Lure fishing for pike is one of the most active and engaging forms of UK predator fishing. Instead of setting a deadbait and waiting, you are covering water, reading swims, varying your retrieve, and searching for fish. A pike taking a large rubber lure or jerkbait is a completely different experience to the drop of a bite indicator on a static rod – it is sudden, violent, and unmistakable.
This guide covers the full picture: tackle and setup, lure types and when to use them, retrieves that produce fish, where to find pike through the year, and how to handle them correctly.
[Image placeholder: An angler casting a large rubber lure across a reservoir in autumn light, the lure visible mid-air above the water]
Pike Lure Fishing Setup
Rod
A pike lure rod is rated by casting weight rather than test curve. The standard range for UK pike lure fishing is 20-80g, which covers the majority of rubber lures, jerkbaits, and large spinnerbaits used for pike. For very large jerkbaits (200g+) used on big open waters, a heavier rod rated 40-130g is more appropriate.
Length: 7-8ft is standard. Shorter than a carp rod but longer than a perch spinning rod. A 7ft rod gives good accuracy on rivers; 7.5-8ft gives more casting distance on reservoirs.
Action: medium to fast. You need enough tip sensitivity to work lures subtly but enough backbone to move large fish from snags.
Reel and Line
A 4000-6000 size fixed spool reel with a reliable drag. Loaded with 30-50lb braid (0.15-0.25mm). Braid’s zero stretch and thin diameter are critical for pike lure fishing – they transmit the action of the lure and every movement of the fish clearly, and allow longer, more accurate casts with heavy lures.
Leader: 30cm of 20-30lb wire trace, attached to the braid via a swivel. Never fish for pike without a wire trace. Pike have rows of backward-facing teeth that will cut 30lb fluorocarbon on contact. Every pike lure fishing session without a wire trace ends in the same way: the lure is cut off on the take.
Use AFW 7-strand wire or similar quality wire trace material. Tie the wire to a strong swivel at one end and clip directly to the lure at the other end using a clip or loop.
Wire Trace
Buy pre-made wire traces or make your own with 7-strand wire, size 1 barrel swivels, and strong stainless steel clips. A trace of 25-30cm is standard. Check traces after every fish – pike teeth can nick the wire, weakening it significantly. Any kinked, frayed, or notched wire should be replaced before the next cast.
Lure Types for Pike
Soft Plastic Swimbaits and Rubber Lures
The most versatile pike lure. A large paddle tail shad in 15-25cm length on a weighted swimbait hook or jig head produces pike at all depths and in all conditions. Rigged weedless (single hook buried in the back of the lure), a soft plastic can be worked through marginal weed and into snaggy swims that treble-hook lures cannot reach.
Colours: natural (roach, perch, and bream patterns) for clear water conditions. Bright patterns – chartreuse, firetiger, orange, white – for coloured water or low light. On overcast autumn days, a large white or chartreuse swimbait retrieved just below the surface catches pike very visibly.
[Image placeholder: A large rubber swimbait lure in roach pattern laid on an unhooking mat next to a landed pike]
Jerkbaits and Hard Plugs
Jerkbaits are hard lures worked with sharp rod jerks rather than a straight retrieve. Each jerk drives the lure down and to one side; the pause allows it to suspend or sink, triggering following pike to commit. Effective for targeting specific structures – a jerkbait worked past a particular sunken tree or along the face of a weed bank will draw pike out of cover.
Hard plugs (diving crankbaits and lipless rattling plugs) cover water quickly on a straight retrieve. The bill angle determines diving depth. A shallow-diving plug over a weed bed in summer, a deep-diving plug along a channel edge in autumn – the depth control is the advantage.
Spinnerbaits
A spinnerbait has a wire frame, a spinning blade that produces vibration and flash, and a skirted hook. They are fast to fish, work well in coloured water, and can be retrieved over the top of submerged weed without constantly snagging. Not the most commonly used UK pike lure but underrated for canal and river fishing in stained water.
Surface Lures
Surface lures (prop baits, walk-the-dog lures, soft plastic frogs over weed) produce the most dramatic takes of any pike method. The pike rises to the surface, tracks the lure, and the take is completely visible from above. Most effective in summer and early autumn when pike are feeding shallower and water temperatures are above 15°C.
Retrieve Techniques
Straight retrieve – Wind the lure back at constant speed. Works for plugs and spinnerbaits. Vary the speed until you find what the fish want on the day.
Jerk and pause – The standard retrieve for swimbaits and jerkbaits. Cast, let the lure sink to the target depth, then work with sharp rod jerks followed by pauses of 3-10 seconds. Pike typically take on the pause or just as the lure starts moving again.
Sink and draw – Cast the lure past a feature, let it sink to the desired depth (count it down to repeat the depth), then lift the rod to draw the lure upward before allowing it to sink again. Particularly effective for large rubber lures worked near the bottom in autumn and winter.
Jigging – Work the rod tip up and down sharply with the lure near the bottom. Most effective over open, snag-free bottom on reservoirs where pike are hunting baitfish near the lakebed.
Waking – Retrieve a soft plastic or hard plug fast enough that it creates a surface wake without breaking clear of the water. Very effective on summer evenings.
Where to Find Pike
Pike are ambush predators. They hold in cover, wait for prey to pass within striking distance, and attack. Their cover requirements change through the year.
Weed beds. In summer and early autumn, pike lie in and around weed beds, using them as cover from which to attack. Work the edges of weed beds with a weedless-rigged rubber lure or a slow-sinking jerkbait. Where the weed meets open water is the most productive zone.
Sunken timber and snags. Fallen trees, submerged branches, and any hard underwater structure hold pike year-round. These are the highest-probability swims on any water. Work a jerkbait or weedless swimbait through the structure carefully.
Drop-offs and depth changes. Where a shallow shelf meets a deeper channel, pike hold on the deeper side, particularly in autumn and winter. A deep-diving plug or heavily weighted swimbait worked along the drop-off produces fish when pike have moved off the shallower weed areas.
Tributary mouths and inflows. Where a smaller river or drain meets a larger water, or where a stream enters a reservoir, baitfish concentrate and pike follow. Worth fishing when everything else is slow.
Weir pools. Weirs oxygenate water and concentrate prey fish – every weir pool on any river holds pike. Work through the edges of the main flow, the slacks, and the deeper water immediately below the weir sill.
Pike Lure Fishing Through the Seasons
Autumn (September to November) is the prime season. Pike follow the shoals of perch, roach, and bream fry that concentrate near features as the water cools. Feeding is aggressive and consistent. Large swimbaits and jerkbaits retrieved at medium pace produce the best results. October and November are the two most productive pike lure months of the year.
Winter (December to February) requires slower presentations. Pike remain catchable but their metabolism slows. Sink and draw with a large rubber lure worked near the bottom, or a slow-sinking jerkbait with long pauses, produces fish when fast retrieves fail. Mild, overcast days with gentle wind are better than bright, cold days with high pressure.
Spring (March to May) includes the river close season from 15 March. River pike lure fishing stops on 15 March; stillwater pike fishing continues year-round. Pre-spawn pike (February and early March) are the biggest of the year – females are at maximum weight before spawning. Post-spawn pike (April on stillwaters) can be caught but are recovering and should be handled quickly.
Summer (June to August) is the season for surface lures and weed bed fishing. Pike move shallower in warm water, hunting near surface vegetation and attacking fry in margins. Dawn and dusk produce the most activity.
Handling Pike Correctly
Pike require specific handling. Done wrong, you damage the fish and risk losing it; done right, a 20lb pike can be unhooked and returned in under 90 seconds.
Unhooking mat. Essential for any pike over 5-6lb. Pike are long and heavy; dropping one on hard ground or gravel causes serious internal injury. Keep an unhooking mat within reach before you start fishing.
Forceps and long-nose pliers. A treble hook inside a pike’s mouth without forceps is an unpleasant situation. Carry 10-12 inch forceps for shallow hooks and long-nose pliers for hooks further back in the throat. Never try to remove hooks with your fingers from inside a pike’s mouth.
How to hold a pike. Support the fish horizontally with both hands – one under the gill plate, one supporting the body weight near the tail. Do not hold a pike vertically by the jaw (the weight of the body stresses the jaw). Do not squeeze through the gill rakers.
Time out of water. Minimise it. If you are taking a photograph, have your camera ready before lifting the fish. 30-45 seconds is reasonable; do not extend this unnecessarily.
Returning a pike. Lower the fish back into the water horizontally, supporting it until it kicks and swims away under its own power. In cold water below 6°C, pike may need 30-60 seconds of supported recovery before swimming away.
Pike Lure Fishing FAQs
Do I always need a wire trace for pike lure fishing?
Yes. Pike teeth cut through monofilament, fluorocarbon, and braid instantly on contact. A trace is not optional – it protects both the fish (a deeply embedded lure with no wire is difficult to remove safely) and your lure. Use a minimum 25cm trace of 20lb+ 7-strand wire.
What size lure for pike?
Most UK pike lure fishing uses lures in the 12-22cm range. Large lures (18-22cm) target bigger fish; smaller lures (10-15cm) produce more takes from a wider size range. In coloured water, go larger and brighter. In clear water, natural colours in 15-18cm work well.
When is the best time to lure fish for pike?
Autumn – October and November specifically – is the peak season across UK waters. Summer produces good surface lure fishing at dawn and dusk. Winter remains productive with slower presentations. The river close season (15 March to 15 June) prohibits pike fishing on rivers.
Can you lure fish for pike on canals?
Yes. Canals hold good pike populations, particularly in the deeper sections around lock entrances, bridge holes, and marinas. Use weedless-rigged rubber lures or spinnerbaits to avoid the frequent snagging that treble-hook lures suffer on the canal bed. Pike in canals rarely exceed 15lb but are widely accessible without day ticket costs.
What is the best time of day for pike lure fishing?
Early morning (dawn to two hours after) and late afternoon into dusk are the most reliable windows year-round. In autumn, overcast days with a light ripple produce pike throughout the day. Bright, flat-calm conditions in high pressure concentrate feeding into dawn and dusk windows.