Pike fishing - when to strike?

[Errrm]

Hi,

 

I know this has been brought up before in this forum but I am slightly confused by something I saw recently. From what I have read you should 'strike' ( just wind into the fish? ) as soon as there is any indication of a bite, I generally float fish for pike is this first indication the float doing something weird i.e. moving when using a deadbait, or is it when it goes under? I assumed it meant before the float goes under when it has started moving off or has obviouly been pulled downwards by something, is this right? I then watched a Matt Hayes program on Discovery Real Time about a week ago inwhich he waits for the float to go under before striking.... have I understood it correctly, or should the first indication be the float going under?

 

Thanks

 

Errrm

[Andy_1984]

Hi,

 

I know this has been brought up before in this forum but I am slightly confused by something I saw recently. From what I have read you should 'strike' ( just wind into the fish? ) as soon as there is any indication of a bite, I generally float fish for pike is this first indication the float doing something weird i.e. moving when using a deadbait, or is it when it goes under? I assumed it meant before the float goes under when it has started moving off or has obviouly been pulled downwards by something, is this right? I then watched a Matt Hayes program on Discovery Real Time about a week ago inwhich he waits for the float to go under before striking.... have I understood it correctly, or should the first indication be the float going under?

 

Thanks

 

Errrm

 

generaly speaking you should strike when the float goes under, in my own experience a float bobbing about and getting tugged slightly isnt a 100% accurate indication of a hooked fish they could be sizing up the bait and seeing whats what. where as a float going right under would indicate to me that the fish has fully taken the bait and the hook. i tend to leave for a few seconds 3 at most (not long dont take all day) just to be on safe side then strike

[Errrm]

generaly speaking you should strike when the float goes under, in my own experience a float bobbing about and getting tugged slightly isnt a 100% accurate indication of a hooked fish they could be sizing up the bait and seeing whats what. where as a float going right under would indicate to me that the fish has fully taken the bait and the hook. i tend to leave for a few seconds 3 at most (not long dont take all day) just to be on safe side then strike

Ahhh ok thanks, that explains when to strike better.

[Anderoo]

There's no cut and dry answer to this one I'm afraid. It will depend on a lot of factors (like what method you're using, how deep you're fishing (if float fishing), how deep the water is, whether it's still or running water, how aggressive the pike are that day, how big your bait is), so if in doubt, bend into the fish and hope you're not too early - if you are, you can probably leave it a little longer on the next run.

 

If you're float fishing with a bait off the bottom or fishing a paternoster, the float will most likely go under. If you're fishing on the bottom, the float will often pull across the surface, especially in shallow water. When floatfishing, NEVER use a self cocking float, and never fish more than the length of your trace overdepth, otherwise sensitivity will be compromised. When lure fishing or wobbling baits, you'll know instanntly when a fish is on, although takes on wobbled deads can be delicate affairs. 'Runs' on leger rigs can be full-blooded or the tiniest of twitches, not even pulling the line from the clip. I'd suggest always using an alarm for piking, even when float fishing (except when using something like a roving livebait, when you'll need to watch the float constantly) because your eyes will wander and you can easily miss the first indications of a fish.

 

If you're reasonably sure a pike has taken your bait, reel down to it until you can't reel and more, and bend into it. If you pick up the rod and hold it at a right angle to the fish you will often (not always though!) feel the rod tip knocking - in that case, a pike definitely has the bait in its mouth.

 

I'd recommend using smallish baits when piking so you're not tempted to wait for a pike to get a big bait in its mouth before striking.

 

All this is much more obvious in still water.

 

If you're piking in the warmer weather, don't mess about. Get them in quick, unhook them quick and get them back safely.

[Grandma]

It all depends on how you're presenting the bait.

 

If you're fishing a float ledger then the float may not be able to go under because it's likely to be set a foot or so over depth. The float should be set so that it moves when the bait is picked up, in which case it will probably lift up or lie flat, then move along the surface. I'd normally check which way the float is moving, then stike in the opposite direction if possible.

 

If you're fishing a suspended free roving bait, then the float can get pulled under but it might not. It all depends on how fast the fish is moving, the depth of the water, the size of the pike etc. In any event I would do the same as before, and aim to strike in the opposite direction that the fish is heading.

 

Look at your bait sizes and hooking arrangements before you think of delaying the stike and even then don't delay the strike unless you seriously know what you're doing.

 

Anderoo beat me to it

[ColinW]

Strike when you think a pike has your bait in its mouth!

I tend to strike (wrong word) more quickly on deads because I'm not going to damage the bait by doing it, so I reckon I've got nothing to lose. If I miss, I can just cast back into the same place and the chances are the bait will get taken as it hits the water! I only ever use small fish as livebaits, so if I think I've got a bite I wind slowly and see if the float pulls across the top or pulls under. If the first then leave it, if the second, wind down and pull.

[Errrm]

It all depends on how you're presenting the bait.

 

If you're fishing a float ledger then the float may not be able to go under because it's likely to be set a foot or so over depth. The float should be set so that it moves when the bait is picked up, in which case it will probably lift up or lie flat, then move along the surface. I'd normally check which way the float is moving, then stike in the opposite direction if possible.

 

If you're fishing a suspended free roving bait, then the float can get pulled under but it might not. It all depends on how fast the fish is moving, the depth of the water, the size of the pike etc. In any event I would do the same as before, and aim to strike in the opposite direction that the fish is heading.

 

Look at your bait sizes and hooking arrangements before you think of delaying the stike and even then don't delay the strike unless you seriously know what you're doing.

 

Anderoo beat me to it

Thanks, for the advice. When you say 'delay the strike' when does it become delayed I guess is what I'm asking. At the moment I am not likely to be using anything too complicated there is a lot of weed currently in the pond I'm fishing expicially on the bottom so I am suspending a bait via a pike float at about half depth. From what I have read so far once the float has actually gone under anything after that would be considered a delayed strike, is this right?

 

The other method I might fish with is a buzzer using a simple ledger with a popper up bait to once again lift the dead bait above the weed, when does the bite become a delayed strike in this situation? After the pike has made a definate movement with the bait?

 

 

Thanks for the help everyone, even if I am a bit alow on the uptake

[Leon Roskilly]

When fishing a dead-bait, pike will sometimes snaffle the bait down without moving off.

 

Sometimes hardly moving the float at all, the 'take' can be almost imperceptible.

 

 

A pike doesn't push a bait around with it's snout, it opens it's mouth and takes it in.

 

If it feels resistance, it will sometimes drop the bait.

 

 

If the float is showing any sign of movement then it's time to set the hooks.

 

Waiting will often result either in the pike dropping the bait, or becoming deep hooked.

 

 

When float fishing livebait, it's often the case that the livebait will become lively as the pike approaches, pulling and tugging but unable to take the float under.

 

When the float goes under you know that a pike has taken the bait and is pulling it down.

 

 

Don't be afraid of lifting the rod too early, the action of pulling the livebait away from the pike could provoke a strike as the pike seems about to lose it's meal, and when you feel the resistance you know that a pike is on the other end

[Grandma]

Thanks, for the advice. When you say 'delay the strike' when does it become delayed I guess is what I'm asking. At the moment I am not likely to be using anything too complicated there is a lot of weed currently in the pond I'm fishing expicially on the bottom so I am suspending a bait via a pike float at about half depth. From what I have read so far once the float has actually gone under anything after that would be considered a delayed strike, is this right?

 

The other method I might fish with is a buzzer using a simple ledger with a popper up bait to once again lift the dead bait above the weed, when does the bite become a delayed strike in this situation? After the pike has made a definate movement with the bait?

Thanks for the help everyone, even if I am a bit alow on the uptake

 

If the float is moving or line is being taken on a ledger rig, then the pike has the bait in its jaws. Try using 'normal' sized baits of 6" or so and put some thought into how your hooks are arranged. If the fish is 4lbs or over, and you've arranged the hooks correctly, it should be possible to virtually gaurantee that it has at least one hook in its mouth the moment it picks up the bait.

 

You should hook most fish if you point the rod at the fish, tighten up and strike sideways, preferably in the opposite way to which the fish is moving. Obviously you can't tell which way it's travelling if you're using a running ledger, but it's best to strike before the fish has moved too far, otherwise when you try to tighten up, yards of line moving through the lead will often spook the fish into droping the bait, leaving you striking into thin air and thinking you should have given it longer! A semi fixed lead will get round this problem to some extent.

[Errrm]

If the float is moving or line is being taken on a ledger rig, then the pike has the bait in its jaws. Try using 'normal' sized baits of 6" or so and put some thought into how your hooks are arranged. If the fish is 4lbs or over, and you've arranged the hooks correctly, it should be possible to virtually gaurantee that it has at least one hook in its mouth the moment it picks up the bait.

 

You should hook most fish if you point the rod at the fish, tighten up and strike sideways, preferably in the opposite way to which the fish is moving. Obviously you can't tell which way it's travelling if you're using a running ledger, but it's best to strike before the fish has moved too far, otherwise when you try to tighten up, yards of line moving through the lead will often spook the fish into droping the bait, leaving you striking into thin air and thinking you should have given it longer! A semi fixed lead will get round this problem to some extent.

Ok thanks, I should be going fishing tomorrow night for a couple of hours after work so hopefully I'll have a chance to see how that works.

 

Errrm