Dee Pike have gone to spawn...........

This last week the pike fishing has slowed in the regular hotspots. This week i was hoping for one last big girl to add to my season's personal tally but sadly it has become evident that the Pike have moved off to have piscatorial sex. Last week i got my last double(photo above) and since i have added a number of immature fish and blanked 3 days. Happily this season the blanks have been few and far between but i must admit i am shocked the Pike have spawned so early. After such a hard winter i think most of us expected the spawning to be much later than normal but in fact it has come a week or too earlier than recent years. The common accepted opinion amongst the Esox experts is that the water temperature triggers the pike to spawn and although the temperature has risen dramatically the last 2 weeks i am not sure whether the water temperature has risen enough. I think it is alot more complicated than people think and there are other factors including fish physical health and condition and much more to the equation. We will never fully know the whole picture. One question for Dee anglers that seems to baffle all those that i fish with and those i have met over the years; is where do they spawn? If this riddle could be solved there is an opportunity as the females gather prior to spawning to get a number of very big fish. The person who solves this puzzle could win the piking lottery...........I spent Sunday morning walking miles of the Dee looking for signs and i have done that now for a number of seasons but failed to find them. I will keep looking for years to come and maybe one day i will find the answer.