whats the deepest uv had contact with a pike?

[AndyY]

ok so it winter time and the pike should be in deeper water but how deep? After blanking yeterday from 10ft of water to 50tf. I rarely fish deeper than 20ft btw. I'm just wondering what is the deepest uv had contact with a pike now this must have been on the bottom or the deepest uv had a float set. Mine is only 17ft but was floated over 70ft of water. So how deep do they go????

[Dick Dastardly]

On a lot of the big lochs it was always the unwritten law that you trolled the 30' contour.Ive long since sacked this! Deepest Ive actually hooked a pike is at 50' whilst fishing for Ferrox.I have caught them many time "over" deeper water on shallow fished baits.

[lutra]

I'm not an expert on pike, but i should think visibility has a big part to play in this one. As Budgie says you can get them quite deep on the big lochs and indeed the lakes in the Lake District, but they mostly have good clear water quality. I should also think on brighter day they will go deeper if that is where the food is.

[Jim Murray]

35 foot in the Winter on Lomond. Down where their food is.

[noodle996]

35 foot in the Winter on Lomond. Down where their food is.

 

90 something feet, then had the same fish later (day or couple of days memory fading) at around 20ft depth

[wayne baker]

The deepest i have taken a pike is just over 40 feet. At one of my local resivoirs.

[AndyY]

Hi thanks for the replies think for the deeper water I'm goin to try some trollin with one of they dipsydivers just need find a rod to suit now?????Budgie did you not have much success trolling 30ft as this was my next approach 30,35,40,45 n hopefully 50 just to cover the ranges we cant get baits to as we can only really anchor in 30ft water max. Just remember also Ive had pike in 35ft of water off the bottom at lomond totaly gone from my memory there. Has anyone any experience with a dipsydiver n do u think it would take a magdawg down.(should this be another thread?)

 

Thanks again for the quick responses we only got 4 months a cold weather left i need to learn fast.

 

noodle 90 ft now that scary u mustve had about 300ft of rope were u told the pike were there or did u just take a chance just it seems a lotta effort just to be takin a chance how long did u fish it was it 1 fish for a long time spent i.e more than a day session. or did u only fish it once and catch that fish. have u fished they depths again with any results?

Edited December 1, 2008 by AndyY

[Dick Dastardly]

Andy my reply was a bit misleading now Ive re read it.The 30' contour is a good pike zone on a lot of the deeper waters as a lot of the prey fish are rarely found deeper.Obviously on waters where char or powan are the main prey the pike will go deeper to find them.What I meant was more that the numbers of pike Ive taken a lot deeper (often accidently while Ferrox fishing) have taught me not to be so dogmatic about the 30' contour and all the written information about it and pike location.Just brings me back top my main principle of pike location (well feeding pike anyway!) and thats to locate the prey fish.

 

Ive used both Dipsey Divers, Kusumo diving vanes and leadcore line to fish deep with lures but to be honest you cand beat a down rigger. If the budget doesnt extend to even the most less expensive one dont worry as in my early deep trolling days my various home made ones worked fine.

 

As for a rod for use with Dipsey Divers etc then the US is your answer but I have use 12lb class sea boat rods before and they can be ok.

[AndyY]

Hi thanks agin for the quick reply

 

A downrigger does look simpler but at 200 quid i think i may try get some experiance with a dipsy first incase i dont stick with it Ive got to budget a bit as unfortunately im unemployed at the moment but i dont go to the pub or gamble so any money i can save goes to my fishin luckily the benefits we recieve these days makes this possible without havin to buy the nasty stuff.

 

Just wondering if u have tried trolling either dawgs or magdawgs with a dipsy? does it work or does the dawg cause the dipsy to flip? I'm hopin to be ready for january gona try the moonphase this month n target feeding pike wi baits but want to be deepwater trollin next month. These are the rods I have been recommended from p&p forum Daiwa Wilderness 8 6"ft med heavy £31.20 or the 9'6". these look the biz to me and at a very reasonable price.

 

Also what is the best way to notice a take when trolling as i usualy hold the rod what are u looking for when using rests do u set the drag do u watch the rod tip do you do both or can u attatch somethin at the reel like the elastic band idea for deadbaitin any tips at all I seen a trout salmon trollerman using like a bit of mild steel on a hinge to his boat with the line placed between a velcro strap n when he got a bite it pulled the line out only prob with this is it was his own boat so he couls permanently secure it on unfortunately im using hired boats.

 

leadcore: what length are u usually adding does it make a significant difference i will be using 65 or 80lb powerpro can i use this straight through???

 

phew this just keeps throwin up more questions...Many thanks

 

Andy

Edited December 1, 2008 by AndyY

[Dick Dastardly]

Ive only ever used spoons with a DD or a Kusumo diving vane. Not sure how a Dawg would affect either to be honest.But that said they are definately the type of lure you should be looking at for trolling ie ones that have an inbuilt action that requires only a straight "retrieve".

 

With leadcore Ive always used a full leadcore trolling line (easily brought from the US mail order firms such as Cabelas or Bass Pro) these are coloured every few metres so you have an indication as to how much line you have out.It comes in several different sizes/breaking strains.

 

Bite detection/indication varies on the method Im using but for example my normal (exploritory) trolling set up will be one rod of the stern mounted in a downrigger.This rod will be "wound down to the ball weight" so any take results in the rod springing back.Another rod will be supported on the port side in a holder and would have a lure running on mono.Here the rod bending round indicates a fish! (or a snag of course!!! so insure that the drag is set so that its tight as can be but will slip before the rod is damaged. On the otherside I may have the same or more normally a rod with leadcore on that I will either hold or have in a rest.Indication then will obviously be feel or the rod tip.

 

I tend to troll quite slowly so "gun" the outboard to set the hooks proberly or strike if holding the rod. Often once Ive found a good taking/holding depth I will just fish two rods at the same depth/with the same method.

 

It can be quite hard work and take a lot more concentration than most would believe to run several lures at different depths! Not the laid back lazy method many think.

 

Its a massive subject that doesnt have a lot wrote about it (UK anyway) but please feel free to ask any questions and if its something Ive experienced I will gladly help.

 

In the case of hire boats I simply mount everything on G clamps.