Pike are one of spring’s most aggressive fish and along with walleyes can provide a good bite after a day or two of stable weather and melting conditions on rivers around the region. Be ready with a few quick tips on how to gauge the good days, get equipment ready and have the right tackle packed to go. Simonson Photo.
By Nick Simonson
Suddenly, thoughts of spring are everywhere with the recent warm up and melting on the landscape across the northern plains. With the addition of surging meltwater to area rivers, some stretches of these flows open up and allow anglers to target both walleyes and pike still a few weeks ahead of any hint of prespawn activity in states like North Dakota with year-round fishing seasons. Being ready for when those choice shore fishing areas become available – along with a sampling of these springtime fish in the water just off their edges – is key in shaking the rust off the long rod and returning to that feeling of a take on the opposite end of the line. What follows are three quick tips to get you ready for that experience whenever it appears.
Watch the Weather
With the apps, websites, and to-the-minute updates of all things that influence early openwater fishing, it’s easy to keep tabs on conditions that suggest a better bite on warmer days in late winter or early spring. Target late afternoon and evening hours on sunny days as perhaps the best opportunities to get out on the shore and make a few casts. Keep an eye on water levels as well via USGS online reports, as increases in flows will likely signal eroding ice and more fishable areas on a flow. Examine daily weather graphs and longer trends to isolate those timeframes where temperatures may make it into the upper 40s or low 50s, and for those stretches where unseasonably stable warmth settles in. The more nice days that get strung together, the better an early season bite will likely be during these prime hours of the day for both walleyes and pike.
Ready the Rods
After a few months in the locker or stashed in storage, it’s important to inspect your equipment. Ensure that rods are in tip-top shape, with all eyelets and their guides accounted for and no breaks or chips apparent. If necessary, re-spool reels with new line, to ensure a strong connection to any first fish of the year and the very best presentation of your offerings, eliminating any kinks or coils that develop with the memory of stored monofilament over a longer period of time. Finally, take some time to clean reels as well, removing spools and cleaning debris from gears and drag mechanisms, and adding a drop of oil to those areas of motion to ensure a clean turn with each crank of the handle.
Take Stock of Tackle
Finally, now is as good a time as any to make sure the desired tackle – and especially those go-to springtime lures such as jigs – are well stocked in your tacklebox. Make note of any compartment that’s running a little light, and purchase more now to get ahead of any bite that may materialize in the coming days. Also make sure to check for any damaged or rusted lures and remove them from your tacklebox to prevent the oxidation from spreading and catalog those offerings for replacement as well. Even if things cool down and winter hasn’t given up entirely, you will be ready with all the lures you need when other inevitable rounds of early openwater opportunities make themselves available to you this spring.
The first openwater fishing of the year can come at a moment’s notice with a surge of warm temperatures and strong sunshine. From a text or quick call from a fishing buddy, to reviewing your own fishing journals for those signs that a good bite is developing a bit ahead of time, each stretch of abnormally warm days, increased meltwater, and decreased ice cover on a flow can provide the chance to take a few casts and catch a couple fish. Have your gear and tackle ready to go and make the most of those moments with what can be some truly magical angling.