The right zones
Spring pike fishing areas vary according to the water temperature at your fishing spot. At the end of April, when the season opens, the water may still be cold if you live at altitude or in the northern part of France. However, whitefish should already be starting to feed abundantly on the edges to build up reserves before their spawning period, which generally takes place from April to June, when the water exceeds 10 degrees.
You can therefore observe the edges, check for the presence of white fish when you open, to know how deep to fish. If the water is warm enough, target areas covered with fine vegetation at a depth of 50 cm to 2 metres. Otherwise, if the water is too cold, fish the breaks at the edge of the plateau where whitefish often pass through while waiting for the right temperature.
The right lures
Pike are opportunistic fish who know that a meal is not always within their reach. It will therefore position itself at strategic points to intercept a white fish. They particularly like to feed on easy prey, obsessed with reproduction. Our lures therefore need to be highly imitative to be effective and fool the pike in position. We use soft or hard lures whose size and color correspond to the white fish present in the area.
Note that an effective lure in spring is not necessarily a big lure, as the majority of whitefish that reach reproductive maturity measure no more than 10 cm. In water above 10 degrees, for example, choose a shad with a fast-moving tail, as would a small roach actively seeking a mate. Minnow jerkbaits and other hard lures that vibrate a lot are also very effective.
Entertainment
Lure animations in spring are again variable according to water temperature. Generally speaking, if you're fishing deep, you'll try to slow down the action of the lure. If pike are in shallow water, this means the water is warm enough for their metabolism to turn quickly, so you can fish fast.
If the water is clear enough, try to observe a white fish in its swimming speed, the aim being to find a lure that can work at the same speed. Pike are predators with highly developed eyesight, so it's important to imitate these prey as closely as possible in spring.
