Pike Fishing Reservoirs
by Nic DiGravio
The
spring thaw and rain brings flooded reservoirs and a pike fishing window
that is outstanding! The Pike hold in the flooded brush and timber, waiting
to ambush virtually anything that comes their way.
They tend to stay in these flooded areas until the food source depletes or the water temperature climbs to 68 degrees F. or more. Where I come from Pike season opens the second week of May leaving a 2 to 3 week window where the Pike fishing is phenomenal.
Tandem
spinner baits with willow leaf blades make a great choice for getting into
the heart of the flooded timber and vegetation. Accurate casts are a must
when using body baits unless you want to unhook trebles all day, but they
do catch fish. Minnow imitating soft plastics flipped into holes work well
too. Over all I have found that the spinner bait takes most of the Pike
with a steady retrieve. You can also cover a lot of terrain, which ups your
hook ratio.
Southern Ontario has excellent reservoir Pike fishing opportunities. Keep in mind that reservoirs in general aren't all that big so conservation plays a big role. 10 to 15 lb Pike are not uncommon, but still fewer and fewer of them are released to spawn again. If I was to take a Pike home for the table the smaller fish would get the nod because they just taste better!
There
is no 'beauty' in a trophy Pike served on a dinner table, but by educating
ourselves in conservation we will find that a picture is worth a thousand
ahs!
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