| Many anglers have experienced that surface lures for | | | | patrolling its territory. This can,however, be |
| pike are very effective pike lures. Why is that? The | | | | compensated by fishing with many dead baits over a |
| answer to this I think, is good odds for success for | | | | bigger area. |
| the pike. | | | | The second best situation with high odds for success |
| When a pike is attacking a school of fish, the odds | | | | is when a pike spots an injured or sick fish because |
| for success plays a key role. If the prey is in deeper | | | | these fish are also easy prey and pike attacks these |
| water they have many ways of escape. They can | | | | from all angles and ranges. It is, however not often a |
| escape by going forwards, downwards, upwards or | | | | pike finds a dead, injured or sick fish so it has to |
| sideways and all these possibilities make it a lot | | | | concentrate on catching healthy fish, though those |
| harder for the pike to catch any of them. | | | | are not easy prey, but a pike can increase its odds in |
| The odds are also relatively high for a pike to catch a | | | | several ways. |
| healthy fish. Pikes are intuitively aware of this and will | | | | First of all, pikes are known for hiding and ambushing |
| rarely try to attack a school of fish that swims on | | | | any suitable fish to eat and they mostly hide among |
| the same water level. | | | | weeds, rocks, logs and other objects. Sooner or later |
| For example, if the pike succeeds in catching their | | | | one or more fish will come close enough to the pike's |
| prey in this way only one out of five times, then the | | | | hiding spot and it will strike the unsuspecting prey. By |
| pike will have used a high amount of energy. The | | | | doing this, the pike has increased the odds of |
| pike's energy levels will then take a longer time to | | | | success and it does not drain a lot of its energy. |
| replenish since they are expending more energy than | | | | Interestingly, though, a pike's attack range versus a |
| taking in, in the form of food. If a pike hunts in this | | | | healthy fish cannot be more than the pike's length. If |
| way, they will grow much smaller since little food is | | | | the prey is further away, it has enough time to react |
| left for growth, and it will be a loser in the long run. | | | | and escape. |
| It is very important for predators to grow as large | | | | Another successful situation for a pike is when its |
| and as fast as possible because amongst most | | | | prey is right under the surface of the water, and |
| predators size means everything. Small predators are | | | | because it decreases the prey's ways of escape by |
| in danger of being eaten by bigger predators or they | | | | at least 50% so the pike has much greater chance |
| will be pushed away to the poorest hunting grounds. | | | | to catch it. |
| A large pike in a good area will benefit because of its | | | | Therefore, when we take all this into consideration, |
| large size. It can pick the best places to hunt, chase | | | | the best thing look for as pike anglers is to give the |
| away its competitors and eat any smaller pikes that | | | | pike the best odds possible when we choose our |
| comes too close. This is what any predator, including | | | | pike lures. A pike which consider our fishing lures as |
| pike, desires and therefore having a high energy | | | | good odds for success, will go for it and making our |
| surplus is extremely important. | | | | chances greater for catching it. |
| How do they accomplish that? Pike retain large | | | | I think if we are pike fishing in a relatively shallow |
| amounts of energy by selecting the situations that | | | | areas with lots of good hiding places, pike lures that |
| give the best odds for success in hunting. That's why | | | | represents an injured fish right under the surface will |
| "easy prey" is a common factor among any predator | | | | trigger most pikes to an ambush and I believe that's |
| and they all live by this rule. Fresh carcasses are the | | | | why so many pike anglers experience good catches |
| easiest type of prey, and every predator takes | | | | when using top water lures. |
| advantage of this. | | | | In my case, I have caught many of them with high |
| Pike use sight, smell and they typically wait on the | | | | moving fishing spoons and rapala fishing lures keeping |
| sideline when hunting. If they spot a dead fish, it is a | | | | them right under the surface of the water. |
| very good chance that they will grab it. That is why | | | | I hope you think about these things and give your |
| dead bait is highly effective for pike fishing. The | | | | pike the right odds when you are out pike fishing |
| drawback is that pike have to find it either by its | | | | with your top water lures. |
| smell or if it happens to see it when it is slowly | | | | |