rings on the form. This design will make it possible to throw the tackle to any place in depth and lower the live bait into the desired horizon. The weight of the float should allow the baitfish to move it freely along the surface, but not allow it to sink.
Below the float is attached a sliding sinker in the form of an olive or a cone. This solution allows the pike to later notice the resistance of the rig and spit out the bait. A damper is also placed after the load to protect the next unit.
Below the sinker, a metal leash made of string or leash material is tied. The sharpness of pike teeth is known to everyone; it is necessary for an active predator.
The hook completes the rig. There is no consensus on what it should be. Some prefer a tee, others prefer a double, and others prefer a single.

Attention! If the pike is not very active, it makes sense to use a fluorocarbon leader and equip it with a single hook.

The pike was tempted by a crucian carp on a float rod.

Fishing with a float rod should be based on the golden rule: “Use the live bait that lives in a particular body of water.” In this case, the pike is the least picky when biting. There were cases when, for example, on a river, a toothy one completely refused a crucian carp, and immediately took the roach when casting it to the same place.

In addition to the mentioned types of live bait, pike can also be tempted by representatives of the following species:

bleak;
rudd;
perch;
ides;
minnows;
Yeltsov;
loaches;
chub;
rotans;
silver bream.

The tactic of catching pike with a float is to correctly present the bait under the nose of the toothy predator. To do this, in addition to selecting the fishing point, its depth is also selected. The location horizon of live bait varies from a meter below the surface of the water to 50 centimeters from the bottom. This depends on the location on the reservoir and the natural behavior of the selected baitfish.

If there are no bites for a long time, you should check the live bait, change the fishing location or the depth of the equipment.

Fishing for pike with float tackle should be forced, without weakening the fishing line.

Spinning

Spinning fishermen do not even consider options with live bait, which, by the way, still need to be prepared and properly stored. All disputes between supporters of this type of fishing come down to choosing the only right bait. Pike can be successfully caught in the fall using a wide variety of baits.

wobblers;
oscillating and rotating spoons;
jig silicones and foam rubber.

In this case, you should adhere to the rule: the later the autumn, the deeper the pike stands. For autumn pike fishing, it is better to build a tackle based on a spinning rod with medium or medium-heavy dough, approximately from 7 to 30 grams. The length of the stick should also be medium or larger: from seven to nine feet, this will, in addition to achieving the optimal range, also provide the optimal leverage for pumping out a large specimen.

Reels for such spinning rods are chosen in the range from two to three and a half thousand units; they must have a margin of safety to fight heavy stubborn fish. As a working line, spinners choose braided line, which gives great tactile sensations that do not allow them to miss even a light touch of the bait by a predator.

Attention! An indispensable condition when catching active pike is the use of a metal leash, which will protect the bait from being cut off.

A metal leash is a guarantee of success when fishing for pike.

Tactical fishing for autumn pike with a spinning rod comes down to fan fishing of a section of a reservoir from a selected point on the shore. In this case, it is worth varying the wiring and bait. At the same time, a trophy predator can be tempted by a very small bait such as a spinner of the second or third number. Although the saying about a big piece that makes your mouth happy works basically.

Taking into account that in the fall, predators can create small schools, when catching one pike, it is worth trying to repeat the wiring in the same place, hoping for a bite from its sister.

Interview

Anton “Fisher-man” Kharlanov – Winner of the “Obskaya Zaruba 2019”, 2nd place - “Golden Autumn 2019”, winner and prize-winner of many boat and shore competitions of past years, participant and youngest participant of the Russian Boat Spinning Championship 2013, first sportsman discharge.

Alexey: “Anton, good afternoon. First of all, I congratulate you and your partner on second place at Golden Autumn 2019 - an enviable success! Immediately after the “Obskaya Zaruba”, taking second place at another major tournament among dozens of athletes is an excellent result!”

Anton: “Thank you, Alexey, we are trying :)”

A trophy pike that brought victory to the “Let’s Reach the Goal” team at the Ob Race 2021.

When does the autumn feeding season for trophy pike begin?

Anton: “Fishing for trophy pike begins in the summer, from mid-July, sometimes from the beginning, depending on the water level. Usually the first mothers are caught when the water has dropped so much that the flooded coastal bushes are exposed. This is a level below two meters according to the Novosibirsk gauging station. I’m talking about the water area from Novosibirsk to, say, the Siman channel. After the confluence of the Tom, the conditions are already different, but there are tens of times more trophy pike there. I would not say that the closer to autumn, the greater the chance of catching a crocodile; the end of July - August is often no less productive in the tens.

How to choose the right place to look for a trophy?

Anton: “Based on my practice and observations, I can name only three types of places:

Channel spits and midstreams;
Exits from deep, extensive pits;
Deep (5-7m) long snags with a moderate current.

In the snags and pits, she spends her time, so to speak, lives, and comes out to the spits from the riverbed just to eat. There is one more place where she can either leave the riverbed to eat or just live there - these are vast sands with large dunes, but such relief is found only below the confluence of the Tom.”

Best lures in your opinion? Tell us in general about the fishing technique.

Anton: “There is no universal recipe here. A crocodile can be caught with equal success both on standard rubber 5-12 cm and on huge fleshy 15-25 cm baits. There are no fewer mothers caught on a 5 cm tiny vibrotail or twister than those caught on a huge silicone. And, of course, large 15-25 cm streamers should be present in the arsenal.

Fishing is not difficult, but if the choice of places is limited, you are not in the Tomsk region, but on our meager stretch of the river, and you know only one place where it can be, all that remains is to stand at the point all day waiting for it to feed, and sort out baits and wiring. Sometimes you just need to get under her nose and she will bite, and sometimes she will need a special bait or wiring. You drive under her nose, but she doesn’t take it, she’s waiting for the right bait for the day. There are no universal recipes; preferences can change every day.

My fishing scheme is as follows: I stood in the place where I expected it to be. I make 10 wires with medium silicone. Then I put in something large, about 20 centimeters. An important note here is that when fishing with large rubber, the retrieve should be as smooth as possible, with pauses for at least 3-4 seconds. If on rubber up to 5 inches a pike can bite on very sharp and aggressive wiring, then on large rubber you need maximum smoothness. The same applies to large streamers.

In snags, the streamers disappear, leaving silicone on the offset and foam rubber with pressed doubles.

Then eternal torment begins, either it’s not here, or it doesn’t bite) In the pit, where it’s definitely there, you spend the whole day sorting out baits, on the spit you spend the whole day waiting for the exit)) In the Tomsk region it’s easy, there’s a lot of large pike there - you’re riding in promising places and catch them. In a day of moving and fishing, among the exciting fishing for medium-sized pike, you will catch the coveted “ten ten”.

What advice do you have for beginners who dream of their first trophy?

Anton: “The main advice for beginners is to buy a normal landing net. It should be large - at least 70 by 90 cm. Don’t be afraid of the gigantic size of the net; on a large pike you will understand why it is needed. The net must also be durable, with a strong frame, strong connections, and a strong mesh. I have a landing net from BFT - I have never seen a better net. Well, if you catch a trophy on the hook, if you are not fishing in snags, be sure to loosen the clutch, the load on the tackle is prohibitive, and with a sharp jerk the cord may burst or the hook may break.”

Fishing for pike in the fall - what to fish for?

Wobblers for pike in autumn

At an early stage, when aquatic vegetation does not yet allow the bait to be carried out normally on a uniform retrieve, it is necessary to stock up on a couple of twitching wobblers of the “minou” class with a small depth and a length of 10-15 cm. During the autumn pike feast, this is primarily dictated by the need to fish so-called “windows” (small areas of water clear of algae), and a little later, after the start of subsidence, you can walk through shallow bays that were inaccessible during the summer due to the “green carpet”.

Surface baits, such as poppers, are not very suitable for autumn, although early (in September) I was sometimes able to seduce some predators.

Spinner for pike in autumn

Spinner baits are an essential part of any spinner's box. Fishing classics - . Although it is better not to count on normal fishing with them starting from October, the “laces” will not give you rest.

For later fishing, it is better to take large and heavy purely pike spoons with you. Oscillating spoons have a “heavy” stroke, during which powerful acoustic waves emit from them, simulating heavy prey. And this is exactly what pike need during the autumn feeding season.

Silicone lures for pike in autumn

Silicone fish are always used in new places, when muddy water or depth does not allow tracking underwater snags, roots and other debris. It's not a shame to tear it off. Most wobblers and good spinners cost quite a bit, so make it a rule to keep “pioneers” in your box.

With a standard installation on a jig head with a single hook, there are frequent cases of fish disappearing, and in the autumn version, when fish of 15 cm are used, a disappearance or a single strike with a tear off of the tail of a soft bait is inevitable. I recommend using a slightly different mounting method - with a tee.