(Seasonal Guide) Best Time of Day to Catch Pike

Understanding the best moments in each given season for northern pike fishing can make a huge difference in your success. There actually is a science to pike feeding behavior and how various times of day impact pike.

The best time of day to catch northern pike will be early morning from dawn until 2 hours after sunrise and late afternoon from 2.5 hours before sunset until dusk especially under cloudy conditions. The worst time will usually be midday and the middle of the night.

Weather, storms, and temperature fluctuations can cause pike to adjust feeding behavior and impact your catch rates. This article will end all doubt and give you the knowledge you need to better predict the best times of day in a given season to catch pike.

Best Time of Day to Catch Northern Pike

As they wake up and prior to their sleeping period are the two times of day when northern pike will typically be at their hungriest and most active. This is true across all seasons. You’ll find that northern pike are far more active in the morning than they are at night, as during the midday they have already satiated their appetites.

Just before sunrise is the time to set out to catch northern pike. Because northern pike don’t feed in the dark, as soon as dawn breaks they will be at their most active as they eagerly search for food within their limited feeding window. For this reason, it’s best to plan out your trip so that you arrive before there’s light in the sky and set your line while it’s still twilight. 

Northern pike are also known to hunt just prior to nighttime, as waters begin to cool and they opportunistically seek food before they become inactive. It’s harder to catch a northern pike at night, but it’s still very possible to catch a big one with a greater need to metabolize more food.

Season Breakdown: Best Pike Fishing Times

Winter

Overview: As waters begin to cool and reach temperatures in the 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit range, northern pike will seek waters between the shore and as far out as 30’ depths. Pike are quite resilient and will remain active and just as aggressive for bait throughout the winter, even as weather passes freezing temperatures.

It’s important to note that there is a distinction in catching northern pike in the winter because their populations are found in higher latitudes, which means in the winter months there will be far less daylight available. This will change their feeding window, but also make them more aggressive than usual when they are most active. 

Best Times: The early morning hours just at sunrise will be the ideal time of day to catch northern pike in winter. Because of the longer nights and less available food sources, you can catch some very big pike just as dawn breaks if you find the right spot. 

Worst Times: The afternoon hours leading up to sunset are the worst times of day to fish for northern pike in winter. Because their metabolisms slow down as it gets colder, they will be less likely to search for food before dark.

Rain and Snow Conditions: Even in the winter months, rain can help improve your odds at catching northern pike. Pike will tend to search for baitfish in the shallows when it’s raining. However, pike rely on clearer water to ambush, and rain will cause the water to become murky in shallows without vegetation.

Snow will generally have a negative impact on pike activity and it will also confuse their feeding window in the early morning as snow and overcast weather will diffuse sunlight. Using monofilament line in the snow or ice can help you manage the line better in these conditions. 

Cold Waves and Heat Waves in Winter: When there are spells of significantly colder weather, even larger pike will tend to aggregate into schools. Just before cold fronts there will typically be higher wind and less pressure in the air, which can actually aid your chances to catch a good-sized pike.

Timing is key here, however, because as the temperature plummets it will significantly reduce angling opportunities when pike will move to rest in greater depths. 

Heatwaves in winter can cause warmer shallows that move pike into deeper open water. If waters are still cool, they will be more likely to move through weed lines and continue hunting baitfish in the shallows. 

Spring

Overview: Spring is arguably the best season to fish for northern pike. During the early spring months, pike will begin moving to bays and tributaries, especially in lakes where there are deeper ice caps. Many patterns emerge during this period, as they begin funneling into narrows to spawn.

As weather approaches 50 degrees Fahrenheit, you will find pike at their most active in the spring.  In the later spring months, even larger pike will be at a lower weight than normal as they rest after spawning in preparation for crucial early summer feeding. 

Best Times: Early morning and late afternoon, close to sunrise and sunset, are the best times of day to catch northern pike in the spring. Comparative to winter, pike will be much more active closer to night time. 

Worst Times: Early to late afternoon and after sunset are the worst times of day to catch northern pike in spring. However, they will still be much more active midday than they will in any other season, especially in early to middle spring. 

Rain Conditions: Rain will force you to change your strategy a bit in the spring months. As heavier downpours will cause dirty, murky water, pike will move along vegetation lines to find baitfish. Because of how aggressive they are, even smaller pike will target large baitfish crankbaits or spinners, which makes it much easier to hook one in these conditions. 

Cold Waves and Heat Waves in Spring: In cold spring weather, pike will retain winter patterns in the early spring prior to spawning. They’ll be more apt to be found in shallows, channels, bays, and estuaries, however, than they will be in winter. Slowly trolling with a spinner will aid your chances here. 

During hotter weather, pike will be much calmer during the midday and less likely to seek bait. They’ll narrow their feeding window to the early morning when they’ll be irritated and hungry, and will typically be found farther out and closer to the bottom. Typically trolling faster with a crankbait will be best as the water heats up. 

If you want to learn what are the best fighting fish to catch to include saltwater and freshwater, please check out this helpful article I wrote.

Summer

Overview: As temperatures begin to rise in the early summer months, northern pike will pick up in activity and will be at their most aggressive as they seek food. As temperatures move beyond 60 degrees Fahrenheit, pike will desperately search for baitfish to recover from their post-spawn rest. Pike continue this frenzy all throughout the summer months. 

Best Times: Dawn and dusk are the best times to fish for pike in the summer. As with every season, daylight is crucial as pike begin to ambush just as the sun rises and immediately preceding nightfall. The longer days offer more diffused lighting in the early morning, which will extend their range of activity. They are also going to be far hungrier, which will have them active even into the late morning.

Worst Times: Midday and after sunset are the worst times of day to fish pike in the summer. Hotter temperatures will have pike dispersed at the bottom and resting throughout much of the day and all through the night.  For a complete breakdown of how pike fishing can be at night, I strongly recommend checking out this helpful article I wrote.

Rain Conditions: Clear water is extremely important for a pike’s ambushing behaviors. In the summer and fall months, you’ll find them much more active at greater depths in the rain than you would in the spring or winter. However, they’ll still hunt in shallows and along weed lines depending on how hot it gets. 

Cold Waves and Heat Waves in Summer: Cold fronts are fantastic for pike fishing in the summer months. This is, of course, going to be location-dependent, but pike will typically move closer to shore and take advantage of colder weather to ambush baitfish. Maintain faster-trolling speeds not more than 3.5 mph, and fish channels, bays, and estuaries for the best opportunities. 

Hotter summer days can cause an increase in activity in greater depths as baitfish move out from the shore. During peak summer heat, pike will change their pattern making more covered areas and thick vegetation much more viable hunting grounds. 

Fall

Overview: Northern pike remain incredibly active through the early and middle fall, and tend to be at their largest and most prime to be caught in October as baitfish begin to spawn. Because of the more variable autumn conditions, deeper waters tend to be much better fishing than the shallows. Maintaining higher speeds is your best bet to catch a trophy pike in October or early November, before the water beings to significantly cool and they transition to winter patterns in the late fall. 

Best Times: Pike have very similar patterns to summer in the early and middle fall months and are still most active around dawn and dusk when they’re feeding most. Because of the comparatively cool temperatures, pike will continue to be somewhat active throughout the middle of the day. As late fall sets in and the water cools, they are going to be much less active at dusk. 

Worst Times: Middle and late afternoon are going to be the worst times of day to catch northern pike in fall. This is especially true in the early fall months as the weather is just beginning to cool down. 

Rain conditions: Stick to vegetation heavy shallows in the rain. Rain can greatly help you narrow down pike movement in the fall if you keep to this strategy. As previously stated, avoid murky shallows as pike rely heavily on their vision to hunt and will avoid these areas. 

Cold Waves and Heat Waves in Fall: The autumn months have very variable weather patterns that cause pike to seek the more stable depths. This remains the case for both cold and hot weather in the fall. As colder fronts start moving in closer to winter, you should significantly reduce speed closer to 1 to 1.5 mph, and switch to using spinners rather than crankbaits. 

Best & Worst Seasons to Catch Pike

Pike remain one of the most voracious and aggressive predators for the greater extent of the year, with few lapses in their hunting aggression. The best times of year for fishing northern pike are going to be early and mid-spring, all of summer, and early to mid-fall. Your strategy will have to change for each of these seasons as pike are notorious for significantly shifting their patterns as the weather changes, and as they approach their own and their baitfish spawning periods. 

The worst times of year to fish for northern pike are arguably going to be late spring when they are anorexic post-spawn and resting before the summer months, and in the deep winter months as waters begin to freeze and they preserve their strength for spring spawning. However, there are certainly opportunities for a discerning angler to catch good-sized pike during these seasons.

Northern Pike & Weather Patterns

Regardless of the season, there are certain things that remain true throughout the year for northern pike patterns.  Rain will have a significant impact on northern pike hunting behavior. Prior to rainfall, there tends to be more obscured light, higher winds, and reduced pressure, all of which will increase hunting activity as they anticipate a change in conditions. While it’s raining, dirt is lifted up into the shallows which bring murkier conditions.

Pike rely heavily on their vision to ambush, so they will move into vegetation, covered areas, and deeper waters. After it rains, pike will continue normal hunting behavior depending on the weather and amount of ambient light. 

Prior to snowfall, there’s a very similar affect to pike’s behavior which precedes rainfall. They will quickly become more active and hunt anticipating the altered conditions. During snowfall, pike reduce their activity significantly and will rest close to the bottom. After snowfall, the more insulated ground temperatures can bring pike closer to shallows in search of food, but they are more likely to remain at depth. 

Weather breaks and cold and warm fronts will also alter pike behaviors. Breaks in weather conditions will always lead to a sharp change in pressure, and pike are more likely to rest than they are to ambush in these conditions.

Colder weather is going to alter behavior depending on the season, bringing pike closer to the shore in the summer and farther in the winter. Warmer weather tends to have the opposite effect.

Higher wind, especially when coupled with overcast weather, will tend to have a positive effect on pike hunting patterns. However, during significant wind storms, the increase in water turbulence makes the water dangerous to fish and also drives pike closer to the more stable depths. For a complete breakdown of pike fishing during cloudy and overcast conditions, please check out this useful guide I wrote.

Big Fish vs. Smaller Fish

Whether you’re seeking a trophy catch or wanting to pull in a bountiful lot of northern pike, it’s important to understand how your strategy should change with the different seasonal conditions. Larger pike tend to be pulled with greater number in the mid-fall and at greater depths.

This is because they begin to aggregate into schooling patterns as the weather just begins to drop, while they simultaneously retain their summer frenzy aggression during the autumn baitfish spawn period. Some report bigger pike being more likely to be caught closer to dusk than dawn, as you’ll have a greater chance of catching a big fish that needs to metabolize more food before it rests. 

To catch abundant smaller pike, focus on early to mid-summer months, as they will be just leaving their anorexic post-spawn phase to feed and recover. Dawn is a much better time to catch abundant northern pike in the summer months, and it’s best to set out and cast while it’s still twilight out.

Check out this guide for a complete breakdown of the best water temperature for pike fishing. Check out this guide for a complete breakdown of the best water temperature for musky fishing.