Question for the Pikers

Mickey Dazzler

I have often heard people describe a river as high or flooded which speaks for itself really. When rivers are in this condition the experienced fishermen generally avoid the river.

I assumed that they avoid a river in flood because the bank would be inaccessible and make it difficult to walk along the river bank but the fish (Pike) would still be there.

So when I went out on my boat and fished the Suck while it was quite high and blanked I was confused. I assumed that the pike are still in the river and if one was in a boat it would not make a difference whether the river was flooded or not. However I still blanked.

My technique is tried and tested and is fine ( wobbled smelt/roach) and I have caught plenty in this section of the Suck before.

Can anyone please explain why river in flood are to be avoided for pike fishing.

Is it that they go off the feed?

Pj!

It may be that the river is more coloured during the flood. I believe pike hunt more by smell than sight when the river is coloured so it might be worth trying a static oily sea bait in these conditions.

dvae

what puts me off pike fishing in a flood is the fact thats its awkward.
muddy fields, getting caught up in the bank, and having to get around
huge drains. not to mention the dangers of not knowing where the river
edge is.

however i have fished competitions on the suck when it has been in
flood, and have seen, and caught fish myself.
thats not to say more fish would have been caught if it wasn't in flood.

i know if the suck in ballyforan is unfishable because of high water, and
poor access due to flooding, i can go up the road to mount talbot where
the bank is higher, and usually get fish despite the river been in flood
there too.

Zzippy

I would have thought that in a flood fish would move into quieter areas, out of the main flow, to conserve energy. You may have been fishing the same areas you got fish in before, but the fish had moved? I would try eddies and backwaters out of the main current, deeper stretches where the current isn't so fast, and even in flooded areas that would normally be dry...

MarcinG

some one once told me that this is to do with particles of bog blocking fish gills or something. Fish basically is not in the mood for any sort of activity.
I do not remember to catch a single fish on flooded Suck. (even from slowly drifting boat -not even a odd perch on small grub/shad...)

dodderangler

Flooded rivers will move bait fish down river and pike being the way they are will be on the bottom in the weeds and not Move
As for huntin on scent more so than sight is not entirely true
Yes they hunt with scent and when its mirky a deadbait ie mackerel or something stinkin will work but only cuz of colour of the water but sight more as they are not pure scavengers they are top apex predator in our river system
One main thing is look at a pikes large eyes they are there for a reason and this make them top predators I fished the barrow yesterday and watched a large pike surface the water time and time again chasing roach tho he wouldn't touch my dead bait >:(