The very best lures to use for pike in clear water are swimbaits, softbaits, and crankbaits with an authentic pattern and swimming action. Natural lure colors that resemble the pike’s prey, such as white, silver, green, or black, have proven most effective.
What colors do pike see best?
The absolute best lure colors for murky water pike are white, green/chartreuse, and orange. This article is based on my personal experiences over the last 20+ years and on a big survey that involved asking 100 pike anglers for their lure and color preferences.
Do pike like black?
Black or ghost patterns of lure baits are a great start. Pike will see a black lure against the skylight near the surface of the water more than other colours.
What color are pikes?
Northern pike are most often olive green, shading from yellow to white along the belly. The flank is marked with short, light bar-like spots and a few to many dark spots on the fins. Sometimes, the fins are reddish.
What is the best line for pike?
Fluorocarbon is a low stretch line that is quite pliable and is becoming a favorite go-to for anglers. You can use fluorocarbon for casting to pike with spinnerbaits, in-line spinners or any kind of jerkbait.
What are pike attracted to?
Pike are visual feeders, and tend to be attracted to bright colors. Use high-visibility colors like white, chartreuse, and bright orange. They also respond well to baits that put off lots of vibration or sound.
What lure is best for pike?
PIKE – Pike love spoons, especially in yellow, orange, bright red, and shiny finishes but around the 1 oz. size. Many people mistakenly try MUSKY lures but pike – in most instances – prefer much smaller baits than muskies.
What color attracts fish?
The basic conclusion is that certain fish will be attracted to certain colours depending on the type of fish, time of day, transparency of water, weather, and maybe even time of year.
If you want to try do the same, go for these colour combinations:
- Green and yellow,
- Black and purple,
- Blue and white,
- Black and gold.
Is purple a good color for fishing?
Purple shades work well for most species of fish up to 150 feet and blue or green maintains the most visible color at depths beyond 150 feet. Silver and white are also great choices for deep water fish like salmon.
Is white a good color for fishing?
Ask seasoned anglers what they’d pick if they could only ever fish one color for the rest of their lives and a lot of them will say white. It’s super-boring and very underwhelming, but white is arguably the most universally productive color of all time. Most baitfish in both salt- and freshwater have white bellies.
Can pike see colors?
Their eyes do not adjust well to seeing color in low light conditions, but they can detect a “silhouette” from a fish or lure and especially high-contrast colors like red/white, black/white, very well.
What is the best lure colour?
Dark or Light depending on the weather.
The general rule for lure color is “bright day, light colors; dark day, dark colours.” On bright, sunny days and in clear water conditions, choose lures that are light in colouur and mimic natural patterns.
Are spinners good for pike?
In-line Spinners work well for northern pike. If you are just looking to catch some pike, the smaller spinners in the 3 to 4 inch range will catch plenty of smaller pike with an occasional big fish, especially during the spring.
Is 30lb braid good for pike?
When targeting pike, a 30lb test is considered standard for braid, and a line strength like that will be perfect for most waters and situations. No matter if you’re casting lures or fishing with dead baits, a 30lb braid will serve you extremely well by giving you a lot of feel and the perfect bait presentation.
Can pike see braided line?
Fish can see braided line and that’s why you always want to use a fluorocarbon or monofilament leader. Matching the line color with the water you’re fishing in is also a good idea to limit your presentation’s visibility.
Do pike like deep water?
Most of these fish are caught in shallow water. Big pike, however, go deep. Many times they are in water 15 feet deep or deeper. At these times, a big deep running lure is needed.
Can pike see in dark?
Even with their eyesight hindered by darkness, they have other honed sensory systems that allow them to key in on prey. Northern pike are most active during the day when their sense of sight allows them to ambush prey.
How do you attract pike?
Pike use their eyes to hunt and are attracted to colors like white, chartreuse, and bright orange. Use reflective or brightly colored baits to catch the pike’s eye. Good baits to use for pike include walking baits, buzz baits, spinnerbaits, spoons, and crankbaits. Pike also react to sound and vibration.
What time is best for pike fishing?
During spring and fall, fishing between late morning and early afternoon will be the best time to catch pike. Very early mornings and late evenings are your best picks during the summer. In winter, the hours between the later mornings and middays are usually best.
Do pike like big lures?
Muskie or Pike are known to feed on prey as large as 30% of their size and the biggest fish have mouths where you can fit a football with ease, so it’s no surprise they like large baits.
Do pike eat jigs?
Pike eat the jig as it’s running straight like a crankbait and also often as it falls. This option also fishes well tipped along the bottom when pike aren’t aggressive, as can be the case in far northern waters when they remain in shallow bays and you can see them.