Through this article, I propose you a selection of lures, for the pike fishing at the beginning of the season, that I will choose in priority according to the biotopes and the configuration of the fished spots. The beginning of spring offers to the fisherman the implementation of a multitude of techniques and the use of a wide range of lures.
Minnows
First of all, it is important to distinguish two subcategories: Jerkbait Minnows and Longbill Minnows, which are ultimately just longbill Jerkbait Minnows.
- Jerkbait Minnows
1. Illex Rerange 130 SP
2. Illex Magsquad 128 SP
3. Lucky Craft lucky Pointer B'freeze 128 SP and 100 SP
The idea with this type of lure is first of all to offer a lure that is quite mimetic representing a standard size prey. In the spring you can afford a lot of things when fishing for pike. I will use the Jerkbaits Minnows to fish quickly active fish in linear or more slowly, on recoveries interspersed with breaks and - Twitches - or - Jerk - in order to strongly stimulate apathetic fish in order to provoke aggressive reactions from them. I mainly use these lures in open water (as opposed to fishing on the edge).
- Longbill Minnows
4. Illex DD Squirrel 79 SP
5. Illex DD Arnaud 110 SP
I like to fish with Longbill Minnow at the beginning of the season when it is necessary to fish in the open water and to get the fish a little bit deeper, but also for the fishing of edges. For this last approach, I use the Longbill as an alternative to Crankbaits. Both will allow me to follow the bottom relief from the bank to the open water, with the difference that the Crankbait will rise to the surface on the breaks (which makes it much more suitable for fishing crowded edges), while the Longbill will remain motionless in the water column.
Vibration" lures
This large family of lures includes different types of lures that have in common the ability to fish quickly by emitting strong vibrations in order to provoke aggressive reactions and reflex attacks from the fish. For pike, here are the different categories of "vibration" lures that I use in spring:
- The Chatterbaits
1. Illex Crazy Crusher
The Chatterbait is the reaction lure par excellence because of the very strong vibrations it emits. I mainly use it to fish over weed beds to force inactive pike, camouflaged deep in the weed beds, to come out.
- Crankbaits
2. Illex Block Ripper 48 MR
3. Illex Gill Cra 60
I use Crankbaits both for fast prospecting in open water, but also for fishing edges. A Crankbait will allow me to follow correctly the relief of the bottom and also to fish crowded edges since it will be deflected by its lip when it will hit an obstacle and will go back to the surface if I decide to stop the retrieve at that moment.
- Spinnerbaits
4. Megabass V Flat Power Bomb
5. Illex Crusher 1 1/4 Oz
The Spinnerbait is a great classic of spring pike fishing and I would say of all seasons pike fishing. The principle of the spinnerbait is to imitate a hunt for small white fish, which makes particular sense in spring. Like the Crankbaits I will use it for fast prospecting of the open water, but especially for edge fishing. This lure is a real 4x4. It is an essential.
I will choose my spinnerbaits according to their ability to start working as soon as they touch the surface of the water, in order to fish instantly. On shore fishing, the interesting zones (or "Shad") are limited to a few meters from the bank towards the open sea, which is why it is important to have spinnerbaits that can start working without any delay. I prefer Willow type paddles (shaped like a willow leaf) in this case. The two spinnerbaits presented here are my favorites for this exercise.
- Lipless Crankbaits
6. Illex TN 50 Trigon
7. Flatt Shad
Lipless Crankbaits are exclusively used for fast fishing in open water, either in a fast line over weed beds to intercept active fish or in a sawtooth pattern to explore the water column at different depths. The use of a blade is also very relevant.
Soft Swimbaits
1. Illex Dexter Shad on Shallow Rig
I use soft swimbaits type " size to fish the upper water layer, to unwind edges and to fish more or less quickly while offering a rather bulky prey for the pikes which have the will to recover after the spawning! Moreover, if you want to make it swim deeper, you can simply add a Shallow Rig .
3. Illex Deraball
For me, the Deraball in its Tonosama Frog mimetic livery is a must have lure for edge fishing. The green frogs are in full activity on the edge. A godsend for Sir Esox Lucius.
4. Illex Rhythm Wave 4.8'' mounted on a texan hook
The Shad on a leaded Texas hook is for me a must for fishing crowded banks. The perfect combo to make the touch while leaving you the possibility to " mounted on additional ballast type John Weight to fish shallow to medium depth areas (about 2 to 4 m), above or near mats of grass or submerged water lilies for example. Pike are emerging from spawning and still squatting in shallow areas.
If you want to fish in open water and deeper, it will be enough to use a shad mounted on a classic lead head.
2. Illex Dunkle
The Dunkle has become a classic in the search for pike and this is quite justified as it is capable of many things. In the spring I use it mainly the 7" the big one. In terms of hooks, the Owner Flashy Swimmer is my favorite.
Hard Swimbaits
1. Illex Dexter Jerk 120 S
2. Illex Dowz Swimmer 220 SF
3. Illex Gantarel
Overall, I will use large Hard Swimbaits (no distinction) to fish close to structure as well as shallow areas, over and near grass beds. I particularly like the Dexter Jerk 120 for its tight swimming action which allows it to stay in the "hit" for a long time. Using it also on the edge of the water with little obstruction is justified.
I have selected here the Gantarel in its RT Perch color (RT for "Strike Zone") for the reasons I mentioned in a previous article concerning the activity of the perch in spring and the taste that the pike has for them, and the Dowz Swimmer in its RT Pike livery because we know well the appetite of the pike for the pike...
Rubber Jig and Swimming Jig
1. Black Flagg RK Jaws Jigg
Here are two Rubber Jig armed with trailers i use it mainly for fishing on crowded banks. The principle of the Rubber Jig allows to limit very largely the snags in the obstacles. It is nevertheless possible to fish in linear the open water with this type of lure, the Hover Jig, new 2020 from Gunki is also partly developed for this use because of the addition of a blade in particular.
The Topwaters
1. Illex Gavacho Frog
2. Illex Pompadour (Crawler)
3. Illex Cuprap (Crawler)
4. Illex Chop Cut
Finally, Topwater lures are a family of lures not to be neglected in spring. All the lures presented here are complementary and again I tend to use them for edge fishing, under the foliage, where pike are on the lookout for a potential prey in the water like frogs, chicks, etc. Frogs and Crawlers (surface lures that swim the "Real Type") can hold some nice surprises!
In summary
