Pike Fishing?

[Dick Dastardly]

Rigg'd thats just a standard float rig without the trace attached.Have you done any float fishing for other species?

[Neil G]

I will second Andys remarks re self cocking floats..don't use them for deadbaiting.

 

On most days there is a small amount of drift/wind which will tighten your line so the float is in direct contact with the bait, any thing which moves the bait will show on the float.

 

Most deadbaits will sink fairly slowly (slower than a lead weight) and this can be used to advantage if the bottom is weedy etc.

 

Den

 

I'll second that too, don't use them

 

As for lure fishing IMO it's the best way to relaly hunt/find pike on rivers but can be hard work flogging away if your not catching!

[Andy Macfarlane]

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l178/DanDanUK/pikerig2.jpg

 

do u reckon i could lure-fish? im in surrey ottershaw

 

Good, that's basically the same rig I showed in the 'Hooklinks' picture. Everything I wrote already applies.

[Rigg'd]

Thats very true mate! I often chose to lure fish (allthough it might not necesarilly be the best choice for the day) to keep active and be able to travel light.

 

Right so should i go for a crankbait lure? because they will be at the bottom surely?

[Rigg'd]

the lake is moderatly populated with 20+ pike i am going to lure fish is that a good idea?

[Andy Macfarlane]

I prefer shads on jig heads or lures like Storm Naturalistics or Wildeye lures for fishing deep water in cold weather. I'll give you a copy of a reply I did for another forum on a similar subject. It might give you some ideas on how to fish jigs, shads and swim-bait type lures.

 

"Fishing With Shads" by Andy Macfarlane

 

"Shads are my favourite deep-water piking lures. In winter, small shads and swim-baits around the 4" mark are my first line of attack but they'll work at other times of the year, when the pike are lying up, staying low, avoiding bright sunshine or basically just having a snooze. In the warmer months, I'll use larger swim-baits to reflect their larger diet intake. Fishing them is much the same though. Here are 5 ways to get you started. I'm working on what I believe to be a completely new lure fishing method but that's for another time. I'm going piking in the morning, instead of just talking about it!!...LOL!

1: The first way I fish them is to simply cast them out and let the hit the bottom, counting down as I go. Take a second or two off your count and you'll be fishing close to the bottom. Simply wind your bait in, varying your speed as you go, adding a little dart, hang or pause but basically, it's a straight retrieve. Dead easy.

2: If that doesn't work, I'll get my lure down same as before but this time, I want to fish the lure sink and draw style. Allowing the bait to rise and fall in the water column, gives you a good chance of attracting the attentions of a fish, no matter what depth they're sitting at, so try to make that lure seen at all depths and remember to throw those odd little moves into the retrieve.

3: If I'm absolutely sure the fish are hard on the bottom, I'll take the belly treble off altogether and gang the treble onto the back single or/and use a stinger arrangement. This allows me to put my bait right on the bottom without too much fear of finding a snag. Once you've cast out, hold the rod up high, tighten up and simply give your reel handle a crank, two cranks or 3 cranks and let it hit the bottom again. Keep a tight line all the time, as pike will often flare their gills and literally inhale your lure right off the bottom while it's motionless. You can allow your bait to pause for a few seconds. Repeat the cranking action again and basically what you're trying to do is hop your bait along the bottom, kicking up muck, detritus and hopefully create a little sound too.

4: If you're drifting over deep water, you can jig swim-baits along the bottom, using the drift of the boat to provide the lure's forward motion. All you're doing is giving the lure it's up and down motion. This is probably the laziest action but it can be very effective.

5: By taking the weight or jig-head off your bait, you can fish shads and similar lures in the same way as wobbled baits. The only weight is the lure itself. What you're trying to do this time, is mimic the action of an injured fish, perhaps with swim-bladder problems. A lot of folk go to a lot of bother trying to get unweighted shads to keep an even keel but I think that's defeating the point. Fish with buoyancy problems can't keep an even keel. That's why they're on the pike's menu. Cast the lure, let it sink to the desired depth, again keeping a tight line and then start to add little glimmers of 'life'. You've seen the last throws of life, when a fish is really struggling. That's exactly what you want. Be vigilant when doing this as pike will often watch injured prey, just waiting for the perfect moment to launch their attack. Very often it'll come right under your feet."

[Dick Dastardly]

the lake is moderatly populated with 20+ pike i am going to lure fish is that a good idea?

 

Wish I could find a lake like that Rigg'd !

 

To start lure fishing I reckon that spoons or soft plastics are the easiest place to start. Both comparatively easy to work and ideal for fishing at a variety of depths.Let me know if you want the names of a couple of basic types to start with.

 

But before even thinking of casting out have you found someone to show you handling techniques yet?

[Rigg'd]

Wish I could find a lake like that Rigg'd !

 

To start lure fishing I reckon that spoons or soft plastics are the easiest place to start. Both comparatively easy to work and ideal for fishing at a variety of depths.Let me know if you want the names of a couple of basic types to start with.

 

But before even thinking of casting out have you found someone to show you handling techniques yet?

 

Yep my mate has found it, known for pike.

Yea could you give me a name of one that could be in my local shop??

Lol yea dont worry i know how to handle the pike.

[Peter Waller]

Lol yea dont worry i know how to handle the pike.

 

You also said at the start of this thread:

'im turning to have a go at pike fishing for the first time.'

 

As I said, carp ain't pike. Carp anglers don't necessarily make good pike anglers, unfortunately. Budgie's advice is sound. Biggest difference, apart from teeth, is that pike are not self hooking.

[Neil G]

You also said at the start of this thread:

'im turning to have a go at pike fishing for the first time.'

 

As I said, carp ain't pike. Carp anglers don't necessarily make good pike anglers, unfortunately. Budgie's advice is sound. Biggest difference, apart from teeth, is that pike are not self hooking.

 

Very true, not an issue of just changing a boilie to a dead then nipping off to the other side of the lake for a chat