Autumn is the golden season for fishing for predatory fish. With the onset of the first cold weather, almost all aquatic predators begin to feed actively, preparing for winter. After the hot summer, the first of them is the "wake up" pike. Her appetite is so powerful that sometimes other predators, such as perch or small pike perch, become victims, not to mention peaceful fish. All day long the pike is in motion, changing the water horizons. Therefore, catching it during this period is not difficult, it is only important to know what and why.
Pike tackle in the fall
To determine which bait is best for pike in the fall, you must first choose a gear. Each fishing device has its own most effective bait.
In the fall, you can catch pike on such predatory gear, such as:
- spinning;
- donka;
- circle;
- zherlitsa
Each of the above structures is used depending on the fishing conditions: the 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 bait is best for fishing on this predator in the autumn for each fishing device.
Pike snap features
Any fishing equipment for pike fishing must be reliable. For spinning, if it is not planned to take a trophy copy, it is better to use braided fishing line with a thickness of 0.15-0.2 mm. Monofilament with a cross section of 0.25-0.3 mm is more suitable for fishing on a donka, a lantern or mugs.
It is also important to use a steel or tungsten lead. Not a single fish of our latitude has such teeth as a pike. Snack a fishing line with a thickness of 0.3 mm for her to spit. Many beginning fishermen lose their catch without even seeing it, precisely because of neglect of this condition.
Pike Spinning
Most anglers prefer spinning to other gear. It is mobile and effective in catching a predator. However, its application requires certain skills. Having no basic knowledge of casting and wiring, you risk not only being left without a catch, but also torment yourself with unraveling gear or getting tattered baits.
To avoid such problems, it is worth practicing to carry out throws on land, using baits or other attachments without hooks. And it’s best to take some practical lessons from professionals. If spinning is more or less familiar to you, we will proceed directly to the choice of nozzle.
Spinning lures
Catching pike in the fall for spinning involves the use of such baits:
- spoon;
- wobbler;
- silicone fish;
- live bait.
All of them perfectly attract a predator, however, each bait has its own time and place.
Spinners
The most proven and universal type of predatory spinning nozzles is the spinner. Today, hundreds of varieties, designs, and colorings are on sale. But for autumn pike fishing, spinning and oscillating baubles are most often used.
Rotating models or turntables are the best option for a beginner. They are not too heavy for casting and not so often cling to various obstacles. A pinwheel consists of a body represented as a piece of steel wire or a small fish with a petal rotating around.
The vibration created by him with uniform wiring is able to attract a predator from a distance of up to 20 m. It is best to use a “turntable” in water bodies where there is a current. Catching pikes in the autumn on the river using spinners will give good results when fishing at medium depths.
When choosing such a bait, pay attention to its quality. The slightest defect will cause the petal to stop spinning and the spinner to lose its properties. The best manufacturer of spinners is the French company Mepps. Her products are popular all over the world.
The oscillating lures of the same manufacturer are the best pike baits in the fall on bodies of water with stagnant water. Their weighted options do an excellent job of wiring along the bottom. The design of such spinners is quite simple. This is a specially curved metal plate painted in various colors. Often oscillating baubles have a texture resembling fish scales. Models of silver or golden colors have good efficiency. The former resemble pike her 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 pike fishing in the fall should not strongly contrast with the environment. And the lure is no exception. Transparent water will allow the predator to see the “victim” from afar. But bright models, on the contrary, will alert her. It is advisable to use spinners as a nozzle at the beginning and in the middle of autumn.
Wobblers
Many experienced spinning players believe that the best lures for pike fishing in the fall are wobblers. And they are right. These artificial nozzles most accurately mimic the appearance and behavior of peaceful fish.
There are only three types of wobblers:
- non-floating (pop-up);
- suspenders (having zero buoyancy);
- sinking (sinking).
The former are used for surface wiring, the latter for fishing in the water column, the latter for fishing from the bottom. The most popular are non-sinking wobblers and suspenders. Submersible models can be successfully replaced by oscillating baubles. In near-bottom space, visibility is usually minimal, so the predator is more responsive to the vibration created by the bait.
The best time for spinning fishing using wobblers is late autumn. During this period, the pike is most hungry, and its favorite delicacy is perch. Therefore, a large bait, painted in its color, is considered one of the most catching spinning lures for fishing in November.
Wobblers of the “minnow” class, imitating the fry of peaceful fish, are also very popular. Typically, such baits have an increased length. They are able to wake even the sleepiest pike.
Spinner bates
Autumn pike lures such as spinner bait work great in reed beds or water lilies. Their design allows you to minimize the possibility of various hooks. In appearance they are very reminiscent of spinners, but additionally have plumage made of bright artificial or natural materials. It is precisely with them that spinnerbates, in addition to the vibration created by the petal, visually attract the pike.
Silicone bait
Catching pikes in the fall for spinning can also be carried out using various silicone tips. Their advantage lies in the fact that they maximally resemble the movement of a real fish to a predator.
Silicones work equally well both at the beginning and at the end of autumn. The low price and high efficiency made them popular with beginners, who, due to inexperience, often lose or break off their nozzles.
Silicone bait for pike in the fall should have natural, but bright colors: pink, yellow, red. Often use "silicone" interspersed with mother of pearl. In depth, this creates an extra light play.
Zhivets
Bait fish, used as a bait for pike in the fall for spinning, is also very effective, but its use requires careful handling. One wrong move during casting, and bait will either break off or die on the hook. When spinning fishing, it is better to bait such a bait by the nostrils or lips, so that during posting it moves forward. It is not recommended to hook bait fish by the gills or under the dorsal fin. This bait is effective at any time of the year.
The use of bait fish when fishing for donkey, mugs and zerklitsa
For any tackle (except spinning), bait fish is the only and best pike bait in the fall. No other bait, such as a frog, pieces of liver or fish, will have a significant effect. Most often, live bait fish is used for fishing on the donka, on the mugs, as well as on the summer or winter lantern.
Pike bottom gear can be used year-round. Donka is quite simple to use, it is easy to transport, and its catchability is no worse than the same spinning. In early autumn, it works great at night. They usually put a night donka at sunset, having previously stocked up the bait. In its quality, live as well as deer fish are used. They attach the bait under the dorsal fin, for the base of the tail or for the gills. Sometimes they use slices of whole fish.
In order not to throw a donka after each bite, very often anglers use a rubber shock absorber made of cord rubber. This solution allows you to pull up the main fishing line, get the catch and change the bait without pulling the load.
Another effective form of autumn fishing for pike is a circle. This tackle is widely used in bodies of water where there is no current. The circle is a circle cut out of foam, wood or light plastic with a groove grooved under the fishing line. It is painted in a bright (often red) color so that it is noticeable from afar. A fishing line with a load and a hook with a bait is lowered into the water to the desired depth, and the circle goes into free drift along the reservoir. Only bait is used as bait, other options here will be inconclusive. For the installation of circles and their verification in the autumn, the use of a boat is mandatory.