

More importantly, what makes these hour windows so good is these are transitional periods. These “magical” windows are when pike are most active in the absence of sunlight. Spring, Summer, Fall: 6 Nighttime Tips for Northern Pike 1. Fish Hour After Sunset and Hour Before Sunrise To learn how to catch fish at night, please check out this helpful article I wrote detailing which fish bite best at night. I spent hours researching the nitty-gritty details in this article to ensure you catch more pike and fish only during the optimal time windows. I have field tested a lot of pike gear and these are my recommendations.įor a complete breakdown of the best time of day to catch northern pike based on season, please check out this very helpful guide I wrote. (2012), northern pike feeding activity was much greater during the day than at night in all seasons.Ĭheck out this link here to view my complete pike fishing gear recommendation list, including rods, reels, baits, gear, etc.

It’s a wiser use of your time to focus on walleye now or simply wait until near sunrise. You will rarely draw bites from northerns this time of day. It is not advisable to cast for pike in the dead of the night. It is during these transitional “dark times” that prey are the most vulnerable they will be all day. The darkness also makes it tougher for baitfish to sense nearby predators. This is because they are hitting baitfish also in a transitional period between rest and active. As a general rule of thumb, northern pike will hit lures and baits 1-2 hours after sunset and an hour prior to sunset. Many serious pike anglers can catch pike well beyond sunset. Pike need to sleep just like any fish but they can be quite active feeding prior to bedtime. The peaks for pike feeding are early morning and late evening when the water is coolest. Northern pike are most active during the day when their sense of sight allows them to ambush prey. As a general rule of thumb though, most anglers find fishing darkness within 1 hour after sunset and 1 hour before sunrise to be the most productive.Įven with their eyesight hindered by darkness, they have other honed sensory systems that allow them to key in on prey. Northern pike will feed into the nighttime. While there certainly is some truth to this, I decided to learn more about this topic. There is a recurring myth about northern pike that states they won’t bite after dark.
