A Beginner's Guide to Pike Fishing in the Broads

Why the Broads Are Made for Pike

The Broads are a labyrinth of open water, winding rivers and quiet dykes, and that mix suits pike down to the ground. Cool, well-oxygenated water in autumn and winter, thousands of metres of reed-lined margin and plenty of silver fish to hunt mean the predators here grow long and lean. Whether you are fishing from a hire boat on the Bure, wading a quiet stretch of the Waveney or casting from the bank on Hickling, the essentials are the same. Get your tackle right, fish slowly and handle the fish with care, and you will learn more in one season here than in five on a commercial pike lake.

The season runs from 1 October to 31 March on most Broads waters, though some stillwaters and the rivers have their own close seasons and byelaws. Always check the current local rules before you travel, and be aware that many Broads angling clubs close their pike fishing during the warmer months when the water holds less oxygen.

Tackle That Will Actually Do the Job

Pike tackle is not about brute force; it is about controlling a fish that fights hard and has a mouth full of teeth. A rod of 2.75lb to 3lb test curve, between 10 and 12 feet, will cover almost everything you will meet. Pair it with a fixed spool reel in the 5000 to 6000 size, or a baitcaster if you plan to do much lure fishing.

• Main line: 15lb to 20lb monofilament, or 40lb to 50lb braid if you are fishing lures or heavy weed.
• Trace: a proper wire trace of 20lb to 30lb, at least 18 inches long. Never fish without one — pike bite through mono in a heartbeat.
• Hooks: size 6 to 8 semi-barbed trebles on a snap tackle, or a single large hook for soft plastics.
• Net: a big 36 to 42 inch landing net with fine, knotless mesh. Small nets damage fish and lose fish.
• Unhooking kit: a large padded unhooking mat, long-nosed forceps, curved pliers and a pair of side cutters for cutting hooks if things go wrong.

Rigs, Baits and Where to Put Them

Deadbaits are the classic Broads approach. A roach, smelt or lamprey section fished on a simple leger rig, a float rig or a paternoster will catch fish anywhere on the system. Present deadbaits on the bottom near features — the edge of a channel, the drop-off into a broad, a gap in the reeds — and let them sit. Pike are ambush predators, not chasers, and a static bait on a good spot will out-fish a restless one every time.

Lure fishing comes into its own on the rivers and the narrower dykes, where you can cover water quickly. Spoons, spinnerbaits, soft shads and shallow-diving jerkbaits all work, and a slow, twitching retrieve that makes the lure look wounded is far more effective than a fast crank. On the broads themselves, look for the windward shore, the edges of weed beds and any structure that breaks the flow. If a swim produces nothing in twenty minutes, move — the fish are rarely spread evenly.

Boatcraft and Safety on the Broads

A great deal of Broads pike fishing is done from a boat, and that brings its own rules. Keep the anchor well set before you start fishing, and always fish with the boat positioned so you are casting away from the channel. Wear a life jacket — the water is cold for much of the pike season, and a winter dunking is serious. Hire boats are not fishing boats, so keep tackle tidy, watch the mud weight and be mindful of other river traffic. Give way, keep noise low and remember that the banks and reeds are someone's livelihood and someone else's home.

Handling and Releasing Pike Safely

Pike are fragile in ways that are not obvious. They have no scales to protect them, a delicate slime coat and a habit of thrashing when lifted badly. Get this part right and the fish swims away strongly.

• Unhook the fish in the net, in the water, wherever possible. Use forceps and take your time.
• If you must lift the pike, wet your hands, support the belly and never hold it vertically by the gill rakers. Cradle it horizontally.
• Use the unhooking mat for anything bigger than a jack, and keep the fish out of the water for no more than twenty or thirty seconds. Have your camera ready before you lift.
• Never put your fingers in the gill rakers. If a hook is deep, cut the trace and leave the hook rather than dig around.
• To release, hold the fish upright in the water, supporting the belly, until it kicks and swims off. If it is slow to recover, keep holding until it does.

Learning the Water

The Broads reward patience and local knowledge more than any fancy tackle. Fish a handful of swims repeatedly, note the wind, the water colour and the time of day, and you will soon find that the pike are creatures of habit. Join a local club, talk to the anglers you meet at the staithe, and treat every fish as something worth returning in better condition than you found it. Do that, and the Broads will keep giving.