Pike Fishing: Tactics, Lures & Tips for This Predator

The Pike – a predator with character

No other fish species divides anglers like the pike. It's the perfect predator: an ambush hunter with a lightning start, sharp teeth, and a territory it defends without compromise.

Biology & behavior

• Habitat: Still and slow-flowing waters with underwater vegetation
• Strategy: Ambush hunter – waits in cover and darts at prey
• Activity: Most active in the morning and evening, active all day under overcast skies
• Size: Females grow significantly larger (up to 130 cm, 20+ kg), males rarely exceed 80 cm
• Closed season: depends on the state – in North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, 15 February to 30 April, minimum size 45 cm (state fishing regulation, version from 9 Dec 2025)

Equipment

Rod: Heavy spinning rod, 2.4–3.0 m, casting weight 20–80 g Reel: Spinning reel with 0.30–0.35 mm monofilament or 0.16–0.20 mm braid Wire leader: Mandatory for pike fishing! Pike teeth cut through any other line instantly. Minimum length 30 cm, 7–12 kg breaking strain.

Lures & techniques

Wobblers:

• Diving wobblers for medium depths
• Surface wobblers for morning fishing in shallow water
• Retrieve: jerky with pauses – pike love an injured fish

Spinners & spoons:

• Large spinners from size 3–5
• Spoons in silver or gold – especially with low sun

Soft baits:

• Shads (fish-shaped) with a 15–30 g jig head
• Very effective, easy to work through weeds
• Colors: natural colors in clear water, bold colors (chartreuse, orange) in murky water

Baitfish (natural bait):

• Dead fish on a treble-hook rig or under a float
• Especially effective in certain waters

Where do pike hold?

• Reed and weed edges – the classic spot
• Underwater obstacles: sunken trees, jetties, boulders
• Bays with calm water next to current
• In autumn, in deeper areas – pike follow the baitfish

Catch & release

Large pike should be released – they're tomorrow's breeding stock.

• Use a landing net with a coarse mesh or a knotless net
• Remove the hook with forceps
• Weigh/photograph the fish briefly, then release it immediately

Sources

• State of North Rhine-Westphalia: Landesfischereiverordnung (LFischVO), as of version in force from 9 Dec 2025, accessed 5 Oct 2026

The sources support individual statements in this article. The organisations named have neither reviewed nor endorsed it.