popping up dead baits

[mickeyBoy]

how can i set up my dead baits so they are not sat bolt upright?

i dont really feel confident with the bait looking like this or is this the best way to do it? i cant really imagine a dead fish floating about like its stood up.

i have some of the polly balls that look a bit like a bulb shape that you draw through the mouth and gills. i read on a webiste about attatching it straight to the second set of trebles and not going through the gills, this just seems a bit weird too.

any help please???

[tonystone]

I set mine so that it looks like the bait is feeding on the bottom, head pointing down. I put a couple of swan shot just below the treble, so in effect all I have it the bait wafting off the bottom, not the whole trace.

hope that helps.

[glennpompier]

Wouldn't worry about it.

[mickeyBoy]

cheers for the help.

ok so how about this... on the FAS waters you have to fish with a 24 inch trace, what if i dont want to pop my bait up two foot from the bottom?

any suggestions?

[tonystone]

jus put a couple of swan shot near the hook. So that the length of uh trace is lying along the bottom, but the bait is popped up. Like a pop up boilie with i bit of putty holdin it down, it will look the same. Thats how i fish my popped up deads. Very rarely pop them straight up from the lead.

[Joe_Bloggs]

The fish don't normally mind which way up the dead bait is sitting, what perhaps is more important is how high you pop them up, take into account bottom debris, weed, water colour and the fishes mood on the day and experiment. Off the lead can work well if it is sitting just on top of the weed at other times if the bottom is clear then as said just a few inches works well.

If fishing off the lead you should consider an uptrace.

I prefer to use pop up sticks but make sure they are attached to the trace so you can retreive them.

[mickeyBoy]

do those pop up sticks have a more even balance??

to me, with these pollyballs, it seems to looks so un-natural. thing is i have'nt been pike fishing long so dont really know.

also would putting shots on the trace not damage it?

[tonystone]

they dont have more balance, they jus look neater as they are pushed into the bait. I prefer the red poly balls as they add a visual attraction to the bait.


As for the swan show damaging the trace, I have not had this myself.
They pinch onto mono for float fishing ok, so will be fine on wire

[lyndon]

I just use them off the lead all the time. Hasn't been a problem and I catch as much as the next man.

[tonystone]

I have caught straight off the lead too

both will catch you fish im sure.

You could even trim the polyballs down so that the bait wafts up off the bottom if you wish.


There are no hard rules Mickeyboy, just try each and see which works for you.

[mickeyBoy]

will do, cheers fellas.

[fishmaster]

poly balls for me straight off the lead every time, BUT on 1 water i fish a bottom bait will outfish a pop-up every time!?!

[MikeLyddon053698]

I fish a hinged trace (similar to the carp fishing hinge rig in practice) to overcome this problem, make up a trace that is about 4-6" long from the upper treble to the swivel. Then from the other end of the swivel, attach a longer section of trace (normally about 18" long") and attach that to your line as normal.
Then, pop up your bait as normal (I use deadbait sticks) and attach the shot to a little bit of mono going on the middle swivel. No damage from the shot on the trace, and a the bait moves much more freely and naturally in the water.
Hope that makes sense.

Also, when replacing the trace after it gets chewed, you only have to replace about 10" of wire, rather than the whole 2ft+ :)

[Goose144]

top tip

[tonystone]

i use exactly the same as you mike. I started off using 6 inch bait traces for when i was lure fishin and wanted to change to wobbling so i didnt have to change the whole trace over. I now use it all the time for deadbaits, as you say saves replacing the whole trace when its damaged.

[DaveBarratt]

When I want a bait just standing on its head rather than popped up the whole trace length I have found that using a piece of rig foam (the sort used for zig hookbaits) rather than a polyball is fine and does away with the need for any shot on the trace.

[MikeLyddon053698]

One thing to be aware of, is that if you are using frozen baits, the ice crystals within the bait will make them far more bouyant than a thawed out bait, so any frozen baits that are nicely balanced and just popping up when you test them in the margins, once they have defrosted in the water, will (especially in deeper water when you add in the extra water pressure), the baits will more than likely be laying totally flat on the bottom anyway.

[Barbus59]

I'm off piking tomorrow in the bitter Easterly winds. Will try a hinged pop up with a clip connector between a longer uptrace and a short end trace popped up. Will weight it down with tungsten putty on the connector to avoid any trace damage. Will let you know how it works.
I've usually popped the whole trace up off the lead but had most takes with the deadbait hard on the bottom.
Regards
Dave

[Barbus59]

Well I fished in an Easterly near gale on Sunday and caught just one pike of around 5lb on a deadbait hard on the bottom. The semi popped up bait was ignored.
Not to say it doesn't work but I think it shows keep things simple is a good phrase to work with.
Regards
Dave

[Rumbo]

One thing to be aware of, is that if you are using frozen baits, the ice crystals within the bait will make them far more bouyant than a thawed out bait, so any frozen baits that are nicely balanced and just popping up when you test them in the margins, once they have defrosted in the water, will (especially in deeper water when you add in the extra water pressure), the baits will more than likely be laying totally flat on the bottom anyway.

You are so right about balancing frozen baits, its a nightmare. Good tip is to take one bait out of your bag the day before you go. You can then balance this defrosted so you know what a frozen one will take to balance it properly.

[MikeLyddon053698]

You are so right about balancing frozen baits, its a nightmare. Good tip is to take one bait out of your bag the day before you go. You can then balance this defrosted so you know what a frozen one will take to balance it properly.

Thats true, but the downside with that is, if like me you like using really soft baits like sardines, having them already thawed means they are virtually impossible to cast :(

[Paul_the_Bailiff]

Thats true, but the downside with that is, if like me you like using really soft baits like sardines, having them already thawed means they are virtually impossible to cast :(

Take them out the night before and then put them bag in the freezer box/bag before you leave home. They will them be sort of semi frozen; hard enough to cast out but not solid, just the skin frozen.

[Rumbo]

Thats true, but the downside with that is, if like me you like using really soft baits like sardines, having them already thawed means they are virtually impossible to cast :(


I was indicating that you just take one out to defrost and balance. The others can stay frozen. I take a plumbers freeze it pipe spray anyway just incase the baits get too soft for casting.

[mickeyBoy]

I fish a hinged trace (similar to the carp fishing hinge rig in practice) to overcome this problem, make up a trace that is about 4-6" long from the upper treble to the swivel. Then from the other end of the swivel, attach a longer section of trace (normally about 18" long") and attach that to your line as normal.
Then, pop up your bait as normal (I use deadbait sticks) and attach the shot to a little bit of mono going on the middle swivel. No damage from the shot on the trace, and a the bait moves much more freely and naturally in the water.
Hope that makes sense.

Also, when replacing the trace after it gets chewed, you only have to replace about 10" of wire, rather than the whole 2ft+
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definately gonna try this one! cheers mate