Three dusk pike pockets on Hickling Broad
Hickling Staithe reed point holds pike tight to the reed line as dusk falls on Hickling Broad.
Local anglers pick three late-light pockets for a dusk drift: the reed edge off Hickling Staithe, the open-water fringe toward Meadow Dyke and the gently shelved margins of the western bays. Pike on the Broads are classic lie-in-wait predators; they sit in reed shadows and ambush into the 1–3 m band as light collapses.
Launch and approach
A quiet launch from Hickling Staithe is the sensible start. Keep drifts short, slip the boat low, or bank-walk stealthily to avoid spooking fish in the shallow margins. Parking and facilities near the staithe make short sessions workable even on a weekend run.
Work the outside of reed lines where dark water meets clear shallows at Meadow Dyke; in narrow, canal-like stretches pike hit calmer water. In western bays target the shallow-to-deeper transition as pike push in to feed at dusk.
Rig with a 2.75–3.0 lb tc or 2.25–2.75 oz pike rod, 30–40 lb braid, 18–25 lb coated trace 30–45 cm, and deadbaits of roach or smelt 10–18 cm. Start the drift in 1–3 m and adjust deeper as the light dies. The angler’s reward is precise: a crushing take at the reed edge, a flash of flank, and the line peeling off in the last amber light.