In the waters of the Danube Delta, the Pike is the ultimate predator. Or is it? We made sure you have all you need to catch this monster and become the ultimate predator yourself: our team of experts know every inch of our 15.000 hectares of ponds, we’ve got the best boats and the best men to drive them; and just to make sure, in 2012 we raised and released over 150.000 pike fry into our waters. Many of the pikes here at Holbina average at an impressive 1m in length. The only question remains: “Do you have what it takes to become the ultimate pike predator?”

Pike are large, predatory fish, that sit atop their food chain and are found all around the world in freshwater habitats. Due to their insatiable appetite, they grow to be large fish. It is not uncommon to find pike that weigh 4.5 kilograms or more in our larger lakes and canals. Needless to say, pikes make the best addition to any fisherman’s photo collection.

Pike feed on almost anything swimming or thrown in their direction, particularly in the spring.

A standard pike rod would be a 2m, medium-heavy action stick, but we recommend a heavy action stick, as the pike at Holbina are usually big. When it comes to lures, using live bait is always a good idea. There is a simple rule of thumb when choosing bait for pike: For smaller pike, minnows and other small bait will work just fine. For larger pike, increase the size of the bait fish. Often, the live bait is actually dead.

Another effective way around catching pike is spoon fishing. Spoons come in many colors and sizes, so feel free to try out any combination, but keep in mind that as before, the larger the pike, the larger the spoon. Fishing for pike requires good technique and that develops over time, as every true fisherman knows. Our expert fishermen boat drivers will a ccompany you in your fishing adventures, sharing tips and experience acquired over years and years of fishing. But remember: always cast your bait just beyond your target area, wait a moment until the ripples from its entry into the water dissipate and only then begin to reel in.

Whether it’s for sports or just for the pure pleasure and relaxation, fishing is a competition: It’s just you and the fish. Whoever wins is really up to you. At Holbina, we encourage true sports fishing and organize periodic fishing Cups such as Pikemaster - one of Europe’s biggest pike fishing competitions, and the best in Romania. In the previous years of Pikemaster, we were assisted by referees from the Sports Fishing Association, one in each of the competing boats. There were two filmed measuring sessions, the first five pike over 50 cm receiving points. Prizes ranged from 500 to 3000 euro.

Great minds think alike. And great fishermen fish alike. We’ve developed the Pike Master Club, exclusively designed for those fishermen that managed to catch pikes of at least 1 m in length. You know what you need to do to enter our prestigious club.