Snapped by a big pike

[ColinW]

I think as weed builds up and tightens on the line there is enough friction to cause a breakage well below the breaking strain. Using a long up-trace will help as it tends to cut through the weed.

If you only had a single hook I would be very surprised if the fish didn't survive long enough to be re-captured and have the hook removed. Let's hope it's you that does it!

[Unimexsol]

Well, I didn't get the fish that snapped me up but I went a couple of nights ago and got an absolutely beautiful 10lb pike. Really interesting take - I could see that the bait fish was getting agitated but no sign of an actual bite, then very slowly the floati went still and then sank very gradually. For a second I thought that something had got snagged and was pulling the float under - it didn't look like a bite at all. Nonetheless I struck, better to strike and miss than to risk deep hooking. Lo and behold off the line went and after a brisk fight I had the most lovely and beautiful pike in the net.

 

TBH from the length of it I thought that it weighed more but the scales never lie -(although I'll be testing them with a bag of sugar at sometime soon!) 10lb bang on.

 

Hooked perfectly on a single in the corner of the mouth, unhooking took seconds. Another reminder as to why I use singles rather than trebles.

 

Perhaps I'll get the big one next time :-)

[Neil G]

Good result....a pike in good condition is always a good sight.

 

Know what you mean about the float...I tend to find the bigger fish (doubles) take baits confidently and cruise off with them resulting in the float just going slowly under rather than the 'nibbling' from Jacks.

 

Good luck catching the big 'un....probably still there in it's favorite hole/resting spot waiting for a meal

[Andy Macfarlane]

Sorry to be blunt but if you can't tell the difference between 11 pound line and 11 kilogram line and you aren't sure what exactly you have on your reel, you have no business going after pike in the first place.

[Brian Carragher]

Sorry to be blunt but if you can't tell the difference between 11 pound line and 11 kilogram line and you aren't sure what exactly you have on your reel, you have no business going after pike in the first place.

 

I know you're a chef Andy but you were'nt eating raw meat before posting that were you

 

Bit strong for someone seeking advice for future fishing trips, nodody and I mean nobody gets it right during their first few piking trips especially those for whom some kind of coaching or advice is not readily available or even non existent as in this case

[Unimexsol]

Thank you for that Brian. I am confident that the tackle that I use is strong enough for the fishing that I do. With this being the first time that I've been snapped up I wanted some constructive suggestions as to why it had happened this time and the responses that I've had so far have been both helpful and informative.

[Grandma]

Thank you for that Brian. I am confident that the tackle that I use is strong enough for the fishing that I do. With this being the first time that I've been snapped up I wanted some constructive suggestions as to why it had happened this time and the responses that I've had so far have been both helpful and informative.

 

Unimexsol - you may be aware that opinion is divided over the merits of summer piking, but the general consensus is summer bait fishing for them on shallow weedy waters can be detrimental to stocks of larger pike, because the oxygen levels tend to be lower in shallow weedy waters.

 

It is generally thought you can reduce the risks to some degree by pulling them in as quickly as possible, rather than playing them, and then making sure they are out of the water for seconds rather than minutes.

 

Bait fishing can therefore be a problem, because the rods aren't usually powerful enough to bully them in. Furthermore they sometimes swallow the bait which means unhooking becomes complicated and takes longer.

 

I appreciate we haven't had the warmest of summers, but the crux of the matter is that bait gear is far from ideal for dragging energetic pike through heavy weed cover. Bait rods tend to be long, bendy and the lack leverage. In my opinion, the fact that you were snapped shows your gear is not up to the job. I'd suggest you consider dropping the bait tactics, until the weed dies back.

 

You could try a heavy jerkbait setup with 80lb+ braid and a short rod, to lever the fish out of the weed. I guess you could even fish baits on such a set up, but like I said earlier deep hooking may be a problem.

[Unimexsol]

Thanks for that Grandma,

 

I almost exclusively fish in the local canal where due to the presence of regular boat traffic there are areas where the water is both deep and weed free. Due to the constant flow and the regular opening of the loch gates I would imagine the water to be quite well airated.

 

I am aware of the arguements regarding summer piking and to try and negate this I only fish in the late evening or at night when I have been led to believe that the negative effects are minimised.

 

Interestingly about the deadbait v livebait debate I have read that summer pike are more likely to swallow deadbaits quickly and whole leading to deephooking rather than with livebaiting where the pike has to make a take thus giving the angler a better chance of avoiding deephooking. To try and counteract any risk of deephooking I always strike as quickly as possible, even when I'm not convinced that the bait has been taken.

 

As to the actual fight, I always try to get a pike into the bank as quickly as possible, I am quite a bully when it comes to landing them. I also unhook the pike as quickly as possible and return it to the water by holding it in the water until it has recovered enough to swim off of its own accord.

 

Now that the answers have led to me finding the likely cause of the snap (split shot damaging the line) I have taken action to remedy this and have taken the opportunity to inspect the rest of the line and remove any that I thought may have possibly been subjected to any type of weakening or damage.

 

Anyway, enough of me justifying my fishing, thank you all for the positive and constructive points that you have raised.

[Grandma]

Fair enough Unimexsol.

 

If you don't change anything else, then it's still worth switching to braid, because it will cut through weed more effectively wheras mono will stretch before it cuts. You need a decent braid though, 50lb power-pro is ideal for bait fishing, it's no thicker than 12lb mono, but it's obviously much stronger and it will last for several seasons.

 

Reading your original post again, you suggest that the line parted between the lump of weed and the fish, because you were able to pull the weed in. It sounds like the pike was effectively tethered to the weed and was able to break the line, because there was only a short length between it and the weed bed.

 

I really think braid would have made the difference, because it wouldn't have snapped under those circumstances. Either the hook would have straigtened or you would have landed the fish, either way you would've got your rig back.

[Unimexsol]

Again, braid v mono - I read advice somewhere that I should not use braid as it was more likely to result in a tethered fish. I'm not exactly sure where I read it but I think that it was on here somewhere.

 

What are other peoples perceptions of using braid.