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HOT SPOTS 

John Rooney

Pike are present in most sections of our lakes and rivers in Ireland, not really confined to any one area; while pike are territorial they have been known to venture from their favorite haunts. Down through the years anglers have studied the movement of pike, always trying to keep one step ahead of their prey, it is a study that has seen some anglers reaches the panicle of their career.  I am a great believer in finding the fodder fish, and as sure as Daniel O'Donnell's hair is a wig you will without doubt find pike in close attendance. 

In past years I would have been content with lobbing out two deads and sitting it out, don't get me wrong this approach will produce pike, if you are willing to leave it to chance, or take time out to search your swim for tell-tale signs of pike holding areas, which would you prefer? I certainly prefer the latter. I am sure I would be safe in saying that the majority of pike anglers have their favorite sections on both lake and river, we've even gone as far as to calling our favorite sections "my swim". I have heard so many times while angling with friends, the gear is dumped from the car and without fail a body makes a beeline for "His Swim". This swim that I refer to has in the past produced pike for the angler and has now become a hot spot for this angler, and believe me this swim really belongs to this angler, it's a human thing. 

To assertion as to why these areas hold pike we must first try to understand what is happening beneath the water. Hot spots are features that either provide cover for pike while hunting, or are a place for the fodder food to find a constant supply of food. Most features come in the form of a sudden change in depth of water, this is what we call a drop off or shelf.  This shelf will attract fodder fish who will run the shelf in search of food, pike are known to hold up just off these features picking off prey at will, and if the angler have done his home work right, a bait placed just on the shelf should provide rod bending action. 

Most anglers will plummet their swim prior to casting; attaching a 2oz bomb to the main line and searching the swim achieve this. Cast the bomb some tens yards are so, just as the bomb makes contact with the water tighten up the line with your finger.  Now you have control of the bomb, by releasing the trapped line from your finger you can start counting down the bomb, for every second you count down the bomb should had dropped by on foot, continue to count down until the bomb hits the lake bed, now you have build up a picture of your swim. This practice can be continued by casting a little further each time, and in no time you will have build up a picture of your entire swim and in the process you will discover pike holding features. 

These hotspots are not just confined to underwater, if you read the water correctly above and below you are well on your way to becoming an accomplished angler. 

Now lets take a look at features or hotspots above water level. Pike are natural born hunters and will ambush their prey from any cover they can find. A perfect example of this cover would come in the form of a sunken tree. These sunken trees are made to measure for pike, with branches that penetrate deep beneath the surface providing prime ambush spot for pike. Now that brings me nicely onto a session I had a few years ago. The lake in question was really deep with ample reed cover for pike to launch it's attack, but what really grabbed our attention was a huge tree that was partly submerged. Rather than attach the tree head-on we decided to approach it from either end hoping to pick off pike that we were sure would be in attendance. Aided by our float tubes we moved closer to our feature, we both connected with pike on our first cast. I think we took eight pike from this hot spot and that included two doubles. Future trips to this lake also produced pike from this feature, these pike were worth more that any pike taken by chance, simply because we had read the water and reaped the rewards.

I am sure most of you would have read in various angling publications about locating hot-spots, anglers the world over have sought out and discovered these fish holdings areas. This method of search and find is another arrow in the bow of the angler, but sadly one that I feel is somewhat neglected. These hot spots also come in the form of large reed belts that have grown out into the lake. Reed beds as we all know are a haven for insect life, inevitably some insects will end up in the lake and believe me the lakes population of fodder fish see these as a constant supply of food and congregate in large numbers in anticipation of such rich helpings. While roach and perch are gorging themselves on insects, their every movement is being monitored by the pike, and all because the humble insect has drawn fodder fish into this area, unknowingly they have produced yet another hot-spot for the angler. These new found hot spots could provide excellent sport for the angler, providing he is willing to spend time discovering his water. 

I am confident that most anglers can increase their catch rate if only they took time to explore their swim. While some anglers find it difficult to use the bomb method while trying to find the correct depth, fear not there is a neat little gadget on the market that retails at around thirteen pounds that will do all the hard work for you. Attach the depth finder as you would the bomb to your main line and cast to your chosen swim, let the depth finder sink to the bottom and once you have retrieved you can now take a reading that will give you the correct depth. I still much prefer the bomb method, but every man to his own method. 

Another sure way of locating hot spots is to try the mobile approach, take to the water. For year's anglers have used boats in pursuit of esox, an entire lake could be covered in a single day by two anglers armed with a selection of plugs. This form of angling has to be one of the most exciting methods of catching pike and in the process you are also discovering pike holding areas. On a recent trip to a well known hard water, myself and Dublin pike angler Dave Brunton, whom I might add is somewhat of a wizard with a plug in his hand, when bank fishing had tried our patience, so in an attempt to rejuvenate our confidence in this water we decided the only option left open to us was a spot of plugging. A far reed bed that was inaccessible from the bank was our first port of call, bearing in mind we had spent four hours on the bank with not a single run between us. Dave's first cast came within inches of a large weed bed that covered most of the bay, a pike holding area if I ever saw one. The pike intercepted the plug within four feet of the boat and all hell broke loose. More pike were to follow, with pike coming from all corners of the weed bed. This illustrates the importance of reading the water and being prepared for all eventualities, if Mohamed won't go to the mountain, you know the rest. 

Angling has become somewhat a challenge of late, for some strange reason pike are hard to come by and the angler must give himself every chance to succeed. Next time you visit your water don't be content with the cast and hope syndrome, search your water because somewhere out there are pike holding "HOT SPOTS". 

John with a biggie.