Many anglers are careful, that successfully fishing for pike without a boat is almost impossible. Are you sure? There is a way that you can successfully catch these predators also from the shore.
"Where's your boat?” – Many colleagues I met by the water greeted me with this question, when, with a pike in my hand, I was walking along the shore of the lake, river or canal. There was nothing surprising in this, anyway, since most of the photos are clearly visible, I'm sitting in a boat, and sometimes I even hold a large pike in my hands. But don't jump to conclusions too quickly! I don't always lose my footing. For example, in small bodies of water or watercourses, it is not needed at all. Even without a boat, I have no problems with catching the most attractive pike spots. When stalking I can get close to the fish unnoticed, I don't waste time launching the boat either. So sometimes I pop over to my favorite channel even during my lunch break during working hours. But let me start with the big fisheries, and the methods of fishing in smaller waters are to be discussed later in this article. Are you such fishermen, who can wait patiently all day long for one single catch of a big pike? if so, then you should definitely try fishing from the shore in some big lake sometime. Why? If only for this reason, that boat fishing in the middle of a lake is not always fun. After all, no one likes to be exposed to strong gusts of wind, keep swaying, not to mention hours, sitting still on a hard bench, unhealthy for the spine. Sometimes fishing from a boat is forbidden in some body of water or it is not possible to rent water equipment.
Hills or peninsulas
When fishing from the shore, only one thing determines your success – we must fish these places carefully, where pikes are looking for food. Attractive pike fisheries are located, for example, on the border of aquatic vegetation or on slopes extending far into the lake of peninsulas. Clearly shallow water in deeper places, popular hills, they are also good fishing grounds. If there is a bridge between the two main fields of the lake, it is in such a narrowing where big pikes always stand.
There is only one but – how to find such characteristic places under water? If boat fishing is not allowed in a particular water area, Fortunately, no one can forbid us to swim only. In an unfamiliar fishery, I first go out in a boat for reconnaissance and using an echo sounder or an ordinary probe on a string, I get to know the depth and shape of the bottom. Of course, I swim very close to the shore then, so that later I could easily add the bait there. If I can't work out a new fishery from a boat, I use a sounding kit and learn about a given body of water by making a series of control throws from the shore. When fishing from the bank, we should always focus on the leeward side of the reservoir. Who does not follow this rule, I guess he had never tried to throw a dead herring against a force of wind on a float set before 7 degrees on the Boufort scale…
Swobodny drives
Thus, even when searching for attractive fisheries, I focus mainly on this shore, where I always have wind in my back. The number of fishing techniques that can be used is very limited here. By spinning from the shore with artificial lures, of course, we will be able to catch some pike in deeper water. But the problem is there, that we will have a lot of empty strokes, especially when jamming over long distances. This is very annoying, especially when we consider the fact, that sometimes you wait for a long time to take a great Esox, many days. A completely different method is much more effective – free drift of dead fish on the float set. First we have to cast our lure as far from the shore as possible, and this is only possible with a long and strong rod. And although I am a strong opponent of solid equipment, this time, however, I advise you to use a stick "like a carp". It's best to decide on a multiplier right away, because only this type of reel enables long distances, and at the same time gentle, casting a fragile one, easily falling off the bait system. About the fishing line, more specifically braided lines, there is no point in discussing. A line with a strength of approx 10 Kg. It is light and does not sink, thanks to which it reacts perfectly to gusts of wind, which in turn makes it very easy to "release" the lure to the middle of the lake. The float and the entire set are also very important.
In England, for example, many anglers like to catch pike in open-pit lakes. For clarification, I will add, that the local lakes are much smaller than ours. However, this does not change the form of things, that. it was the English who were the first to use sail floats to "carry out."” bait as far as possible from the shore. So once again we see, how important it is, that we fish with the wind in our backs.
Not too deep!
Well, enough torii. We assemble the fishing rods and start fishing. The float should keep the bait somewhere in the water.
Even in the deepest places, I never make more ground than three meters. I have already found out many times, that large pikes most often hunt in the water, and the lure just above the bottom is simply invisible to them. if it is possible, I fish with a permanently installed float.
One of the systemics to ensure that the dead fish are placed horizontally. The loop holds the bait from below, the trebles are stuck at the same height in the side of the dead fish.
In practice, it is possible only in shallow waters, let's say to the depth 1,5 metra.
In deeper fisheries I use a floating float. Besides, the bait (and the whole set) it must be heavy enough, to make fast "sailing."” did not lift her up. I also attach great importance to this, that my dead fish are always in a horizontal position in the water, so in position, in which live fish swim. systemics, which would fully meet my expectations is not on sale, so I have to do them myself. In the attached drawing you can clearly see how I deal with it.
Certainly many of you will have your own ideas, that the dead fish stay in a horizontal position in the water. Big pikes are most eagerly used by large lures. Catching a large dead fish, however, is a bit of a hassle. The bigger the bait, the more difficult it is to throw and steer while the set is "sailing". That's why I prefer medium sized lures, that is, dead fish up to 20 Cm. I mostly fish with small mackerel and herring or some freshwater fish, like roaches and perches.
Soft bait
The best bait for the biggest pikes, however, are large smelt and sardines. Unfortunately, these fish are very soft and difficult to cast. And yes, like other species of fish, we can confidently make a relatively energetic throw, the set with dead smelt or sardine must be carefully lowered into the water and so controlled, until it slowly flows out into deeper water. This procedure is somewhat time-consuming, but it almost always pays off. At least in my case. Now we will discuss the assembly control technique, that dead fish always go there, where the hunter wishes it. The easiest way to do this is with the rod raised vertically upwards (strongest wind action on the braided line). From time to time, we shift the line to the left or right and lower the rod. The braided line is then arranged in an arc on the water. The wind increases the bulge and the line is stretched and the float pulls behind it. Right there, where we wish it to be. Having mastered the difficult art of fishing for pike from the bank, you will catch a lot of big fish. Bites are usually so careful, as if they were taking place at a slow pace. At some point, the float just starts to wander to the side. After noticing the bite, lower the stick even further downwards, so that the tip almost touches the water. Direct the rod towards the floating fish and wind the braided line until it makes direct contact with the pike. Then, with feeling, we cut with a very smooth movement. A strong jam is the most common mistake. Let us try to avoid it, because our braided line may not withstand such a jerk, and if even, it will not make the jam more effective anyway.
The sun is behind you
In small fisheries, such as channels, rivers or ponds, finding, provoking a bite and hauling a pike out is much easier. Very often, however, we will deal with trees and bushes growing on the shore. In such conditions, casting is much more difficult than when fishing from a boat. It is also advisable to exercise extreme caution – moving too loudly on the shore or the angler's shadow falling on the water are the most common reasons for scaring pike away. And something else – if it is possible, I'd rather have the sun behind my back, not to the face. Thanks to this, I can see better what is happening in the water, and in shallow fisheries I sometimes manage to control the bait moving in the water all the time. It is very, but it's very important. In most cases, I can also see vegetation and I can easily lead the lure precisely along the border of the green underwater meadow., that is there, where pike lurk. If I am fishing in a new fishery, I first try to test as many different lures as possible. In the case of spinning, light centrifuges go first, spoons made of thin sheet metal and shallow wobblers. The dead fish on the float set are also very promising. If a given body of water is overgrown, I reach for a fly and fish with a large streamer. Artificial baits allow you to catch large areas of water quite quickly (small river, canal or lake).
Advantages of hiking
Hiking in the water has many advantages. For example, it allows you to quickly and accurately get to know a new fishery. Personally, sooner or later I always come across such places, where big pikes are standing. What such places look like? In most cases these are narrowing of the river bed. The big pike always tries to control as much water as possible. The best hunting grounds are therefore in the middle of a river or canal. The masked pike can then observe what is happening from both sides and just waits, for some careless fish to flow into the narrowing of the river. Of course, even in the most attractive narrowings, one meter pike is not always standing right away. But personally, I don't mind, if they also take smaller copies from me. If, after catching a few such fish, I eventually get a specimen, I can say that, that this is how I imagine the full happiness of fishing. In conclusion it should be said, that most small bodies of water or watercourses can be easily fished from the shore without any problems. To, what we will learn, will pay off in large lakes, that is, in tanks, in which the chance of catching a handsome pike is much greater.
