Successful fishing for pike perch in the summer is a sign of skill. It is during the hot period that the predator changes its habits. It is quite difficult to seduce a fanged fish with ordinary baits, as well as with the usual methods of placing baits.
You have to use all the skills of quiet hunting, use various tricks and tactics of summer fishing for intractable fish.
Where can I find a place to catch pike perch in the summer?
In summer, pike perch tends to places where there is running water. It cannot be found in stagnant areas where slow currents predominate.
The predator prefers a clean, hard bottom with a sandy or pebble or shell surface. The fanged one does not like silt and too dense vegetation. In June and August, pike perch lives at depth.
In the middle of the summer season it lives on dumps and snags, and at night it goes out into shallow water. During daylight hours his favorite places are:
- coastal edge, which has different bottom topography and depth;
- places at the end of a reservoir bed;
- pits (beginning, end), ditches;
- snags;
- near bridge supports.
Let's celebrate! A thermocline occurs in July.
As a result of this phenomenon, pike perch can be detected using an echo sounder. In the dark, it is recommended to fish for snags at a depth of a maximum of 4 meters.
Lures for fishing
Natural
Natural baits include live or dead fish, pieces of fish fillet, and worms.
You can catch pike perch with live bait using float and bottom gear, or by placing the fish on a circle hook.
Dead fish are considered an effective bait when fishing with a tackle. The tackle is attached to a long-eared weight and fished using one or another type of jig wiring.
Narrow strips of fish fillets are used for donk fishing. They also fish with a worm using a donk, although you can also use a float rod. It is advisable to use thick earthworms, placing several of them on a large hook or catching them with a crawler.
Artificial
There are a huge number of artificial baits for catching pike perch, and some of them are multifunctional, i.e. can be used for various fishing methods. The most commonly used baits are the following.
Wobblers
They are divided into trolling and casting , although some models can be used to fish in both ways.
Wobblers for trolling must have their own game. The most popular floating models are minnow and shad . Depending on what layers of water the pike perch lives in, either “surface fish” or “deep fish” are used. If pike perch lives at depths where it cannot be reached with a regular wobbler, use a downrigger .
Wobblers for casting fishing may not have their own game. To fish with such baits, jerk wiring is used - twitching. Wobblers can be floating, sinking or suspending. Catching pike perch with wobblers by casting is an activity for advanced anglers. Pike perch is very picky not only about the behavior of the wobbler on the retrieve, but also about its color.
For both trolling and casting, small and medium-sized wobblers are used - from 5 to 13 centimeters, but the most used are lures 7-9 centimeters long.
VIBs
These are very catchy baits for catching pike perch. They can be used for casting, plumb fishing and even trolling, and the same models can be used for all methods. Casting fishing is essentially the same jig fishing with some nuances regarding the animation of the bait. They catch vertically on VIBs the same way as in winter. Noisy baits are much less catchy.
Spoons
- Oscillators.
To catch pike perch by casting and trolling, narrow, heavy, oscillating spoons are used. When casting, a uniform retrieve with stops is used, and with some baits, for example, Castmaster, a stepped retrieve will be more effective. - Turntables.
For catching pike perch, front-loaded rotating spoons with a narrow blade are used.
Winter spinners and balancers
Pike perch can be successfully caught from a boat in the summer, vertically using winter spoons and balancers. The boat must be anchored or drifting slowly.
Silicone baits
The following types of silicone baits are used to catch pike perch:
- twisters;
- vibrotails;
- silicone worms;
- slugs;
- creatures.
The first two types of baits are most often used in jig fishing, although they are also suitable for other methods. Worms, slugs and creatures find their use in Texas and Carolina rigs, lead leader and drop shot.
Expert opinion
Knipovich Nikolai Mikhailovich
Zoologist, hydrobiologist. I am interested in fishing at a professional level.
Healthy! When fishing for pike perch in the summer, “edible” rubber is not a luxury, but a necessity. In warm water, the predator bites much better on “edible” baits, especially in still water.
What to use to catch pike perch in summer?
In the summer season, animal and artificial bait are suitable for catching predators. Among the latter, wobblers and spinners of various modifications and purposes are popular. It should be remembered that pike perch sucks up small bait, but grabs larger ones across.
Animal bait
Catching fangs with live bait is effective. The best bait of this type: perch, bleak, gudgeon, as well as goby and roach. The main thing is that the bait must be alive and active. Then it will attract future catch.
Wobblers
Solid artificial baits are used at night when you need to fish in shallow water. Select narrow-bodied wobblers that look like bleak.
The bait chosen is floating, with a minimum depth of up to 50 centimeters of the minnow class. The main criterion is the ability to play for a long time in the current. Otherwise, the predator will not react to the “floating” bait.
A suitable wobbler size is 6-10 cm. Smaller parameters will not attract larger pike perch, and too large ones are not advisable to use in summer. The gear should provide an opportunity for casting plastic bait, a tactile sensation of a bite, and a confident hook.
Let's celebrate! To minimize the chance of fishing line tangling, it is recommended to have a reliable spinning reel available.
Spoons
In summer, the fanged one loves to profit from narrow-bodied prey. As a result, it is recommended to select the appropriate shape for the lure and more.
The spoon should be similar in appearance and activity to a live fish. For example, bleak or roach. Experienced fishermen often use oscillating models that have an oblong shape.
Jig
In the summer season, pike perch bite with this method of fishing is unstable. For a good catch, you need to have information about promising places. Fishing time is until 8 am maximum. In the evening you can continue fishing - the bite resumes.
Silicone baits are suitable for 5-8 cm. A not too active pike perch will not hunt large prey. The appropriate cargo will be needed. Jig heads are required.
The weight should be optimal for the “behavior” of water:
- for a quiet place – up to 14 grams;
- average water speed – 16-24 grams;
- fast flow - from 25 grams and above.
Let's celebrate! The predator has a small mouth - a nozzle longer than 13 cm can be ignored. It should be orange or white made of silicone.
How to choose gear for summer pike perch fishing?
To catch pike perch in the summer, you need to carefully and wisely choose equipment. Then the catch will be guaranteed. It is especially recommended to carefully select a spinning rod, reel, fishing line or cord.
Spinning
- The rod must be rigid. This condition will ensure the ability to cast large baits, as well as make sharp hooks.
- Spinning rods up to 2.5 meters with a fast action will be useful. The soft top will give a noticeable bite.
- The test will need 30-35 grams.
- If fishing is done from a boat, a rod length of 2 meters will be enough. On a large body of water you will need three-meter blanks for long casts. At night, you need short rods for quiet water in shallow water.
Coil
Experienced fishermen use inertia-free fishing in the range of 2000-4000. An inexpensive reel is suitable for a light rod, but for an ultralight model it is better to choose a more expensive sample. With cheap reels, the ability to lay the line is often not up to par.
Some people use a baitcasting reel. They are reliable and provide good tactile sensitivity. But they are somewhat more complex than spinning tackle, so they are used less often.
Fishing line, cord
Mono lines and braids are suitable. The diameter of this gear depends on the size of the catch. For small specimens, a thin fishing line (0.22 - 0.35 mm) is suitable.
The cord is needed with a breaking load characteristic of 5 kg. Some people choose a leash that contains fluorocarbon (a wear-resistant material).
Features of catching pike perch at night and during the day in summer
You should look for a fishing spot based on the time of day. During daylight hours, the predator hunts in the depths. These are holes, edges, bottom irregularities 4 meters from the surface of the surface. By sunset, the behavior of the fanged one begins to change.
Closer to night, pike perch approaches the shallows - shallow water and sand bars attract it. Maximum fish activity is observed from 10 pm until dawn.
Sometimes bursts of activity occur on a clear day from sunrise to 10 am. Sometimes short-term activity occurs after lunch. The best daytime weather for a successful bite is cloudy and windy.
Let's celebrate! The water is mixed, as a result of which the fry are activated, and food for pike perch can rise from the surface of the bottom. This condition will attract him to schools of small fish. If bait is supplied to this zone in a timely manner, a confident bite is guaranteed.
Fishing spots
The main requirements of pike perch for its habitats are:
- pure water;
- hard bottom;
- the presence of small, narrow-bodied fish in sufficient quantities.
Pike perch has a negative attitude towards pollution and oxygen deficiency. Pike perch can live on muddy bottoms, but only if there are areas of hard bottom nearby where they can spawn. Pike perch often stays on a flat sandy bottom, but its most favorite places to stop are places with some kind of shelter. Such places could be:
- snags;
- accumulations of stones;
- shell rocks;
- various anomalies of underwater relief.
In flowing waters
In rivers, pike perch prefers to stay not on the stream , but in places with a slow flow, for example, in “returns”. In terms of depth, the most attractive for pike perch are holes, exits from them and entrances to them. Any uneven terrain can also be promising for fishing.
In stagnant bodies of water
In stagnant bodies of water, namely in lakes and sea bays, pike perch should also be looked for, adhering to the features of the relief. An echo sounder can be an invaluable help.
Expert opinion
Knipovich Nikolai Mikhailovich
Zoologist, hydrobiologist. I am interested in fishing at a professional level.
Important! In hot weather, pike perch rises to the surface layers of the water. The easiest way to catch it is by trolling; casting with wobblers is a rather difficult activity that is not accessible to every angler.
In reservoirs, the favorite places for pike perch to stop are snags.
Reviews from fishermen
Pike perch is a first-class fish. I went fishing with friends in the summer and caught 9 fish. We used spinning rods. We caught it at night with live bait. The bait was lowered to the bottom using weights. Grade:
Sergey
I used silicone bait. Did not work out. I started taking live bait. I caught it only once at night, and in the morning I caught another one. We cooked the fish soup. Very tasty fish. Grade:
Dmitriy
I prefer winter fishing for fanged fish. But in the summer it also works fine. I find a spring place with cool water. You can choose a deeper place. But personally, I don’t use spinners at great depths. There are snags, the gear gets caught. Grade:
Oleg
Pike perch is a bottom-dwelling fish. I fish with a jig. I can catch pike perch with a sinking wobbler without any problems. I consider the twister and vibrotail to be the leaders of such fishing. Silicones work well. Grade:
Andrey
I fish for pike perch in the summer in the late afternoon. I put a dancing wobbler on the spinning rod. Sometimes I prefer neutral buoyancy. I take yellow. My casts are along the shore, and my retrieves are not too fast. For me, the main thing is that the pike perch is interested in the bait. Grade:
Vadim
Catching pike perch in the summer is not easy, you will have to be patient, spend time and money to choose a catchable place and purchase suitable gear. It is necessary to take into account the behavior of the fanged at different times of the day.
Let's celebrate! The type of rod, fishing line, dough, bait and other gear will depend on this. Don't forget about equipment. For example, at night you will need a headlamp and a handheld flashlight.
Other ways to catch pike perch
In addition to all the previously listed options for hunting pike perch, there are a number of other methods that are also actively used by various anglers to catch this prey.
Fishing with a jig
When using this technique, it is advisable to use the following tips:
- If you plan to fish on the shore, then you should choose a rod whose length is from 3 to 3.5 m.
- It is worth purchasing a reel with a sufficient power reserve, with a size of 3000.
- Particular attention is paid to the jig head, which is chosen based on the strength of the water flow and the depth of casting. For a strong current, its weight should be 25-40 g, for a medium one – 16-25 g. If the water is calm, it is enough to use varieties up to 14 g.
- When choosing bait, you should purchase bait in brighter orange, lemon or green colors. The length should be no more than 13 cm.
- If you are a jack of all trades, you can use foam fish, which are made in a few minutes using colored foam rubber and scissors.
- When the jigging technique is performed from a boat, it is worth casting across the edge, and as soon as a bite occurs, immediately make a hook.
- In the summer, you should choose places to catch pike perch with very clean water saturated with oxygen.
Plumb fishing
This method remains an old and proven means of hunting pike perch from a boat, which once began to be forgotten, but is beginning to gain popularity again.
Please pay attention to the following points:
- The fisherman should accurately determine the location of the prey, which is conventionally called the “feeding bank.” Typically, such locations are located at a depth of 3-12 m. Where there is a large number of small animals, there is most likely a sufficient concentration of pike perch.
- Using the plumb line technique, you can catch prey on your hook from early morning until sunset.
- Homemade fishing rods up to 500 m long with an inertial reel are suitable. The fishing line can be chosen thinner, with a diameter of up to 0.3 mm.
- It is better to take a spinner that imitates the movements of a small fish.
- The process begins with throwing the spoon to the bottom, after which the bait is raised with a sharp movement 10 cm up and lowered slowly to the very bottom.
Fishing with mugs:
- For equipment you will need a tee hook No. 7-5 and a single hook No. 2-1.
- The bait can be used in the form of small live bait such as gudgeon or bleak.
- In summer, mugs should be lowered to half-water, and not higher than this level.
- It is worth going out hunting before dawn and performing the technique as the sun rises.
- This type of fish should not be hooked too quickly, otherwise there is a chance of losing this prey from the hook.
For the jig:
- You can choose any spinning rod that is most convenient for you , but the reel should only be inertia-free. The fishing line can be taken with a diameter of up to 0.3 mm.
- When fishing from the shore, you need to cast the jig and then pull it up , after which you need to move it along the entire shore with careful movements.
- The choice of bait is quite varied, but it is best to use any small live bait. You can try wrapping the jig hook with brightly colored threads to most effectively attract the pike perch you are looking for.
- In summer it is also good to use elongated jigs of a dark color no more than 6 mm long.
