Pike are not only physically better equipped than any freshwater fish, in the hunting senses of sight, hearing and sonar but they are also unequalled in its fantastic colouration and camouflage pattern.

The grey-green colour with zigzag markings across its back and the intricate pattern of spots along its flanks are accentuated in clear water. Cleverly, the pikes colour will change accordingly when in heavier coloured water.

Most commonly, pike will lie in wait between reed stems and ambush prey from there, however they will also group together and drive a big shoal of fry or small fish into an area such as a small bay, where there will be no escape other than gritting your teeth and swimming for it! Pike will also scavenge dead or dying fish that they find, from the bottom. It will gulp down small fish immediately, however with larger meals it will grip its food sideways tightly until it is almost dead, then, using its sandpapery tongue, it will turn it and swallow it head first.

The pike will eat far less and far slower during times pf severe winter weather, due to its metabolic rate being greatly slowed down, causing the pike to take more time turning and swallowing a meal than it would in the summer. This is something worth bearing in mind when presenting large baits - the bait probably will not have been turned by the pike when you strike, so when the pike feels pressure from the rod tip, it will open its mouth and let go of the bait.

It will eat other fish, rodents, water birds, amphibians and the larger crustaceans such as crayfish.

Where to find pike...

Pike will occasionally group together although not as a shoal as such. The pike's prefered habitat will need to be found rather than the individual fish - unlike fish such as tench or carp, who send up bubbles and reveal where they are, observation alone will not often tell you the position of pike. To find a likely pike spot, knowledge of the various ambush habitats of pike, along with imagination and perseverance will be needed.

Rivers

Pike are very lazy, so subsequently you will very rarely find one in rapid, turbulent waters. They are generally found in areas that shoals of roach, bream, chub or dace live, as they never like to be too far from their next meal. As they prefer to ambush fish, they will be hiding in clumps of bullrushes, tall reeds, sunken trees, in slow back-eddies, deep channels, sudden depressions in the river-bed, in holes on the bends, at the confluence of a ditch or side stream and the main river, in weir and mill pools and so on.

The summer will see pikes in amongst the leaves of the yellow water-lily, along the margins of slow-moving rivers and backwaters. In the winter, when the water-lilies have gone, pike will hide in deeper areas.

Stillwaters

The deep water habitats where pike are found during winter months are not always obvious. Stillwaters require preparatory work with a plummet to work out a plan of the bottom contours. This is much easier if you have use of a boat. Even quicker is an echo-sounder, such as the Humminbird fish-finder, although only a small percentage of anglers use these currently.

Best Baits for Pike would be Lures , Dead Baits and Live Baits



During low temperatures, shoals of small fish will seek refuge in the deeper parts of the water. The pike is aware of this and will therefore be in the same area mostly, although they can be found in the margins beside reed beds, lily roots etc.