The change of seasons makes you appreciate all the aspects of it. The first snow, the warmth of the sun picking up in Spring and the wonderful array of colors on the trees in Autumn. Yet it also has its downsides, especially for fishing. Yes, it can be easy to get hung up on certain conditions that are just plain annoying. Leafs in the water in Autumn can be horrible, dead grass that comes off from the bottom is even worse. 

One of the positive effects of the changing seasons: fat autumn pike!

The guys that troll a lot with paravanes know how messed up this can be. Winter can bring slippery slopes on the boatramp or water that is not liquid any more… But for me, the most ironic ‘annoying’ condition of the year are the heatwaves. Wonderful weather from a social perspective… But for pike fishing it is the worst thing you can get!

First and foremost, pike are super sensitive to heat, and I will cover the handling of pike and guidelines for fishing for them in the summer in a separate article. There is a certain threshold to maintain when it comes to deciding whether or not you should fish for pike. It is not an easy one as there is always a grey area, but generally speaking you should put pike fishing on hold for a while when the water temperature is around 22c. Lack of oxygen and the higher temperature makes the mortality rate go up so much higher. Something we want to avoid as a Catch & Release advocate, right?

So, what can we do during these warmer times of the year? I get it, it is frustrating sometimes. In winter fishing can be slow or impossible, in some countries you have a closes season and now the ALSO the heat denies you any pike action? Yep, it sucks! But zander and perch thrive perfectly fine with these warmer conditions. Catfish, anyone? Asp? Loads of alternatives! What about carp… No way guys, no way :P

I like to spend my summer off the water as much as on the water. With the global pandemic it will be a different summer than we are used to, with no big events, festivals or concerts. But now is the time to spend some time with friends, score some points with your loved ones at home which you can cash in on when fishing is on fire…