Best Time of Day to Fish for Pike

[StrikeandCatch]

Hi guys,

just wanted to share my latest article on the best times of day for pike fishing. It's an all-season piece, but I thought you might be interested in the winter section! Feel free to comment and discuss it (and all the other seasons too, of course).

Here is a link to the article: https://strikeandcatch.com/best-time-of-day-for-pike-fishing/

Have a nice New Year's Eve tomorrow and then we all gonna rock 2021!!!

Tight lines
Max

P.S. Still no ice in sight over here in Sweden :/

[slipperybob]

It's very odd to have a night time feeding pike.  I've caught a few late night or should say very early morning.  I still remember once catching a pike at 3:40 am in the middle of of a deep basin while I was searching for nighttime crappies and walleyes.  It was down about 30' or so in the 40' or so deep.  At first I thought it was a huge crappie or possibly walleye.  However the pull run was too long and I got this feeling it was going to be a pike.  Yeah to my surprise when I finally got it up the hole, it was a pike. 

[fishermantim]

Pretty much any time between sunrise and sunset (maybe a little longer with submerged lights (where legal).

[ICEHOLE]

i get the "feels" in the morning when pike fishing. always seems action is good in the morning, slows till mid day (sometimes) then slow at end of day...most days its slow all day ive never had an over night flag catch a pike

[river_scum]

cant really say I have a preference.  I have caught them day and night.  the thing that gets me ready for pike is the weather.  you know, those dark cloudy days.  watch and plan on the fronts that you get.  they yield the most action for me.  late ice is another prime time for lots of flags.

[kpd145]

i get the "feels" in the morning when pike fishing. always seems action is good in the morning, slows till mid day (sometimes) then slow at end of day...most days its slow all day ive never had an over night flag catch a pike

x2  usually morning till noon.

[snow snake]

 FOR ME MY RULE ; ''Is FIRST LIGHT  BEST BITE ''

[DR.SPECKLER]

Pike take the lull of the slow mid day  panfish bite away.i have flags to chase mid day while catching a few panfish roamers during the day.99% of my pike come noon to 4pm.

[bloodrunner]

Feels like deer hunting, Early morning and late afternoon have always done well for me. But we’ve had flags all times of the day.


I caught my largest pike 1 hour before light.  Was walking out to my setup as guys were walking on the lake with headlamps. I always try to make it known that I beat them to the spot and they should look elsewhere. This time I landed a fatty in front of them. Needless to say I was covered up in anglers for the rest of the day

[Knife2sharp]

Well, I totally disagree with the late afternoon bite not being good in the winter.  If I were to add up all the pike I've caught in the winter, I would have to say afternoons are better, especially 4pm to not long after sunset.  There's also been some days when I've caught multiple fish around Noon, but that's probably moon or pressure related.  I think early, mid and late winter have their good and bad times too, but I've experienced good, bad and normal bites during all three periods though.

I do know of one oddity when it comes to summer fishing for pike.  There is one lake just outside the Metro, and I'm not divulging it's name, but right around the 4th of July, either the week before, that week, or the week after, typically when it's been ungodly hot and humid for a handful of days for the first time of the summer, the pike bite is phenomenal, especially during the hottest part of the day, even Noon to 2pm.  And these aren't your hammer handles either, I'm talking multiple 28" - 38" fish.  Last year, no lie, my buddy, his brother and Father caught 60 fish in that range.  They actually put them in a journal with the time, length and who caught it.  You can also go to that lake other times of the year and at various times of the day and have an average day, or no fish at all. 

Maybe this summer phenomenon happens on other lakes too.  When I was a kid, my best bass fishing day, a few 3-4 lbers, was around the 4th of July on a bright sunny day in the afternoon.   

[StrikeandCatch]

Thanks for all the great feedback guys! Morning to noon seems to be best for most of ya'all, and this also includes myself!

However, exceptions do occur, without a doubt! And in some venues, the complete opposite holds true!

When it comes to night pike, I mostly catch those during summer, sometimes in spring as well! Never during the cold seasons on the ice! That seems to be an absolute impossibility!

Tight lines
Max

[esox_xtm]

Thanks for all the great feedback guys! Morning to noon seems to be best for most of ya'all, and this also includes myself!

However, exceptions do occur, without a doubt! And in some venues, the complete opposite holds true!

When it comes to night pike, I mostly catch those during summer, sometimes in spring as well! Never during the cold seasons on the ice! That seems to be an absolute impossibility!

Tight lines
Max

Hey Max! I gotta say that the "edges of night" are usually best for a shallow bite. However, really good fishing can be had during the day bit that is generally deeper, following the baitfish.

A night bite on pike is very unusual. I did see one good one (39") caught through the ice about 8:30 pm CST or so several years back. But that's it. Even open water night bites for pike are uncommon. On the other hand night fishing for muskies can be... Spectacular!

[river_scum]

night bite fairly common here.  when the crappie suddenly shut down, you can bet someone will get bit off.   then crappie will start back up.

[pierce1308]

Sunrise seem to be better for me than the sunset bite, but the best for me for quality northerns always seems to be that 10am-2pm window , the amount of times I've seen guys go home around 10 am from a slow morning only to have the lake to yourself and pop multiple fish in that low 30ich to mid 40 inch range at like 10 or 11 or from the 12-2pm shift