Pike whisper - a visit to Mr. Pike

When my phone rings and Andre Schmidt from Mr. Pike is on the other end, I am amazed. "Hello Toby, do you fancy pike?" Short pause. “Yes, absolutely.” “Well, we'll see you at the port tomorrow!” I'm happy to meet Andre. "We'll put bait tomorrow at the harbor, you know my motto - big bait, big pike, see you tomorrow!" What an offer, because Andre Schmidt from Mr. Pike is a real expert in pike fishing, so to speak whispering to the pike. I can't wait for tomorrow.

Then it's there, the next morning. We meet at the harbor as agreed, to be the first to spike fresh bait fish such as roach and bream in XXL sizes. These types of large baits are hard to find anywhere. And then Andre begins to let me in on the secrets of successful pike fishing:

First of all, there is the choice of seat

“Many people are familiar with fishing with dead bait fish. Walking the banks for a pike with a pose and a dead bite is perhaps the most popular method. Stand-up fishing on the Esox requires a different approach: The bait is offered at a 'tactical location'. Now you will ask yourself what and where is such a tactical place? ”Andre grins meaningfully. “Tactical places are the special places in the water where you can expect the pike with a high probability, such as under bridges, or under jetties, on sloping edges and in deeper holes. You have to take into account that you don't neglect the places where the bait fish gather, ”says Andre. Because, as I find out, where the pole angler encounters bait fish, the pike is usually not far either.

In winter, the bait fish like to move to the harbors, because the water there is usually a little warmer. “Have a look at a pole angler in the harbor and you will know why this is a popular hunting spot for pike. However, if you do not have the opportunity to fish in the harbor yourself, there is also the opportunity to catch great pike on canals. Even if there is no port nearby. Search for the structures already mentioned and the chance of a hungry robber is great! "

Now Andre tells me about his assemblies. And I try to soak up all of his expertise like a kitchen towel.

Mounting

“We distinguish between two main methods of stand-up fishing. We have float fishing and lead fishing on the bottom. Both methods use a leader with two treble hooks.

The basic assembly is very similar to the technique of carp fishing. First slide a lead onto the main line, followed by a piece of rubber to protect the knot. At the end there is a swivel and a leader with the bait fish. Simple but effective.

In contrast, the float system offers us anglers two options: First: You can cast the float and let it drift a little (the bait can be presented at any depth) or you offer your bait fish on the bottom. If you fish with a float, you generally have less resistance than with a basic rig. In addition, when using a float, you can follow the fish as it bites, which makes it easier to catch the right moment to strike. "

“Which method works best in which body of water is always difficult to say,” I find out afterwards. Here it is advisable to invest some time in order to be able to answer the question yourself after a few attempts.

Andre now comes to the actual act of fishing and the attack.

“An important point when fishing for pike is that you make sure that the fish experience as little resistance as possible when picking up the bait fish. Therefore, please fish often with an open reel handle! Even if the freewheeling of your reel can be adjusted very easily, this can lead to incorrect bites and the pike will let go of the baitfish. This in turn is very dependent on the fishing pressure of the water. If you plan to fish with an open bail, it is advisable to use a pendulum bite indicator on the reel that fixes the line so that it does not jump off the spool (e.g. the Mr. Pike Drop Back Indicator). If there is a bite, the tendon comes loose from the clip and the pike can take the line without resistance. "

The attack

"The moment of the attack is a matter of feeling." I listen eagerly to the pike whisperer. “However, you can assume that the pike will first (easily) pick up the baitfish and then turn it around so that it can swallow it. This moment is clearly noticeable when the pike no longer takes the line from the reel. As soon as the pike swims again, wait another two to three seconds until it stops. In this way, a bad bite is avoided. On the other hand, those who wait too long often have the problem that the pike swallows the bait deeply. "

Fish care is also very important

Andre attaches great importance to these points: “Even when fishing for pike, we mustn't forget about fish care. It is therefore always advisable to use a fine-meshed net. An important point here is that you choose a rubber-coated net. This way the pike is not injured and the hooks are easier to remove from the net. Especially when you are dealing with high sheet pile walls, a transport bag (like a Quantum Predator Keeper) can really be a patent recipe for getting the pike back into the water. ”In my home country, the Netherlands, catch and release is compulsory!

The right fishing tackle is like a diamond

In this session we will use the Mr. Pike Classic Master fishing rod. With a length of 3,60 meters and a casting weight of 200 grams, this rod is a real universal talent. Casting a float rig with a large bait fish or a basic rig is easy for this rod. It is combined with the Mr. Pike The Releaser. As the name suggests, this is a free-wheeling reel that has proven its worth in predatory fish fishing.

An incredibly beautiful day is coming to an end and I have come a lot closer to the ABC of pike fishing. In between we also fished ... see for yourself! Andre, a big thank you for these great experiences, which I would like to pass on to all pike fans at this point, so that they too become XXL catchers.