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| Before I discuss tactics please remind yourself of how fragile the pike is, fish welfare and handling is paramount so ensure that you use an unhooking mat at all times, lush soft grass will do in the case of an emergency and if you’ve never caught one of these majestic beasts before - go as a guest with someone who knows what they are doing and can educate you on how to handle them, after all - walking into A & E with a large pike attached to your person via a hook is more than a little embarrassing I can only imagine. |
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| Bait |
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As much as I enjoy other methods for catching Esox Lucius, deadbaiting still rates as one of my favourite ways of tempting these toothy scavengers.
You can use commercially frozen coarse deadbaits such as roach and small bream, both readily available from most tackle shops. Many top pikers I know put lamprey high up on their must have bait list for pike - but trout, sardines, smelt and mackerel are also on offer too. Sea baits are frowned upon by other purists - yet I have found freshly obtained ones from fishmongers, such as mackerel, sardines and herring are just as great to use. My best results have come to mackerel halves cut slightly diagonally to give a bigger surface area of flavour release, sometimes I will cut a couple of partial fillets leaving the broad end still attached to the body to create a flapper which substantially increases the rubby dubby effect. |
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| Terminal Tackle |
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| I recommend a treble that is semi barbed, the single hook goes into the root of the tail and the semi barb treble is attached into the flank (approx. 4 inches apart) of the bait leaving two barbless hooks to catch the fish with. I recommend starting with a size 6 single semi barbed hook. An 18” long 20lb wire trace is an essential piece of kit for pike or when fishing fish baits - when there is a chance of a strike from this sharp mono slicing species. Mainline has to be 15lb minimum, I say this in the full knowledge that there is a debate about using light mainline, 15lb mono or the equivalent diameter braid will cover all options and anything Mr. Pike can throw at - even the most inexperienced anglers. |
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| Assuming you know how to tie a decent knot, again study this aspect of your angling carefully, lost pike trailing trebles and trace wire is not acceptable other than freak accidents. Again I stress it is important to get some guidance for the first few sessions, I did when I embarked on my pike apprenticeship and I’ve been angling a good many years now, you are never to old or too knowledgeable to learn in this game. |
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| Rod and Reel |
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| I tend to go for larger big pit reels as I prefer to use drop off indicators as opposed to using a Baitrunner with hangers etc, the latter is okay and I saw a chap catch three 20lb pike in one memorable session on a hard Leicestershire water some years ago. My drop off indicators remained on my line and I blanked but this is down to personal choice, so a couple of Biomaster XTA reels loaded with 15lb Catana monofilament is perfect and allows me to cast a good distance if so required. Rod wise I would go for 2.75lb – 3lb depending on the range and size of baits I’m going to cast, the new Shimano deadbait rods are very traditional and look perfect for the task. A good quality carp rod will also suffice, I recommend checking out the new Speedmaster Specimen range – but try and avoid lower test curve rods in the cheaper price bracket as they won’t be up to casting 6oz any distance and could break under extreme pressure like this. |
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| Indication |
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There is nothing finer than watching a float disappear i.e. a bite, when you are using a large pike float – I find it to be more dramatic. I use a highly visible vaned carp marker float that is bottom end attached or a waggler style if you like. I secure the float by threading the line through the swivel and putting a sliding knot made out of power gum either side - leaving about 1cm gap.
This I find helps to keep the mainline under the surface and stop the tow dragging the rig about at extreme range, if you would rather use a leger rig then it’s best to have a free running set up or low resistance rig as it is also called.
This allows the pike to pick up the bait and provided you can allow line to peel off your reel - by having the Baitrunner set in the lightest drag setting, or as I do use a drop off indicator, the lack of tension prevents what is known as a dropped run.
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| Once the run starts to develop then you have to give the pike a little grace to turn the bait around, it is my experience that striking earlier i.e. under ten seconds is more acceptable than leaving any longer. If it is a Jack (small pike) then chances are you’ll pull the fish out of it’s jaws, worst case you’ve lost a small pike. If you afford a big pike that has already engulfed your bait, too much time deep hooking is a possible scenario. Again unacceptable angling etiquette at best and irresponsibility at worst. It takes years for a pike to become a specimen so strike early - if you do pull out early on a big pike and she’s hungry enough, a cast back into the same spot should yield another opportunity. |
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| Conclusion |
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There are pike to be caught on most stillwaters and rivers, commercial carp lakes and fisheries tend to manage their predator stocks so these are the least likely places to succeed. Neglected waters such as big gravels pits are always worth a try and although river pike tend to run smaller the sink and draw roving approach can be very productive. Watercraft is very handy and local knowledge even handier; look at this 20lb plus pike I caught on the River Trent just before Xmas 2006 on a feature for Total Coarse Fishing. I used to fear pike but now have a tremendous amount of admiration, respect and passion for catching them.
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| I didn’t start pike fishing in earnest until about 15 years ago and my personal best of 21lb 6oz from the tidal, River Trent is hardly one of the biggest swimming our waters - but for pure spectacle and one of the biggest rushes you’ll get from angling, any tail walking/ surface clearing acrobatics of a long lean pike takes some beating. Don’t be tempted to stay in the same spot all day, look for signs of fry jumping out of the water and move to this area. I like to leap frog my rods 10 - 15 yards at a time, every 30 minutes to an hour around a lake or downstream on a river to give me the best chances of moving to the pike - instead of waiting for them to home in on the bait. |
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