Planning my first pike fishing adventure

Hi folks, I'm travelling to the UK in June and trying to get things sorted so I have a chance at a pike. I'm going to be doing a self-driving tour from London, via Southampton, Bath, Cardiff and Yorkshire up to the Lake District before heading into Scotland. The whole trip will be from 31st of March to 30th of June. I'll be staying in the Lake District (probably Coniston) from the 13-16th of June.

The part that confuses me most are the various laws and bylaws. I understand I need to buy a fishing permit. I think I'm okay to fish lakes for the entire time, but I can't fish any rivers I see on the way up because it's the coarse fish closed season until the 16th (but I can fish canals?). I'm not sure what constitutes a drain either.

I understand I'm not allowed to use dead or live fish as bait in any of the Lakes. I can use shrimps, worms or lures. That's okay as I prefer to use lures, but I'll be primarily land-based unless I can hire a boat (which will probably make lure fishing difficult in a large lake) and my girlfriend will also probably want to have a fish if I am and she's mainly a bait fisher. What's the best bait for pike that is permitted on these waters? Is the prohibition on lead weights purely on lead (i.e. am I fine to use lead-free sinkers)?

I'm also wondering about gear. I've been doing some reading, and it seems that a 7' rod with a baitcaster spooled with 50lb braid and attached to an 80lb fluorocarbon or wire leader is the general recommendation. Have I got this right? I have an unused Abu Garcia 6300 which I can get spooled up, and then it's just a matter of me deciding whether to take a rod or buy one over there. Willing to listen to any advice on this, and also on where a good place to buy any gear from.

I have a few unused perch lures that I was thinking of bringing. What sort of dive depth should I be looking for? I haven't seen any laws regarding hooks, but I understand using barbless hooks is encouraged - should I just crush the barbs on any lures I bring?

Thanks to anyone who reads and answers any of my wall of questions!

hi mate, welcome to the forum. you are correct that it will be the rivers closed season. you can however as you said, fish most of the lakes. (ask at the time because some lakes also close for the "closed season" and some are strictly private)
in almost all lakes you can use dead sea fish but livebaiting will vary from water to water and you would have to ask at the time. in the uk we almost exclusively use wire and and not fluorocarbon leaders.
canals are allowed to be open but again it depends on the owners or controlling fishing club whether or not they remain open in the closed season and the same can be said for the land drains (these are not continuously flowing so are therefore not classed as rivers)
you will need to purchase an environment agency rod license before fishing with rod and line in the uk and the one you require is the coarse and non migratory trout license. after this you will need to pay for the fishing on a day by day basis depending on what each water charges for the day if indeed they are not private syndicate waters.
hope this helps
julian

Thanks for clearing that up about the sea fish as bait.

The place I'll probably be doing most of my fishing is Coniston Water.  The only information I can find tells me that Windermere, Ullswater and Coniston Water are free (as long as I have a current Environment Agency rod licence).  I'd probably stick to these waters unless you really suggest going somewhere else.

It's very confusing trying to work out which waters are subject to a closed season - it keeps referring me to schedule 3 and 4 (North_West_Byelaws_booklet_v2__030413 - I'd post the link but I'm trapped in the anti-bot filter) but there's only a schedule 1 and 2 listed.  You really like to make your fishing regulations complicated over there.

Rest of my gear choices sound fine?

some very good canals in yorkshire for pike and open all year,

Broadlands Lake near Southampton, offers pike fishing and do sell live baits... i believe they are 90p each though It should be open during the closed season and as you mentioned you were going to Southampton i thought it may be of interest. I can't really give you much info about the lakes other than they do have pike in and are popular but mainly for Carp fishing. Some people love it some people hate it i think its one of those sort of places.

Good luck

Pikeyjoe wrote:Broadlands Lake near Southampton, offers pike fishing and do sell live baits... i believe they are 90p each though It should be open during the closed season and as you mentioned you were going to Southampton i thought it may be of interest. I can't really give you much info about the lakes other than they do have pike in and are popular but mainly for Carp fishing. Some people love it some people hate it i think its one of those sort of places.

Good luck

Is that a glorified fish farm?

I started having a look at the canals, and a great sense of confusion has come across me. It seems like there's about 5 layers of regulation and 3 different organisations you need to pay just to fish anywhere, and most of them don't have websites. I may just end up giving it a miss - although at least it has given me a new appreciation for how simple the regulation is here!

Pikeyjoe wrote:Broadlands Lake near Southampton, offers pike fishing and do sell live baits... i believe they are 90p each though It should be open during the closed season and as you mentioned you were going to Southampton i thought it may be of interest. I can't really give you much info about the lakes other than they do have pike in and are popular but mainly for Carp fishing. Some people love it some people hate it i think its one of those sort of places.

Good luck

some very good pike fishing up there in the lake district , you just need to no where / will pm the guy later with a good area to try , better on the lures at that time of the year , I have fished most of the big lakes , but there are some very good smaller less known tarns that are full of pike ......

stubbo wrote:

Pikeyjoe wrote:Broadlands Lake near Southampton, offers pike fishing and do sell live baits... i believe they are 90p each though It should be open during the closed season and as you mentioned you were going to Southampton i thought it may be of interest. I can't really give you much info about the lakes other than they do have pike in and are popular but mainly for Carp fishing. Some people love it some people hate it i think its one of those sort of places.

Good luck

some very good pike fishing up there in the lake district , you just need to no where  / will pm the guy later with a good area to try  , better on the lures at that time of the year , I have fished most of the big lakes , but there are some very good smaller less known tarns that are full of pike ......

I have PM message for you regarding lakes

stubbo wrote:
better on the lures at that time of the year

That's what I like to hear!

Any advice for lure types for that time of the year? I'll post some photos of what I was thinking of taking later tonight.

topwater lures will score in june mate, especially on weedy waters, poppers, jitterbugs, skitterpops ,etc also spinnerbaits

mal wynne wrote:topwater lures will score in june mate, especially on weedy waters, poppers, jitterbugs, skitterpops ,etc also spinnerbaits

Is this the excuse I've been looking for to buy a 3D Suicide Duck? I think yes.

Kuvasz wrote:

stubbo wrote:
better on the lures at that time of the year

That's what I like to hear!

Any advice for lure types for that time of the year?  I'll post some photos of what I was thinking of taking later tonight.

These look insane 👍🏻

Pikeyjoe wrote:

Kuvasz wrote:

stubbo wrote:
better on the lures at that time of the year

That's what I like to hear!

Any advice for lure types for that time of the year?  I'll post some photos of what I was thinking of taking later tonight.

These look insane 👍🏻

Where's a good tackle shop? I can't get them here...

hi pal

when you go to the lakes
on your way up there call into Morecombe  , think the tackle shops called gerrys of morecombe  he has got a very good display of every type, of pike lure you can think of .....  really would recommend this tackle shop he has all the savage gear rubbers ... just google it on your pc to find direction its not far out on your way up . will pm you later.

Kuvasz wrote:

Pikeyjoe wrote:

Kuvasz wrote:

stubbo wrote:
better on the lures at that time of the year

That's what I like to hear!

Any advice for lure types for that time of the year?  I'll post some photos of what I was thinking of taking later tonight.

These look insane 👍🏻

Where's a good tackle shop?  I can't get them here...

these do the job pal worked slowly

Started get my first lots of lures in... I'll have to start testing them in the swimming pool to work out which ones I'll take - I got a bit enthusiastic with the online shopping and I think I'd have to change lures every two casts if I took the lot.

Kuvasz wrote:Started get my first lots of lures in... I'll have to start testing them in the swimming pool to work out which ones I'll take - I got a bit enthusiastic with the online shopping and I think I'd have to change lures every two casts if I took the lot.

take them all to get the feel of them .
I would probably try at least a dozen in one day , just to see how they work and cast ... good luck pal

If you plan to visit Scotland in the Dumfries area I would recommend loch Ronald just outside Newton Stewart some nice pike to be caught here :-)

Biscuitmuncher wrote:If you plan to visit Scotland in the Dumfries area I would recommend loch Ronald just outside Newton Stewart  some nice pike to be caught here :-)

Unfortunately I don't think I'll get to that area... too many interesting places in the UK and not enough time, sadly.