Piking

[CarponlineEditor]

On the water that I am fishing at the moment there was a 30lb pike caught a few weeks ago. I thought I may have a go for it but I wondered what bait would be best to try to tempt it out??

[Dan]

HI

im not really into pike fishing that much, but i have had a few session`s and i seem to have caught the bigger pike on mackeral in the margins, livebaits have always produced good results for me but never any thing big....
anyway best of luck

Dan

[fatboy]

Mackerel most definately, either half (tail-end which is best if you are going long range, as it is virtually impossible to pull out the top treble from the tail root), or whole joey mackerel. Sardines are my second bait, but need to be used from frozen, as they break up otherwise. In fact all the baits I use are in a frozen state when cast, with the exception of mackerel.

Coloured sprats, small trout (dead), herring (whole or half), smelt, also work well on leger either as they are or air injected.

I'm not one for livebaiting any more, but that is just a personal preference. If used correctly (i.e. float fished), it induces some vicious takes.

Hope that helps.

[CarponlineEditor]

Thanks for the replies and helpful hints chaps. I will give it a go after xmas, you never know I may catch a biggie that isnt a carp lol

[scorpio]

A whole joey makerel or a herring, pop it up a few inches from the bottom and inject it with fish oil and air

Tony

[CarponlineEditor]

Ooer I am not sure about needles but I will try herring or mackeral. Do I need any special tackle? I was just going to use a running lead, rubber bead, and a trace with two swivels on and strike as soon as i get a take, does that sound okay??

[Billyo]

Andy,

If you do use needles, watch your fingers mate. Don't want to be pumping yourself full of air - a trip to the hospital would be needed very quickly then !!

Bill.

[scorpio]

Have you ever drift floated deatbait? If there is a breeze it is a brilliant method of getting to those unaccessable places where a big Esox may be laying, if the water is deep you will have to use a slider, beads and a stop knot is what I use for this. To drift float a dead bait you need to use a float with a vane on it and fish with the wind fron the left of you or the right of you. I tend to drift the bait into a bank, under a tree or any other pikey looking place. If you see fry fish or a shoal of roach topping the pike will not be that far away. Always obviously use a wire trace and barbless trebles where permitted and I usually strike as soon as I feel a resistance on the rod and never use less than 15lb main line. I miss a few but as yet never belly hooked a pike. To pop a bait up I prefer a running line using beads and a stop knot, it is easy to set the depth that way.Tackle wise I use a Shimano Aerlex sea reel and a 3lb test curve pike rod. If you need more info just ask.

Tony<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by scorpio on 20/12/00 06:52 PM.</FONT></P>

[CarponlineEditor]

Okay cheers. The water is only four and a half feet deep at the deepest part so i wont have trouble like that. There are quite a lot of jacks in there so i just wondered if there was a way to try to avoid the smaller ones. Do larger pike eat larger baits? Or do they eat the same as their smaller brothers and sisters?

[scorpio]

I have caught a 6lb pike when it took a 2lb chub and I have caught a 14lb pike on a fly half an inch long so to be honest it is pot luck I would say.

Tony

[CarponlineEditor]

Hokay dokay, i will give it a go in the new year anyway. Cheers chaps.

[rhornegold]

Can I join you Ian,
Any oily sea dead bait can do the trick,in the past I use to rub cucumber on them if smelt were out of season.

Bob Hornegold