Why do pike so often hit a lure from below and behind?
A pike's eyes sit high on a flattened skull, giving it a strong upward-and-forward binocular field — it is built to lie low, silhouette prey against the bright surface, and launch upward. Prey lit from above against downwelling light is the easiest target in the water column to range accurately. That is why shallow-running lures over weed tops out-produce lures buried in the weeds, and why a pike's first appearance is so often a shape materializing under the bait.
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