Any one else use this method for pike?

[fortymick]

Hi All

 

Ive been out and about on the bank on my local river with mixed results,as in blanked a few days then couple of pike between 9 and 11 lb on the days inbetween,dont know what you guys think of this method ive started using with some success, instead of the lead wieght i sometimes use a feeder with maggot instead, My thinkin behind this is the maggots will attract the silvers which in turn will attract the pike,i have had results doing this but ive not actaully carried out any sort of comparison catch rate?? just be interested to here if anyone else does this,i have and do normally also spray maggots around where i think my bait is lying for the same affect but i feel using a feeder is much more accurate and gives me that little bit more confidence as i know the maggots are being dispersed more or less on top and around my dead bait,whats your views???

[wayne baker]

Sounds different to me. My only concern with your method, And I'm not knocking it at all. Is the pike gets attracted to the feeding fish. And whilst they are milling around the feeder gobbling up the maggots. old esox comes along and has a go. Now if i was a pike and saw a dozen or so juicy roach preoccupied. Am i going to take a motionless deadbait sitting on the bottom. I dont know.

 

Interesting to see what some of the other guys think.

[Dick Dastardly]

Ive tried using cereal groundbait to draw in the prey fish with limited sucsess.Namely on one pretty barren and featureless reservoir. I often spray maggot around my livebaits when perch fishing.

 

In general though I think its better to find a "hotspot" rather than try and create one.

[Brian Carragher]

My own thoughts would be that its not a very good way to fish the river. Ror the running leger to work well you need a lead of at least 2oz and you won't have that in an empty feeder, if you want to put maggats on the deck then you can do it using balls of groundbait laced with maggots or use a baitdropper and put the maggot on top of your deadbait and pike fish in the conventional way

 

It never does any harm to introduce feed for bait fish providing they are there in the firat place but at this time of year and on the river you're fishing you should be catching the bait fish and livebaiting them, much better idea

[Dales]

I often pult out maggots when fishing for Pike & Perch to attract small silver fish, but I have never tried them in feeder. Sounds like an interesting method.

[fortymick]

I often pult out maggots when fishing for Pike & Perch to attract small silver fish, but I have never tried them in feeder. Sounds like an interesting method.

thanks for your input guys Wayne i know what your sayin about finding a hotspot easier said than done sometimes though as im sure you know,im not sure whether the pike would take a live over a easy meal of a dead?? its one to ponder most pedators will pick of the injured old or dying as it saves them using energy,but as to wot appeals to a pike more i dont know,

Dales there was a article in anglers mail sometime ago where Ian welch used chopped up fish in a feeder whilst piking to some good affect but even then he didnt have anyone to comprare his results too either, in my eyes anything thats gives you a chance of puttin more fish on the bank is at least worth a go.

Brian replied to ya in other forum mate

 

Cheers Mick.

[Brian Carragher]

A live bait presented under a float will outfish a deadbait presented under a float every time, theres no finer bait when pike fishing than livies, thats not to say I won't or don't deadbait because I do

 

I use four rods and set two up for deads and two up for livies (need to catch them first) and see which set up works. On certain days one method will outfish another, for instance its no good perservering with the livies if the fish are on deads, so you get all you rods bar one on to the deads and then you can try different baits and different methods of presenting those baits to see which one is the top bait on the day. It goes without saying that a good choice of deads is essential if this method is to work

 

As for the great and good Des Taylor forsaking lives for deads I think you've got it the wrong way round, both he and Keith Arthur are arguing for the use of livies over deads and Keith in particular has been campaigning for the banning of deadbait fishing for pike and allowing locally caught livies only to be used

 

There is a greater environmentally sustainable argument for using lives over deads in that it uses less fish over a season or session when livebaiting as you only use the fish you need to and if you do not catch then we can release them at the end of our session, something we can't do when deadbaiting and we tend to use deadbaits at a ratio of 1 fish per hour per rod when deadbaiting as the flavours wash out whereas a livie can be used all day on the same rod set up. There is no valid argument for using sea deads only for freshwater piking as that only leads to more pressure on the salt water stocks with no benefit for sea anglers

 

As for addatives or oil, well I use them and have faith in them some being oils that eventually leach out and float leaving a very thin fish oil slick on the water and some are water based addatives that disperse under water near to your deads, try using them on your deads, inject one with oil and fish one without and see how you get on. Theres been many debates on fishing forums about the effectiveness of oils mainly from those who dismiss them without even trying them so give it a go and make your own mind up

[Dick Dastardly]

in my eyes anything thats gives you a chance of puttin more fish on the bank is at least worth a go.

 

Trouble is Mick it seems that too many look for the "easy" option (that rarely exists) rather than getting the basics right. No "fish in feeder" ,"catapulting any bait out","wonder rig" or "additive" will ever out fish basic watercraft.......something that cant be brought in a bag Im afraid!

[PhilBo]

I would just stick with a dead or live bait, nowt like a mackerel to get those pike going...

[Anderoo]

You could try a bouyant maggot feeder with most of the holes taped up in place of a paternoster float, with a dead fished underneath. This is something I've often almost done(!) but would be interested to hear people's results. It could be a way to make a dead more attractive.

 

I've thought of doing the same with a worm for perch, but again haven't got around (or really felt the need) to try it yet.

 

As Budgie said, get a decent bait in the right spot and you're pretty much there.

Edited August 15, 2009 by Anderoo