Pike not taking my bait

[poledark]

Newt, one winter I fished a pit for several weeks, several days a week and baited a stretch of bank with chopped up herrings.

 

The catches steadily increased each week and it was "normal" to catch several fish each day.

 

Often these fish would cough up a piece of the herring.

 

The fishing gradually got more difficult and the fish became very finicky.

 

I tend to only pike fish in spasms and so have no long term results to offer, but I and the other guys who fished with me at that time were convinced that the prebaiting was working.

 

Den

[Howard 13]

Went out again today but went to another swim which was full of roach instead of the place I was thinking about. I started at 1100 and packed up at 1415. Between 1100 and 1200 I had 6 runs but didn't land any of them! :mad: - after 12, not a sniff.

 

I have been striking early all week to avoid any deep hooked fish but before today only had a couple come off. Today I was trying to do a bit of spinning but after 5 -10 minutes of the bait being in the alarm would go. They were all good positive takes but I didn't set the hooks into any of them. Is it likely to have been the same fish? I was leaving them to run slightly longer each time but still had no luck.

 

All the runs were on the mackeral tail and I hooked this the same way as I had been with the whole baits, I'd have the fish on for 2 or 3 seconds and that'd be it, off.

 

How long would you normally let the fish have the bait for? I'm using a basic running leger with bite alarms, dropback indicators with the baitrunner on minimal resistance. I'll be trying to pop the bait up next week when I go.

 

Thanks,

Howard.

[Peter Waller]

The pike are probably wising up and ejecting as soon as you pick the rod up. Out of interest, how big, or small, are your hooks? Do you wind down until you feel the pike before striking?

[Howard 13]

Hi Peter, the hooks are size 6 semi barbed trebles.

 

As for winding down to the fish before striking, I am only fishing a smallish river so my bait is only about 6 metres out, so by the time I've picked the rod up, clicked out of baitrunner mode I'm striking straight into it. As I say it's been working fine all week.

 

I've only been letting them run for about 5-10 seconds, should I let them have longer?

 

Cheers,

HB.

[Peter Waller]

Hi Howard, 6's are fine! As used by none other than Nev Fickling himself! I work from a boat, as do most of my friends. We all wind down to strike. I do wonder at your use of semi-barbed hooks though. Squeezed barbs I have no problems with. If the pike are finicky feeding I wonder if the barbless hooks are coming adrift in the body area at the front of the mouth? I do like squeezed barbs myself. But unless you maintain constant pressure immediately after the strike then a lost fish is more likely with barbless than even a squeezed barb. One reason I prefer multipliers is that I find it easier to maintain constant strain without loosing it during pumping as you can with a fixed spool.

 

Letting 'em run for 5 or 6 seconds is fine, but is that 5 or 6 seconds after you detect the bite? I'm wondering if the pike are infact ejecting the bait by the time you strike?

 

Come on Budgie et al, you guys deadbait far more than me. You must know the answer!!

 

[ 19. December 2003, 07:14 PM: Message edited by: Peter Waller ]

[Tony 1]

Hello Howard, I see you are from Zummerzet are you fishing the River Isle or Tone?, if so I can tell you the pike up their have seen it all before, I fish from time to time at hambridge on the Isle and I used to experience similar days, little things like low resistance rings are a must, but the main thing that turned runs into fish was changing to smaller baits like small dead roach and trout, and smelt, small fresh sardines if mr Tesco has them .

I may be wrong but due to angling pressure on the small Somerset rivers I think the pike are very sus of big baits, they dont pick them up as confidently as the smaller baits. I no longer use any large sea baits on the Somerset rivers these days.

Try changing the bait and you will be suprised

 

Forgot to mention strike as soon as run develops as they do take the small baits confidently

 

[ 19. December 2003, 08:17 PM: Message edited by: Tony C ]

[Alan Pearce]

IMO the use of baitrunners are a no no when pike fishing unless using self hooking rigs, but thats anither story. Like wise barbless hooks, micro barbed are far superior. Location, location, location is everything. Find the fodder fish and you will find the pike are not too far away. Introduce a pint or two of maggots to hold the small fish in the area, sit tight and within the session the pike will arrive. The key is to hold the fodder fish / natural ground bait. Bear in mind though, pike like all fish can't be expected to feed all of the time. Like perch if they have just enjoyed a good gorge then their appetite will be satisfied. However even then a good live bait is seldom ignored for long, especially if there is more than one or two fish in the vicinity.

 

Outside of the above then you are fishing blind and in the hope of a fish coming along. This is where the lure angler scores, covering a lot of water and sooner or latter, bingo. The bait fish angler can also adopt the same tactics by keeping on the move and searching out the water, never spend more than 20 minutes in the same area. If pike are present and feeding a take will come within 10 minutes if not sooner, when the bait is cast out.

 

Best conditions I would suggest are bright windy days especially following a low pressure period. Try and avoid easterly winds if possible. As for dead baiting, up until December lamprey takes some beating along with naturals, thereafter in cold condition a fresh mackeral is king.

 

Alan.

[Lee-sox]

originaly posted by Howard 13

 

quote:

---

I've only been letting them run for about 5-10 seconds, should I let them have longer?

---

In my opinion 5-6 seconds is too long, I always strike into a run as soon as the alarm sounds, granted you might lose the odd fish but i would rather that than try to deal with a deep hooked pike , have you ever tried to remove trebles from a pikes gut? Trust me its not easy!

 

I really don't loose THAT many fish this way, probably 1 in 5 but too me that is accepable.

[Peter Waller]

I note Allan's rejection of the baitrunner for piking. I have never used one, let alone owned one. But I have looked into buying a bait runner for piking but could see no reason for purchase.

 

I really can't say what is the ideal run time. Sometimes the take is instant, and so is the strike. Another time the fish is clearly playing with the bait - its then a question of experience and feel. I don't like a loose line, as I think you would have in using a baitrunner. I like to feel what's going on down there, or see by using a float. Braids and a multiplier go along way to providing that 'feel'.

[Dick Dastardly]

Ditch the bait runner.Open bail arm and low resistance rigs are the way.

 

5-6 seconds too long? wouldnt catch much on some of the waters I fish/have fished if you think thats to long.Saying that any specific length of time will result in deep hooking or good hooking is totall rubbish.The correct timming of the strike is dependant on conditions,bait size,the time of year,way the bait is rigged in fact a hundred and one factors all of which vary from water to water.I beleive it is the single most important and complicated subject in Piking.

 

Without actually being along side you Howard when you are fishing I cant be 100% sure of the answer but as I said if you have tried delaying the strike in increasing increments with no joy then look to your rig and set up.

 

This is an often asked question to a common problem.The instant strike at all cost preachers do nothing to help guys in this position.Or the Pike that are subsequently damaged due to the frustration of missing so many runs

 

I sit back to await the lectures about deep hooking.

 

I know several good pikers whose opinions I value who dont like or have gone off semi barbed trebles but I still like them.I feel that a lot of hook hold problems revolve around the hook not going in properly in the first place rather than falling out due to lack of a barb.Barbless/semi barbed certainly(IMO) penetrate easier.Once again factors like what tackle you use,way you play a fish etc will all make a difference so you need to find what suits you best.