New to Pike fishing

[Chris W]

Sorry for all the question, but whats the issue with Braided line? A few places we have looked at say "no braided line".

 

I get that pike have some serrious teeth on them, but have seen Shad caught on 8lb braided with no issues... I will be looking for a nice wire trace either way.

Got to also start removing barbs from my hooks as well (always wanted a reason to fish barbless )

[Neil G]

Some fisheries have these stupid rules regarding braid, it should be premoted for pike fishing as who wants to snap off and leave a big lure in a pikes mouth meaning it can't feed properly.

 

Easy enough for baliffs to check/police as well as pretty obvious if your lure fishing or not

[Chris W]

Glad to see we are not the only ones confussed by this. I can only suspect its more for carp and other similar fish and they have just blanketed it and said no to all.

 

My brother is harping on about "pike will not bite through braid", can/do they?

[Anderoo]

Glad to see we are not the only ones confussed by this. I can only suspect its more for carp and other similar fish and they have just blanketed it and said no to all.

 

My brother is harping on about "pike will not bite through braid", can/do they?

 

Yes, even easier than through mono. This is referring to braided mainline. Always use a wire trace or you will get bitten off.

[Andy_1984]

pike wont bite through braid its when the braid rubs off the teeth it gets cut very easily. try with a pair of pliers to cut braid, after that get another bit of braid and make it tight and run a sharp knife over it to see how easy it is. so yeah use a wire trace for sure.

 

as for handling the pike. i dont use nets at all they to me cause more trouble than its worth as they do something like crocs (death roll) and get them self in an awful mess.

 

lift the head out of the water slightly and insert fingers through the gills(read up on this there are some articles on anglers net just search for handling pike) lift them and support the middle of the pike. ive seen people hold them by the tail while holding them through the gills whilst the bulk of a pikes weight just hangs like a fat belly. also dont dangle large pike by the gills.

[Neil G]

Glad to see we are not the only ones confussed by this. I can only suspect its more for carp and other similar fish and they have just blanketed it and said no to all.

 

My brother is harping on about "pike will not bite through braid", can/do they?

 

I can see the reason for banning it for carp, tench etc but for lure fishing I'd say strong braid (Powerpro, Whiplash, Cortland) is the safest line to use. As for the business end traces are a must, I've just started using Carboflex wire (30lb) and it seems to hold up to a few fish before going to tangly to use.

 

Agree with Andy on handling pike, I never hold biggger fish 10+ plus just by the gills, always try and support them underneath as well

[IanBass]

I know its advertising but, there is a very good book called The Fox Guide To Modern Pike Fishing. Yes its a book advertising all Fox products for pike fishing BUT Mick Brown does offer very good advice and there are some super pictures on how to set yourself up. Its £12 but in my humble opinion, for the beginner its brilliant. I learnt a lot from it.

[Neil G]

I know its advertising but, there is a very good book called The Fox Guide To Modern Pike Fishing. Yes its a book advertising all Fox products for pike fishing BUT Mick Brown does offer very good advice and there are some super pictures on how to set yourself up. Its £12 but in my humble opinion, for the beginner its brilliant. I learnt a lot from it.

 

DVD is pretty good too, even as a seasoned piker I found it entertaining to watch, Mick Brown is a Legend.

[Leon Roskilly]

lift the head out of the water slightly and insert fingers through the gills

 

er, not 'through the gills' per se.

 

That way you are likely to damage the gill rakers, (and end up 'gill-raked' yourself).

 

What you need to do is find the chin bone and grasp that (get someone to show you how).

 

(Also be very aware of where the hooks are, it's so easy to stick your fingers in and find that your hand is now trapped within on the sharp points of a treble - not good, not good at all!)

 

With head lifted, and body supported in the water, the pike usually lays still and unhooking is easier than on land.

 

But sometimes it's just not possible to deal with the pike in the water (steep bank and deep water), meaninging that you have to bring the pike on land for unhooking.

 

With regard to a wire trace, as budgie says they can flare their gills and suck in a lure deep down, especially a large pike, so make sure that the trace is at least 18" long, that way there is far less risk of losing a very big pike with a lure and sets of trebles down its throat, resulting in its eventual death through starvation.

 

The reason that many waters ban braid is that with its lack of stretch it can act as a wire cheese cutter, cutting into a fish's flesh.

 

Those carp waters that do allow braid sometimes insist that a mono trace be used as a buffer to prevent this, though when lure fishing you want wire in contact with the pike, not mono!

Edited September 19, 2008 by Leon Roskilly

[Andy_1984]

your right leon my appologies for the misleading post not best choice of wording on my behalf