Boxing Day Piking

[BoozleBear]

Yesterday I went on the family traditional boxing day fishing trip to the canal in Wiltshire. I took my son, Jack (11) and also went with my brother in law (and friend) Greg and we met up with his mate Craig as well.

 

We started fishing at around 11am, with each of Greg, Craig and I going for 1 rod on float ledgered dead (sprat on 1, mackerel on others), and 1 rod for spinning or fly. When I was spinning, Jack was on the deadbait rod, and vice versa.

 

The action started within about 10 minutes of the first cast. Craig re-cast his bait towards an area where we'd seen a tell tell pike-strike splash, and soon his float was off, but the fish droppped the bait and got away with it.

 

That ended up being the theme of the day.

 

There were catches too though thank goodness. Craig caught a couple of Jacks, Greg caught 3 or 4 pike and was please that he caught 1 on a fly, 1 on a dead and 1 on s spinner. I caught a perch on a spinner on my last cast. No perch was bigger than 1lb, no pike more than about 3lb. Having said that the fish were all in beautiful condition and were very lively fighters.

 

But here's the thing, the amnount of dropped runs. Greg has fished the stretch for about the last 15 years and caught hundreds of pike over that time, and even he said the conversion rates were very poor.

 

I felt most sorry for Jack, who across a 5 hour session was very patient and dealt with runs well when he hand them. He wound down nicely, struck strongly, but 4 times he had a fish on and 4 times it shook the bait off before it got to the net. The mackerel used was the tail end of a joey. Greg had the same experience on sprats 4 or 5 times at least, Craig had such bad luck as well, and I myslef had a fish on 5 or 6 times and only got one on the bank.

 

It's obvious there were a lot of Jacks about on the stretch, but what was weird were the amount of runs that we had and the low amount of fish on the bank. Greg thought that perhaps the fish were just messing around with the baits rather than trying to wolf them down, which makes sense.

 

Perhaps days like this just happen. Always better that the rod bends than doesn't, but frustrating when you think of the day it could have been, and when I think of just how much heavier those fish that didn't make it to the bank seemed!

 

Gutted for Jack that he blanked, but glad he saw some action in good company.

 

I'd be happy to hear your thoughts and theories.

 

Cheers,

 

Simon

[The Flying Tench]

Thanks for an interesting post, Simon, and sorry that jack didn't put a jack (!) or pike on the bank. At least it will mean all the more when he next does!

 

I can't answer your query cos I'm a less experienced piker than yourself, but did you read the recent thread on hook-up ratio when wobbling? Some useful stuff, I felt. One advantage of days when things go (partly) wrong is that it puts the mind in critical mode, and even if you can't answer the immediate question it can result in fine-tuning your approach.

 

As a result of the above wobbling thread I have decided on 3 things:

 

1) To strike sideways and low (even though there wasn't a consensus on this one. I don't know what your view is?)

 

2) to get a better hook-sharpener

 

3) to make up my snap tackles so the lower treble goes in at least half-way down the side of the fish. This didn't come up in the thread, but part of the issue seems to be that when a pike grabs a wobbled (or other?) bait it is normally sideways on. If you wait there is a risk of deep hooking, or the pike dropping the bait, but if you strike straight away neither hook may be in the pike's mouth. I went yesterday ( had my first fish on a side-planer - just a 3lb fish, but very welcome as a first on a new approach), but the bait was a moderately big smelt - not enormous by any means - one hook was in the lip, the other was around the gills, so a small pike could easily have grapped the bait and both hooks could have been out one end of its mouth. I'm now goint to err on the side of having too long a distance between the hooks, as you can always wind the wire round a small bait, but you can't make the distance longer.

[BoozleBear]

Thanks for an interesting post, Simon, and sorry that jack didn't put a jack (!) or pike on the bank. At least it will mean all the more when he next does!

 

I can't answer your query cos I'm a less experienced piker than yourself, but did you read the recent thread on hook-up ratio when wobbling? Some useful stuff, I felt. One advantage of days when things go (partly) wrong is that it puts the mind in critical mode, and even if you can't answer the immediate question it can result in fine-tuning your approach.

 

As a result of the above wobbling thread I have decided on 3 things:

 

1) To strike sideways and low (even though there wasn't a consensus on this one. I don't know what your view is?)

 

2) to get a better hook-sharpener

 

3) to make up my snap tackles so the lower treble goes in at least half-way down the side of the fish. This didn't come up in the thread, but part of the issue seems to be that when a pike grabs a wobbled (or other?) bait it is normally sideways on. If you wait there is a risk of deep hooking, or the pike dropping the bait, but if you strike straight away neither hook may be in the pike's mouth. I went yesterday ( had my first fish on a side-planer - just a 3lb fish, but very welcome as a first on a new approach), but the bait was a moderately big smelt - not enormous by any means - one hook was in the lip, the other was around the gills, so a small pike could easily have grapped the bait and both hooks could have been out one end of its mouth. I'm now goint to err on the side of having too long a distance between the hooks, as you can always wind the wire round a small bait, but you can't make the distance longer.

 

That's an interesting post, thanks. I always strike sideways, in the opposite direction to which the pike is moving.

 

I think it may have been a hook issue as I'd used the trace before. Having said that they were coming off on the lures as well (1 fight then lost for me, plus 2 or 3 fruitless but hard knocks).

 

Greg changed his trace to a new one and caught straight afterwards, but still had drops after that, as did Craig who was on a new and sharp set up.

 

I agree about how they take the bait. Twice I retreived a bait after a wee battle with a fish and found that the opposite side to the hooks had been munched. I changes the set up slightly so I had a trebble on each side, but still no luck.

 

I'd expect this amount of drop-offs with wobbling but not with deads.

 

Cheers,

 

Simon

[Andrew Burgess]

After reading the post and just wondering how far the hooks are set on the wire trrace? It is one of home made traces or shop brought?

[benhben]

I went out wobbling today. 1st cast had a good bite, waited afew seconds anmd struck. Fish got off after about 10 seconds.

 

2nd or 3rd cast to same area another bite (Same fish). Gave it a little longer and struck again, on for afew seconds and got off.

 

bites dried up i swim so moved to the next basin. Again a bite within 5 casts, Gave this much longer, struck, set my drag lower, fish went on a run rite accross swim, spat the bait on the other side. Left my wobbled smelt in shreds.

 

Dont know what was happening. Landed 2 out of 2 bites on wobbled roach last time. Thought my hooks might have been too small (sz 8) so switched to a trace with bigger trebles but never had another bite. Must have disturbed the swim.

 

Bad technique? Bad luck? or just one of them days? Frustrated is the word lol

[Ken L]

I have to say that I don't go pike fishing on Boxing day anymore.

As I've said before, there's something about having a day where its traditional to fish for pike that brings out the worst kind of idiots in search of old Essox.

Beachcasters, 15 year old 40lb mono and gorge tactics along with unhooking aids like a size 10 boot and a pointy stick get me to the point where I want to punch people, which is hardly in keeping with the suposed spirit of the season.

 

I'm glad you managed a nice day out and avoided the idiots but I'm sure you're a better bait angler (for pike) than I'll ever be, so I wouldn't presume to offer suggestions.

 

One thing that I will be trying on the river next year though is sardines fished on a Varivas Big Mouth 4/0 "Piggy Back" hook. They're a bit big for sprats but with a bit of "Ghost Cocoon" to help hold the bait on, they should give me great hook exposure.

[BoozleBear]

After reading the post and just wondering how far the hooks are set on the wire trrace? It is one of home made traces or shop brought?

 

The hooks were about 2.5 inches away from each other on a trace of about 1 and a half foot in length. Trace was hand made by my friend Greg, who knows his piking.

 

Just to add, we went again on New Years Eve. Only 3 pike on the bank, but 3 pike from 3 runs. And a perch on the lure. And not a dropped run in sight. On the same kind of traces. In fact I think the one I used then was the one Greg had on Boxing Day!

[Neil G]

Glad you've had some good piking over the Christmas period Boozlebear...my piking 'season' has gone pretty poorly with not much to show for a good few days out over the Christmas break.

 

TBH I'm actually thinking of hanging up the pike gear until march, seems to me that this pike 'season' has a lot to do with individual weights of fish and not actually good sport

[Houseplant]

don't know what you all mean by 'striking' and don't want to teach anyone to suck eggs, but i don't strike for pike in the traditional sense, just tighten up and hold if the fish is running. if it isn't running, then a gentle sweep in the opposite direction usually does the trick. the benefit is that you normally (but not always) get a good idea of whether you have a hook hold or not. if not and the fish comes off, then i just leave the bait where it is and mr pike normally comes back for more.

Edited January 3, 2008 by Sipadan

[BoozleBear]

don't know what you all mean by 'striking' and don't want to teach anyone to suck eggs, but i don't strike for pike in the traditional sense, just tighten up and hold if the fish is running. if it isn't running, then a gentle sweep in the opposite direction usually does the trick. the benefit is that you normally (but not always) get a good idea of whether you have a hook hold or not. if not and the fish comes off, then i just leave the bait where it is and mr pike normally comes back for more.

 

I understand what you mean but have lost too many fish with the non-striking / soft pull approach in the past. I always go for the opposite direction, a decent method to say the least.