Night Pike Fishing
Pike fishing at night, with lures or bait, can be very productive during the warmer months - provided the conditions are favourable. A nice cool night, I've found, being most favourable for top-water lures.
I have boated many 20lb plus pike during the warm summer night sessions I've done over the last 20+ years. I really enjoy top-water lure fishing on bright moonlit summer nights - there is nothing more exhilarating than to hear the sound of a large pike leaving water as it smashes into your lure.
When the water temperature considerably night, pike can tend to stay fairly still on the bottom - i.e. until a nice plopping noise passes overhead. A top-water lure, mimicking a rat, chick or fully grown duck/coot, will often get one or two big girls up and moving.
Personally, I prefer to do my night fishing when the air and water temperatures are well above 50F - call me a wimp, but I simply do not enjoy fishing in extreme cold conditions nowadays.
When the water temperature drops to around 32-34F at night, Norfolk's shallow broads can be somewhat hard going.
I much prefer to be at home in front of a nice warm fire on evenings when, looking out through one of my frosted windows, I can just about make out an 'ice white' maroon RAV4 on my driveway (!)
If you enjoy fishing in extreme cold conditions, then do so, you must do what you, personally, enjoy doing.
Fishing should be fun. Sitting at a water all night, shivering, hoping and preying for a big pike to come along, is not what I consider to be fun nowadays.
I'll finish off by saying this...
Some waters are far better than others for night piking.
I know of waters that did not fish at all well at night for a number of years, with bait or lure, then, for no apparent reason, switched on for a number years.
It pays to have one or two night sesions on a water each year to see if the pike have swiched over from daylight to night feeders.
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