New To Piking

[smeaguk]

Is it better to have your dead baits fixed to the bottom or is it better to pop it up a bit on a float ?

[kleinboet]

I usually fish on the bottom and use a float (free running) as an indicator to where my line is as the line must be free running for the Pike to take.

you can also 'sink and draw' a dead bait and some people insist that popping it on a float is best.

I think it's a matter of 'horses for courses'

 

Tight lines

[Peter Waller]

Go to http://www.pacgb.com

[Suffolk Lad]

quote:

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Originally posted by smeaguk:

Is it better to have your dead baits fixed to the bottom or is it better to pop it up a bit on a float ?

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I think you might be getting in a muddle here You don't need a float to pop-up a deadbait when necessary e.g. fishing over very soft weed.

 

There's no better or best method; it just depends where and how the pike are feeding and that's where you need to place your bait.

 

Static deadbaits on the bottom are the commonest and easiest method, but sink & draw will often give you the edge over bottom or popped-up baits, simply because you'll cover a much bigger area

 

If you want to use a float and to cover a wide area with your deadbait, use a drifter float when there's a half-decent wind; I'm assuming that you're not talking about pike fishing from a boat

 

[ 11. December 2003, 10:02 AM: Message edited by: Suffolk Lad ]

[Steve Burke]

There's no "right" answer, as it depends on conditions and the swim you're fishing to name but two. It also depends on the venue. For instance at Wingham baits hard on the bottom don't usually do as well as popped-up ones or midwater ones. However, occasionally it's very much the other way around!

 

Above all, try both methods on your waters and compare the results. That's the beauty of using 2 rods. But do both at once to get a fair comparison rather than on different trips. Also, when testing an idea out make sure everything else is identical as otherwise you won't know what's making a difference. It sounds obvious, but you'll learn a lot more quickly this way.

[Suffolk Lad]

quote:

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Originally posted by Steve Burke:

There's no "right" answer, as it depends on conditions and the swim you're fishing to name but two. It also depends on the venue. For instance at Wingham baits hard on the bottom don't usually do as well as popped-up ones or midwater ones. However, occasionally it's very much the other way around!

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Are you the same bloke I saw on telly? I think you were sitting down lure fishing for perch and maybe pike and you said that lure fishing in the winter is a waste of time, or am I confusing you with someone else?

[Steve Burke]

Yes, you may well have seen me on telly. However, it wasn't me who said lure fishing is a waste of time in winter. It's better in the summer as fish are more active then, but I do an awful lot of lure fishing in winter!

[Suffolk Lad]

quote:

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Originally posted by Steve Burke:

Yes, you may well have seen me on telly. However, it wasn't me who said lure fishing is a waste of time in winter. It's better in the summer as fish are more active then, but I do an awful lot of lure fishing in winter!

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As a matter of interest, why do you sit down when you're lure fishing? Seems very odd to me. I thought one of the things about lure fishing is that it's a very effective mobile method that means that you cover a lot of water.

 

Also, to me, the lures you were using or recommending for perch seem massive. Do they catch big perch for you? i.e. what's your winter PB perch on one of those big lures?

 

Maybe this is where I've been going wrong all these years, using lures that are far too small? :confused:

 

[ 13. December 2003, 03:12 PM: Message edited by: Suffolk Lad ]

[Steve Burke]

The reason for sitting down is simply that I'm disabled. The high stool folds into a walking stick, and using it means that I'm not too tired to cover a lot of swims in a session.

 

I'm not sure what my pb perch on a big lure is as I'm not one for playing the numbers game. However my best winter bag of specimen perch on such lures was 10 in a day with only 1 under 2lbs. They were caught from deep water so were in distress. As a result I weighed just one of the others, which were all very much the same size, and that went 2lbs 15ozs.

 

As I explained on the program, perch have huge mouths for their size. My standard size of live/deadbait for perch is 5". With smaller ones I catch too many perch under a pound, let alone lots of tench and carp on small deadbaits!

 

Most of the lures I use for big perch are between 3 & 5 inches long. However, there are times when a smaller lure is preferable, even for the specimens, and I won't hesitate to use them if necessary. Moreover, if it's a lot of perch you want rather than than the big girls, you may well have more success with smaller lures anyway.

[Suffolk Lad]

quote:

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Originally posted by Steve Burke:

The reason for sitting down is simply that I'm disabled. The high stool folds into a walking stick, and using it means that I'm not too tired to cover a lot of swims in a session.

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Right, that explains it.

 

quote:

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Originally posted by Steve Burke:

I'm not sure what my pb perch on a big lure is as I'm not one for playing the numbers game. However my best winter bag of specimen perch on such lures was 10 in a day with only 1 under 2lbs. They were caught from deep water so were in distress. As a result I weighed just one of the others, which were all very much the same size, and that went 2lbs 15ozs.

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Nice fish, very nice.

 

 

quote:

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Originally posted by Steve Burke:

As I explained on the program, perch have huge mouths for their size. My standard size of live/deadbait for perch is 5". With smaller ones I catch too many perch under a pound, let alone lots of tench and carp on small deadbaits!

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I suppose the logic is that lures for perch should be the same size as a dead or livebait

 

quote:

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Originally posted by Steve Burke:

Most of the lures I use for big perch are between 3 & 5 inches long. However, there are times when a smaller lure is preferable, even for the specimens, and I won't hesitate to use them if necessary. Moreover, if it's a lot of perch you want rather than than the big girls, you may well have more success with smaller lures anyway.

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A 3-inch lure doesn't seem too big but a 5-inch one does seem large, but I've just this minute measured the largest lure I use on my venues for perch and, including the length of lip and the tail treble, it measures 4.5 inches, although it doesn't weigh much.

 

Interesting stuff. Thanks.