Any of you guys across the pond fish for Pike in the winter?

Hi guys ,
My Name is Rick Lawrence, AKA the Fish-N-Fool I'm an inventor, lure maker and owner of Fish-N-Fool Lures from the U.S.A. I have invented many lures, fishing knots and fishing techniques over my 55+ years of fishing experience. My claim to fame is my Fish-N-Fool Knot that was tested and crowned the best line to lure knot of all time for tying braid or mono.
I have been fishing for Pike in the winter months for many years out of my boat using only lures, if I can find in open water.  Surprisingly I am one of the only people I know of here in my area, " the panhandle of Idaho" that does this.

I have writing articles about this and featured it in my monthly column I write for N.W. Fishing Reports.
You can find my article on catching  winter pike here.

http://www.northwestfishingreports.com/Articles/Details/766

I was wondering how many if any of you guys on that side of the pond try to fish for Pike in the winter and if you do, do you only use dead baits or will you fish lures?



If you are interested in learning how to tie my namesake fishing knot you can find it here.
http://www.fnflures.com/page10.html
Check out my version of how to tie a simple and fast FG knot as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZyRlNSqt4w&t=55s

Welcome to the group Rick. Generally, in fact almost totally, Pike fishing is done in the winter months, our pike season is from october until april. I would use a mixture of lures and deadbaits right through the coldest of days. But when the ice forms i would be 100% deadbaits. some areas still allow live baits to be used but sadly in Ireland it is illegal. Good luck and tight lines

hi rick
like andy most of our pike fishing is done in the winter months , but I do like to cast a lure about around my baits , even in the coldest temps I have had fish on lures and lots of follows ,the problem with me I just cant sit still for long periods, I have to make things happen if possible.
you have caught some nice pike there rick, do you fly fish for them too

stubbo wrote:hi rick
like andy most of our pike fishing is done in the winter months , but I do like to cast a lure about around my baits , even in the coldest temps I have had fish on lures and lots of follows ,the problem with me I just cant sit still for long periods, I have to make things happen if possible.
you have caught some nice pike there rick, do you fly fish for them too

Why do you not fish for them in the spring??? That is always the best time here from late march till late June. As the water warms up the fishing really turns on from about 48 deg till it gets up over 75 then the fish shut down till fall.
I hope to catch my first pike on a fly this next year. I used to fly fish some, but got out of it when my wife drove over my fly rod from tip to reel and she said it was an "accident"

Fish-N-Fool wrote:

stubbo wrote:hi rick
like andy most of our pike fishing is done in the winter months , but I do like to cast a lure about around my baits , even in the coldest temps I have had fish on lures and lots of follows ,the problem with me I just cant sit still for long periods, I have to make things happen if possible.
you have caught some nice pike there rick, do you fly fish for them too

Why do you not fish for them in the spring???  That is always the best time here from late march till late June. As the water warms up the fishing really turns on from about 48 deg till it gets up over 75 then the fish shut down till fall.
I hope to catch my first pike on a fly this next year. I used to fly fish some, but got out of it when my wife drove over my fly rod from tip to reel and she said it was an "accident"

some guys fish here all year round , myself I start fishing around the end of semptember to probably march , we try to leave them alone come spawning time , had my best fish jan, feb all to large deadbaits but had to put the hours in to catch the big girls........

stubbo wrote:

Fish-N-Fool wrote:

stubbo wrote:hi rick
like andy most of our pike fishing is done in the winter months , but I do like to cast a lure about around my baits , even in the coldest temps I have had fish on lures and lots of follows ,the problem with me I just cant sit still for long periods, I have to make things happen if possible.
you have caught some nice pike there rick, do you fly fish for them too

Why do you not fish for them in the spring???  That is always the best time here from late march till late June. As the water warms up the fishing really turns on from about 48 deg till it gets up over 75 then the fish shut down till fall.
I hope to catch my first pike on a fly this next year. I used to fly fish some, but got out of it when my wife drove over my fly rod from tip to reel and she said it was an "accident"

some guys fish here all year round , myself I start fishing around the end of semptember to probably march , we try to leave them alone come spawning time , had my best fish jan, feb  all to large deadbaits  but had to put the hours in to catch the big girls........

I really don't understand why most of you guys dont fish for pike in the spring as that is the best time of year here from late March till late June. I catch about 60 % of my Pike in this period.