Pike

Pike lures at Charlie's Fishing: soft lures, glidebaits, bucktails and jerkbaits for pike

Pike are ambush hunters. They wait in the weed, along a drop-off or under a bridge for something that looks worth the effort, and catching them comes down to showing the right profile, action and speed on the day. This page brings together our pike lures in one place: big shads and V-tails, bucktails and mouse lures, glidebaits and swimbaits, jerkbaits and crankbaits, surface lures and spinnerbaits, plus the traces and snaps that keep a pike on the line. It is for anyone fishing for pike from the bank, a boat or a float tube, from canals and polders to big lakes and rivers. Below we explain which lures for pike to choose for each situation, with the models we stock from brands such as Savage Gear, Rapala, Frapp, BIM Tackle, VMC, Illex and Swimbait Republic.

Soft lures for pike: shads and paddle tails

A big shad is the all-round pike lure: cast and retrieve it steadily, slow-roll it just over the weed, or jig it along a drop-off on a heavier head. The Illex Dexter Shad 200 (17.5 cm, 47 g) has a strong rolling action and is flavoured with Nitro Booster shellfish attractant; fish it on a jig head or a screw-in head along weed edges and sunken trees. The ULM Lures Gigabite V2 21 cm from Sweden weighs 96 g, so it casts far and sends out a heavy vibration that helps pike find it in coloured water; rig it on a 1/0 stinger. The Hispano Lures Polaris 167 is a handmade floating paddle tail swimbait of 16.7 cm and 51 g, with a leader-through system and an eye in front for extra weight, so you can fish it over shallow weed or take it deeper. Read our Hispano Lures Polaris guide, and see all Pike Softbaits and Paddle Tails.

V-tails and pintails for pelagic pike

When pike hang suspended in open water, a slimmer soft lure with a subtle tail often gets more takes than a heavy paddle tail. The Frapp Dotty Dart 7.5" (19 cm) wobbles on a smooth retrieve and darts from side to side when you fish it weightless on a large offset hook with sharp jerks. The Frapp Placoid 7" (18 cm) (20 g) has movable fins and an asymmetrical V-tail, and its solid front sits well on a jig head or a screw-in head with stinger. The Fishimpact Virus 19 cm (30 g) is handmade in Belgium with a pintail and side flaps you can trim to make the action more aggressive, built for pelagic and vertical fishing over deep water. More in V-Tails & Pintails and Pelagic.

Bucktails, mouse lures and rat lures

Bucktails and mouse lures give a big, pulsing profile that keeps working at a slow speed, which is why they are so good over weed beds and in coloured water. The VMC Mustache Rig is a sinking bucktail with a bait screw in 11 g (to about 2 m) and 20 g (to about 4 m); it comes without hooks, so fit a VMC Pike Chain Rig as the stinger. Read VMC Mustache Rig: four steps to rig this pike bucktail. Prefer it ready to fish? Charlie's Mustache Mouse Combo (20 cm, 80 g) combines the VMC Mustache Shallow, a CWC Double Tail and a VMC Pike Chain. The Frapp Rowdy Head (24 cm, 70 g) is a bucktail with noise slits in the head and a Frapp Tricky Tail 8" (20 cm) as trailer; fished slowly it runs about 1 m deep, ideal over weed and along reed beds. See our blog Frapp Rowdy Head: a ready-to-fish bait pike can't ignore. The BIM Tackle Crazy Rabbit Shallow (29 cm, 55 g wet, sinks about 3 s/m) has a clip system to change the head weight. For a rat that crawls over the weed at walking pace, the Savage Gear Mutant Rat 24 cm (68 g, 0.5 to 1.5 m) comes fully rigged. More in Mouse & Bucktail Lures and Rigs & Stingers.

Glidebaits and swimbaits for big pike

A glidebait swims in wide S-curves and settles on the pause, which is often the moment a following pike commits. The Swimbait Republic Glideway 176 (17.6 cm, 80 g) is slow floating out of the box; weight stickers make it suspending or slow sinking, down to about 3.7 m. The Savage Gear Wide Glide Scandal 20 cm (107 g) throws a long way to the side on every twitch and sinks slowly, from 0.5 to 2 m, good along drop-offs and harbour walls. The Rapala Super Shadow Rap Glide 16 (18 cm, 86 g including a 10 g screw-in weight) runs 0.5 to 1 m without the weight and comes with a spare tail; read about our own colour in Rapala x Charlie's Fishing Limited Edition Super Shadow Rap Glide. The Savage Gear 3D Line Thru Whitefish 22 cm (101 g) is a scented line-through glidebait that glides with gentle twitches and sinks slowly on the pause. For a jointed swimbait that swims on a plain slow retrieve, pick the ULM Lures Easy Swim 17 cm (about 67 g), the Jackall Gantarel (16 cm, 70 g, floating, turns 180 degrees on a sharp twitch) or the Nays TRN 190 (56 g), which comes with two tails and two lips to switch between a wide S-curve and a harder action. See all Swimbaits & Glidebaits and Pike Hardbaits.

Jerkbaits and crankbaits for pike

Jerkbaits and crankbaits cover water fast and work well when pike are active or when you need to reach a set depth. The Savage Gear Low Glider Jerk 17 cm (112 g) is a slow sinking glider with a loud rattle and through-wire construction that runs about 1.5 to 2 m deep, a strong choice in autumn; read our Savage Gear Low Glider review. The Strike Pro Guppie (22 cm total, 120 g, sinking, 1.5 to 3 m) has a compact body that rolls and flashes, and a tail you can swap for another type. The Savage Gear Sucker Flanker 200 (20 cm, 57 g) is a big flat-sided crankbait with a replaceable lip for 1 to 3 m, for casting along edges and trolling. The Kaesu KRK 165 (16.5 cm) is a Japanese big bait whose tungsten weights set it from high-floating to sinking, so you can walk it on the surface or slide it deeper. More in Jerkbaits and Crankbaits & Twitchbaits.

Surface lures and spinnerbaits

On warm summer mornings over shallow weed, a surface lure gives the most exciting takes. The Jackall Slick Bait (12 cm, 15 g) walks from side to side like a struggling baitfish, and the Rapala Skitter Pop Elite (7.5 cm, 10 g) is a balsa popper with loud, deep pops for pike and big perch. See all Topwaters. Spinnerbaits and chatterbaits add flash and vibration and come through weed better than lures with trebles. The BIM Tackle Tiger Pike Spinnerbait (32 g) has a reinforced frame with willow and Colorado blades for slow, deep work between weed beds. The Kaesu RANKA (10.6 to 14.2 g, 3/0 hook) has a knocking blade system you can switch on or off. The BIM Tackle ChaCha Bait (28 cm, 50 g) combines a chatter blade with a hand-tied bucktail for 1 to 5 m of water. More in Chatterbaits & Spinnerbaits.

Traces, snaps and handling: pike have teeth

Always fish a trace for pike. The VMC Titanium Pike Leader is a 1x7 titanium trace of 30 or 50 cm, rated at 18 kg, with a swivel and a Duolock snap. The VMC Fluorocarbon Leader comes in 0.80 and 1.00 mm; the 1.00 mm is the size for big pike and big lures. Bring long forceps, an unhooking mat and a proper landing net so the fish goes back in good shape, and a glove such as the FishXplorer Glove Gant Brocator to protect your hand. See Lines and Leaders, Rigs & Stingers and Fishing nets.

Which pike lure for which situation

• Spring, after the closed season: shallow water and a slow retrieve, with a floating lure such as the Polaris 167, Gantarel or Easy Swim 17 cm.
• Summer over shallow weed: Slick Bait, Skitter Pop Elite, Mutant Rat 24 cm or a spinnerbait.
• Weed beds and reed beds: Frapp Rowdy Head, Crazy Rabbit Shallow or Tiger Pike Spinnerbait.
• Following pike that will not commit: a glidebait such as the Glideway 176, Wide Glide Scandal or Super Shadow Rap Glide 16, with long pauses.
• Autumn and big fish: Gigabite V2 21 cm, Low Glider Jerk 17 cm, Strike Pro Guppie or a 20 cm plus swimbait.
• Pike suspended in open water: Dotty Dart 7.5", Placoid 7" or Virus 19 cm.
• Deep drop-offs and cold water: VMC Mustache Rig 20 g, Sucker Flanker 200 or a shad on a heavier head, slow and close to the bottom.
• Coloured water: a bucktail, a rattling glider or the ChaCha Bait for extra vibration. See also Zander and Perch.

Why buy pike lures at Charlie's Fishing

We pick pike lures from brands such as Savage Gear Lures, Rapala, Frapp, BIM Tackle, VMC, Illex, Swimbait Republic, ULM Lures, Jackall, Kaesu and Nays, including our own Rapala x Charlie's Fishing colour. Everything ships from our stock in the Netherlands with fast delivery across Europe, and we are happy to help you choose the right lure, size and trace for your water.

What is the best lure for pike?

There is no single best pike lure. A big shad of 15 to 20 cm on a jig head or stinger is the most versatile, a bucktail or mouse lure works well over weed and in coloured water, and a glidebait is the choice for big, cautious pike that follow without taking.

What size lure for pike?

Most pike lures are between 15 and 25 cm. Go smaller in spring and in clear, cold water, and bigger in autumn, when pike feed hard before winter and a 20 cm plus lure often picks out the bigger fish.

Do I need a wire trace for pike?

Yes. Pike teeth cut through braid and thin line, so always use a titanium or steel trace, or a thick fluorocarbon leader of about 1.00 mm, between your line and the lure.