Pike Fishing for Beginners: How to Catch Pike

By Alex Clayton · Updated 24 October 2026

Pike fishing in the UK comes down to three main methods: lures, deadbaits or a float, always fished on a wire trace, mostly from autumn through to early spring on lakes, canals and rivers. In England and Wales you need an Environment Agency rod licence, and rivers are closed to coarse fishing from 15 March to 15 June.

Newcomers are often surprised by one thing. A fish with a mouth full of teeth, which can eat prey up to half its own body weight, is fragile on the bank. Carl Nicholls, fisheries and angling manager at the Canal & River Trust, says pike need the utmost care when handled and returned.

They also grow big. The Pike Anglers’ Club lists the British record as 47lb 5oz (21.5kg), from Chew Valley Lake in February 2024.

Pike on Windermere are what I fish for most, and in my experience the basics matter far more than the tackle. This guide sets out how to catch pike from first method to first fish, within our predator fishing guides. The deeper method guides are listed below the article.

Lures, Deadbaits or a Float: Choosing Your Pike Method

You buy a bag of shiny lures, spend a cold February morning casting into a coloured lake, and go home without a touch. A sardine sitting still on the bottom might well have done the job. Picking the wrong method for the conditions is one of the commonest reasons beginners blank.

No single method suits every day. The right one depends on your water, the time of year and whether you want to roam or sit tight.

Method	Best for	When it shines	Trade-off	Go deeper
Lure fishing	Roaming, short sessions, minimal tackle	Canals and clearer water, autumn	The Canal & River Trust notes large pike are nearly always caught on deadbait	Lure fishing for pike
Deadbaiting (legered)	Static sessions, bigger fish	Cold or coloured water, winter	Needs good bite indication and an immediate strike	Pike deadbaiting
Float fishing	Visual bite indication, fishing over weed or drifting a bait	Shallow lakes, slow rivers, drains	Harder to fish at long range	Float fishing for pike
Fly fishing	Big flies in shallow margins	Shallow, weedy water below 18C	Still needs a wire trace, plus a fly rod heavy enough to cast large flies	Fly fishing for pike

Lure fishing is the easiest start. You need one rod, a reel, a handful of lures and the unhooking kit, and you can cover a mile of canal in a morning.

Deadbaiting is the big-fish method. The Pike Anglers’ Club recommends sea baits such as mackerel, herring, sardine and sprats, which you can buy from a tackle shop or a fishmonger. The bait does the work while you watch the indicators.

Livebaiting is the third option, usually fished on a float paternoster with a wire uptrace. In England and Wales you can only use a fish as bait on the same water where you caught it, and crayfish are never allowed as bait. Many fisheries ban or restrict livebait completely, so check the venue rules before you go.

On Windermere I switch between lures and deadbaits through the season, depending on how cold the water is and how willing the fish are to chase.

If you are new and can roam, start with lures. If you can sit in one swim on a cold day, start with a legered or float-legered deadbait.

The Non-Negotiable Kit: Wire Traces, Line and Unhooking Tools

Get one piece of kit right and you avoid the worst outcome in pike fishing: a fish swimming off with trebles in its throat and a length of snapped line trailing behind. That piece of kit is the wire trace.

Even small pike have teeth that cut through nylon, so the Pike Anglers’ Club is blunt: whenever you fish for pike, a wire trace must be used. It does not endorse mono or fluorocarbon traces. These are the numbers that matter.

Item	Minimum spec (Pike Anglers’ Club)
Wire hook trace (bait fishing)	At least 18in (45cm) of cabled wire, at least 20lb breaking strain. No need to go below 20lb. Shorter traces are acceptable for lure fishing
Wire uptrace (legered or paternostered baits)	At least 24in (60cm), 20lb breaking strain
Reel line	At least 15lb for bait rigs. For an all-round lure line, 18lb mono or 65lb braid
Hooks	Semi-barbless or crushed-barb trebles. The Club’s guidance runs from size 10 down to size 4, matched to bait size
Bite indication (bait fishing)	Drop-off indicator with an audible alarm
Unhooking kit	Landing net, unhooking mat or sling, long forceps, wire cutters

Angling Times suggests 20lb mono or 50 to 60lb braid as a main line. Where advice differs, go with the stronger option. Pike fight hard near the net, and weedy swims are full of snags.

Two legal points apply to the tackle itself in England and Wales. Lead weights are only allowed at 0.06g or less, or over 28.35g (1oz), so any leger weight in between must be made from a non-lead alternative. Gaffs and tailers are banned.

The unhooking kit is not something you buy after your first fish. Set it up before your first cast, because a pike on the bank with nowhere to lay it and nothing to unhook it with is a pike in trouble.

Skip any rig that uses mono or fluorocarbon as the bite trace, whatever a forum post says. For rods, reels, landing nets and the rest, see our guide to the full pike fishing setup.

Where to Find Pike on Lakes, Canals and Rivers

Pike follow their food, not the footpath. The handiest swim from the car park is only worth fishing if prey fish are there, and the prey moves with the temperature and the season.

Find the shoals of silverfish (roach, rudd, bream and skimmers) and the pike will not be far away. Stu Lennox, writing in Angling Times, suggests watching for prey fish topping at dawn and dusk, and treating reed beds and fallen trees as starting points.

Pike are also efficient. As Mick Brown explains via Angling Direct, a predator weighs the energy it gains against the energy it spends. So pike hold close to prey and close to cover, where an ambush costs them little.

Stillwaters

Look for drop-offs, weed edges, reed-lined margins, inflows and sheltered bays. On Windermere I spend most of my time around the drop-offs and margins, and in autumn I troll deadbaits along the drop-offs to find where the fish are holding.

Canals

The Canal & River Trust says clear, weedy, less-boated canals suit pike. Focus on features that break up the uniform channel: wides, winding holes, marina entrances, moored boats and overhanging cover. Lures let you search these spots quickly.

Rivers

Pike avoid fighting the current. Fish slacks, eddies, the inside of bends and the slower water behind bridges and fallen trees, especially in floods and in cold weather. Remember the river close season, covered in the rules section below.

The same features hold pike whether you reach them from a boat or the bank. If you are bank-bound, our guide to pike fishing from the bank covers getting a bait or lure to them, and where to find pike breaks location down further by water type.

When to Go: Pike Through the Year

The Pike Anglers’ Club says you should not fish for pike when the water temperature is 18C or above. That one number shapes the pike fishing calendar more than anything else.

The Club sets it as a welfare limit, and it is a big part of why autumn and winter are the traditional pike seasons, for the fish’s sake as much as for catch rates.

Season	What pike are doing	What to try	Notes
Autumn	Following fry and silverfish as the water cools, feeding hard	Lures and deadbaits both work well	A prime window for most pike anglers
Winter	Slower, with prey shoals packed tight	Static deadbaits, slow-worked lures	Short sessions at dawn, dusk or the mildest part of the day
Spring	Spawning from March into May in shallow water at 2 to 12C (Canal & River Trust)	Fish deeper water away from spawning areas, if at all	Rivers closed 15 March to 15 June in England and Wales
Summer	Spread out, often in deeper, cooler water	Only fish when the water is below 18C; early mornings	Many pike anglers stop until autumn

On canals and stillwaters that stay open in spring, the law may let you fish, but leave spawning pike alone. A pike pulled off the spawning shallows and stressed on the bank gains nothing from the encounter, and neither does the water’s future stock.

Carry a simple water thermometer and check it before you set up in late spring, summer and early autumn. It costs little and settles the question in a minute.

If you want one window to plan your pike season around, make it October to March.

Your First Pike Session: A Simple Plan That Works

First pike trips tend to go wrong in the same ways: too many rods, a strike that comes far too late, and unhooking kit still in the bag when the first run comes. This plan avoids all three.

Check your licence and the venue rules. Confirm whether livebait is allowed, how many rods you can use and whether night fishing is permitted. Check with the fishery before you travel.
Pick one method. For a static day, set up one or two rods with legered or float-fished sea deadbaits such as sardine, mackerel, herring or sprats. Use the trace and uptrace specs from the kit section above.
Choose your swim by the prey. Use the location principles above. If nothing happens within an hour or so, move. A mobile angler puts a bait in front of more pike than one who waits all day in an empty swim.
Set your bite indication. Fit drop-off indicators with audible alarms. Never leave your rods unattended (it is a legal requirement in England and Wales) and never freeline a bait for pike.
Strike every run immediately. The Pike Anglers’ Club is clear: strike all runs straight away. Waiting to “let it turn” the bait is how pike get deep-hooked. Pike also drop baits when they feel resistance, so keep your line running freely. Fixed leads and bolt rigs are unnecessary.
Set up the landing and unhooking kit first. Net assembled, mat wet and flat, forceps and wire cutters in your pocket, all before the first cast.
If you are roaming with lures instead, carry a small selection of lure types and vary depth and retrieve speed until something works, then fish that pattern hard.

Keep the first session simple: one method, one or two rods and the unhooking kit ready, so all your attention goes on the bites and the fish.

Best for: a winter day on a stillwater or canal where you can watch your rods. Skip if: you are tempted by a three-rod setup. Leave that until handling a pike is second nature.

Landing and Unhooking a Pike Without Harming It

Your first pike on the mat is the moment most beginners freeze. There is a mouth full of teeth, two sets of trebles and a fish that will not keep still. A set routine removes the panic.

Net it. Use a large landing net. Gaffs and tailers are illegal in England and Wales.
Keep it low. Lay the fish on a wet unhooking mat or in a sling, close to the ground, so it cannot fall.
Get the hold right. Slide your fingers inside the gill cover and grip the lower jaw, keeping well away from the gill rakers. The Pike Anglers’ Club advises against Boga-style lip grips and says never to use a gag.
Remove the hooks. Use long forceps to free the trebles. If a hook is deep, cut it with wire cutters and remove the pieces. Semi-barbless hooks make all of this much faster.
Return it carefully. Support the fish upright in the water until it swims away strongly under its own power.

Time out of the water matters most. Have the camera ready before you lift the fish, or skip the photo on a cold or tired fish.

If you are nervous, fish your first few sessions alongside an experienced pike angler. The Pike Anglers’ Club is also worth joining, as pike welfare sits at the centre of everything it publishes.

For a step-by-step walkthrough with each hold, read how to unhook a pike before your first trip, not after it.

Pike Fishing Rules in England and Wales

Fishing for pike without a rod licence can cost you a fine of up to £2,500. The rules themselves are short. These are the ones that matter for pike fishing in England and Wales.

Rule	What it says	Source
Rod licence	Needed in England (except the River Tweed), Wales and the Border Esk region from age 13. Under-13s do not need one, and the junior licence for ages 13 to 16 is free. Trout and coarse, up to 2 rods: £7.30 for 1 day, £14.70 for 8 days, £36.80 for 12 months (checked 24 October 2026; prices change each April)	GOV.UK
Close season	Coarse close season on rivers runs 15 March to 15 June. Most enclosed stillwaters and canals are open all year, but check local byelaws and venue rules	GOV.UK
Taking pike	From rivers, you may take 1 pike up to 65cm per day, measured from snout to the fork of the tail. Foul-hooked fish must be returned	GOV.UK
Fish as bait	Only on the same water where you caught it. Crayfish are never allowed	GOV.UK
Tackle	No gaffs or tailers. Lead weights only at 0.06g or less, or over 28.35g. Rods must not be left unattended	GOV.UK

Check the current price on GOV.UK before you buy your licence. For who needs one and how to get it, see our fishing licence guide, and for dates by water type, our guide to fishing seasons.

The take limit is the legal maximum, not a recommendation. Most pike anglers, and the Pike Anglers’ Club, return every pike they catch. Venues often have stricter rules of their own.

Scotland and Northern Ireland have different licensing and seasons, so check the rules for that nation before you fish.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best bait for pike?

Sea deadbaits such as mackerel, sardine, herring and sprats are the standard starting point, as recommended by the Pike Anglers' Club. The Canal & River Trust notes that large pike are nearly always caught on deadbait. Lures are the better choice when you want to roam and search water quickly.

What is the best time of year to fish for pike in the UK?

Autumn through winter, roughly October to March, is the main pike season. Pike feed well as the water cools. The Pike Anglers' Club advises against fishing for pike when the water is 18C or above. Rivers in England and Wales are closed from 15 March to 15 June.

Do I need a wire trace for pike?

Yes, always. Even small pike have teeth that cut nylon, and the Pike Anglers' Club says a wire trace must be used whenever you fish for pike. For bait fishing, use at least 18in (45cm) of 20lb cabled wire, plus a 24in (60cm) uptrace on legered or paternostered baits.

Can you eat pike or take one home?

On rivers in England and Wales you may legally take 1 pike up to 65cm per day. Stillwaters and canals often set their own rules, so check with the venue. Most pike anglers return every fish. The Canal & River Trust says pike typically live 10 to 15 years, and up to 25, so a returned fish can be caught again for years. Our pike species guide covers their growth and biology.