In principle, the Pike is a predator-individual. That is, hunt for their victims alone, using the ambush method. Escapes in the shade of some snag, or next to a bunch of algae, and waiting for the potential prey to be in the reach of its attack.
But in those reservoirs where the pike population is large and it is one of the dominant predators, the pike, oddly enough, sometimes becomes a gregarious predator. Especially often it happens in the autumn, during preparation of the whole underwater world for wintering. Why is this happening? Probably, there are cases when the pike has to unite the efforts to localize a flock of forage fish, to detain this forage fish in what is advantageous for a pike place. In such situations, the interests of many predators unite in one common-to collect prey in one heap, as much as possible to deprive her of freedom of movement and eat, eat, eat... In due time such a congestion of active pike the famous Fisher Konstantin Kuzmin has given the label name- "Pike Party Meeting "...
I have been on such flocks of pike for fishing both from the shore and from the boat. These fishing were, perhaps, the most memorable. After all, aiming at the attack, being in the most aggressive state of the Pike is ready to attack any object that is in the area of its attention. And, ready to attack, even if it has just successfully attacked the previous victim, and even completely it did not swallow. I have many times in similar situations catching pike, who from the throat sticking the tail of recently caught roach or bream...
There are also cases when several pike coexist on one large underwater structure-a flooded tree, a large ledge of the coastal eyebrow or as a large object of technogenic origin. But k "Pike Party Meeting " It has no relation, as usually ready relatively peacefully to coexist 2-3 predators, in rare cases 4-5 fish. And in places pack feeding Pike quantity of fishes locally gathered in one place can make several tens on 200-300 square meters! and gathered only with one purpose-to unite forces, maximally eating belly ...))
The guys from the team Stalingrad fishers in one of the blocks Volga-Ahtubinskoj floodplains were hit by "PPM ". As it happens, look in the video-story they shot.
Another interesting observation ... In such pike congregations all specimens are approximately the same size. It can be flocks with an average size in the region of a kilogram + -, and there may be pike congregations with an average weight of 5-8 kilograms. But very often in such schools there are 1-2 fish of outstanding size. Uncle Zhenya and I went to such a meeting of the pike, when pecking fish in the range of 5-7 kilograms. But in the process of fishing, Eugene also caught a pike weighing more than 10 kilos! And this has happened in my practice more than once, but systematically. So after hitting a pike cluster with an average weight of 2-3 kilograms, be prepared for a fight with a trophy several times larger. After all, there will always be one "who is ready to eat those who eat ..."
