Pike fishing ........ Upated 17/12/02

[AndyA]

Hi all,

Tomorrow (Tuesday) I'm going to try my hand at Pike fishing on a local pond, I haven't fished for Pike before and any tips & advice would be most welcome.

I've been out to my local tackle shop (and Asda) and bought a few bits and pieces which hopefuly will be enough for starters.

I think I'll be ledgering the deadbait on 10lb mainline and I'm going to try a lure using my Carp rod on 15lb main line.

A work colleague's son fished the same venue last weekend and landed a superb 26lb Pike using a "rubber" lure.

The pond is quite weedy in places so I need to avoid losing my ledger, if anyone can suggest ways of bettering my chance of a catch let me know [].

Would it be worth chopping up 1 or 2 sardines and scattering them near my hook bait?.

Aaaah .... soon be fishing !

www.aa-computerrescue.co.uk

 

[Dave]

Hi Andy,

Put your leger on a short link of thinner line and let it run on a swivel in case you snag up.
That way you'll loose the weight but all being well keep the fish. another advantage of doing it that way is that as the lead sinks into the weed, the bait should stay on top. Don't worry too much if it does go into the weed though beacause if the pike are feeding they will nose in for it.

Scatter a few bits around but make sure you mush them up a bit to allow the juices to flow easier.

Let us know how you get on,

Dave

 

[martin.]

hi andy A
try freelinining a dead bait,
i hope youve got forceps and know how to handle pike as they can be delicate also they can do you damage if your not carefull
i would suggest going with someone who has knoledge of pike the first time not just for the benefit of the pike but for your benefit as well

tight lines.
martin.
talk fishing flip football

 

[Dave]

Good point that Martin,

Here's a link that will interest you Andy - http://www.pacgb.com/

it has some cracking articles on it []

Dave

 

[AndyA]

Thanks for that Dave & Martin,
I haven't handled Pike b4 so I'm a little aprehensive on the unhooking front, the lad who caught the 26lb'er asked me if I had a piece of kit designed to open the Pike's mouth (I don't), so he suggested forceps and a glove, he also suggested that I could insert a finger behind the gill cavity which would cause the fish to open it's mouth [?] anyone tried it ?

p.s what's freelining ?

Aaaah .... soon be fishing !

www.aa-computerrescue.co.uk

 

[esox.20]

Chining a pike is very effective but can be hazerdous to your fingers if done wrongly. A glove helps to prevent this.
To unhook a pike lay the fish on its back on a unhooking mat and kneel astride it this helps to stop it thrashing around. A finger can then be inserted under a gill cover and slid foreward. when the pike is then raised up its mouth opens enabaling it to be unhooked. Having said that I still suggest that any one new to the game goes for the first couple of times with some who knows what there doing. Pike are a very delicate fish and do not take well to being mishandled.
In my opinion 10 lb line is far to light. 15lb line is the minimum that should be used.

chill out go fishing

 

[Adam S]

Hello Andy

a popped up roach had always served me well on the shallow ponds and canals i fish for pike, either popped up with a polyball or with polystyrene down the gob. My favourite flavourings are pilchard and sardine oil, and also smelt oil as a change bait. As most shallow venues are effected a lot by wind and undertow i fgind flavourings work well as they are dispersed quickly.

Using a drifter float (not the large fox ones just a smaller one with a vane similar to a dart flight) and setting it a foot and a half off bottom will help to overcome the weed problem (if its mostly dying back and on the bottom, and it also covers a lot of ground.

a shallow diving plug is also a fave method

GOOD LUCK
ADAM


http://groups.msn.com/ADAMSALBUM79

 

[Piker]

My favourite and most effective method for pike is lure fishing with a slow retrieve , try and make the lure look like a dieing fish

dhall

 

[Ian C]

Hi Andy,

So, how did you get on? Did you catch any pike? Did you manage to unhook them safely?
Have you considered joining the pike anglers club in you region and attending their talks/shows?
More details can be found here... http://www.pacgb.com/

You asked what freeling was...
This is a favoured method of mine, where a fish is attached to the wire trace which is connected to your main line minus any float or ledger weight. But be warned, bite detection can sometimes be tricky! If the pike is sitting chomping the bait or swims toward you, you may not notice. If you decide to try this method I would recommend you use a bobbin/swinger and an alarm to aid bite detection.

I would have to agree with esox.20 and recommend you go with someone who is used to handling pike, as they will be able to give you guidance and assist you if your having difficulties.
Happy piking




Ian C

 

[AndyA]

How did I get on ? []

After reading the reply's here (thanks to all []), I decided to pay another visit to the tackle shop and buy one of those springy gob opener thingy's (I had visions of lacerated fingers).

The evening before the trip I'd phoned the son of a workmate, he had
fished the same pond the weekend before and had landed a 26lb Pike using a lure .... I think he said it was a Shad ?.

I'd asked him for his advice on a few details including which might be a good spot to fish from .... "peg 53 straight on from the car park".

I arrived at the peg around 11.00am ish, It was a very open peg, just by the top corner of the pond and provided plenty of space for all my gear etc .... to each side of me there were small tree's but little else in the way of feature's.

The first thing that struck me was that the find was blowing straight across the pond directly at me ...... I have never been so cold in my life ![], but don't worry cos that's supposed to be a good thing [?]

The plan was to have my leger rod with the deadbait to my left and to use my lure on the other rod, the deadbait was a bit of a farce [!], having spent 2.99 on mixed deadbait from the tackle shop and only 59p on some "bargain price Sardines" from Asda I decided to try the cheapies first.

I'd hooked up the sardine with the semi barbed trebles and thought I'd cast to my left near to the tree, "gently does it" .... there was quite a bit of weight on with the bait and the leger, well the Sardine went of in one direction and the hooks,weight etc in the other [][!].

TRY AGAIN !!! ...... SOD ME ! same thing happened again [V], I then decided that the cheapies are too soft and I should use the real thing ..... cast ok [^]

As I mentioned I tried the lure on the other rod casting straight out in front of me, this soon became a bit of a drag, I wasn't sure if I was even doing it correctly ?.... I tried reeling in the lure at a fast rate thinking this might grab some attention but to no avail, then I tried a slower rate .... this seemed to drop the lure lower in the water causing a few weed snags but nothing I couldn't pull through.

After a while the wind was just too much and I thought I'd try and find a bit of shelter.

This was the peg I settled on at the other end of the pond, I had some protection behind me from trees and an earth bank.

I re set the leger and tried to cast near to the reeds ..... bo**ocks !.. overcast straight into the reeds ... lost the lot [V], got it right the 2nd attempt.

I also changed the lure from a spoon type to the new fish thingy, after a dozen or so retrievals only half of that came back [!].

Well that just about sums up my days fishing, all I came away with was fishy fingers []

Aaaah .... soon be fishing !

www.aa-computerrescue.co.uk

 

[Simon R]

Andy

Those "springy gob-opener thingys" are more commonly known as pike gags and if you must use them please tape up the ends to afford the pike's mouth some protection - I've seen them go straight the fish's bottom jaw in the past.

The "Shad" lure you mention could be a Shad Rap made by Rapala, they should be fairly easily available.

A final point regarding sardines - they are almost impossible to cast when fresh - your best bet is to freeze them, they soon thaw out in the water and you'll be able to cast them as far as you like then.

Tight Lines

Simon

 

[esox.20]

A pike gag even if it has 'safe' jaws can injure small pike by forcing there mouths open to far and tearing tissue. Theres only one place for them after being destroyed by a hammer. IN THE BIN.
Spratts, sardines and herrings are very soft fish. If you buy from a fishmonger individualy wrap in cling film then freeze. Take them to the water frozen and put them on the hooks and cast while still frozen they soon defrost.
The shad you mentioned sounds like a jelly lure( a big single hook thru the body?) good lures to use.
You need to vary the speed of retreive and the depth fished.

chill out go fishing

 

[martin.]

sardines ect are very soft but you can get round this by securing them to your trace with a bit of thin line or as i would normally do use pva string with the price of sardines it doesnt matter if you lose it every so often

tight lines.
martin.
talk fishing flip football

 

[Ian C]

Hi AndyA,

Sorry to hear you didn't catch, but hey, it happens[]
You could always try leaving the bulk of your tackle in the car and just approach the water with your spinning setup, unhooking mat, forceps and landing net. This would allow you to roam the water trying several swims. If you start getting a few takes on the spinner, you can then go back and get the rest of your gear and set up your deadbaits in the swim you had the takes in. Also, watch carefully as your spinner/lure nears the bank, as you may see a pike following it in.
Thanks for the reply and keep us informed[]
Happy hunting.

Ian C

 

[AndyA]

What you say makes sense Ian []

cheers all

Aaaah .... soon be fishing !

www.aa-computerrescue.co.uk

 

[Newt]

quote:Originally posted by Ian C
... just approach the water with your spinning setup, unhooking mat, forceps and landing net. ...

Question if you would. The water looks like grass or possibly dirt but mostly grass on the banks.

UK landing nets tend to be very fish friendly.

For stalking, would you really consider a mat necessary?

Newt Vail

 

[dave k]

in regards toi the unhooking mat newt yes i would.
Pike in inexperienced hands can thrash about quite a lot.

and as essox said earlier bin the pike gag.[!]

personally i would not recomend anyone going pike fishing for the first time on there own . there must be experienced pike anglers who fish the water you are using? i am sure they would be only to willing to take you under their wing for a few trips and teach you how to pike fish sucsessfully.

an experienced angler could show you how to set up a popped up bait in the weed and also how to use a drift float etc. all of these could increase your chances of catching a pike.

Dave Kennedy
http://usscangling.cjb.net

 

[Ian C]

Hi Newt,

I dare say some experienced anglers wouldn't bother to take a mat OR landing net. I have seen people (more experienced then myself), play a pike, "hand" it in, unhook it, weight it and return it without the fish touching the ground. After watching it, I can't say I saw anything wrong in what they did. But I wouldn't feel confident doing it myself, or advising a newcomer to piking to try it. My approach, when trying to assist/advise someone, is to give them an indication of what I would do myself. I wouldn't feel right advising someone to do something I wasn't willing to do.
I would be very upset if I caught a pike and it were to have a grass stem or short twig stab it in the eye because I couldn't be bothered to take the mat I had already bought []
I meant it only as advice, not instruction. I apologise if it came across wrongly []

Ian C

 

[Newt]

quote:Originally posted by Ian C

Hi Newt,
.....
I meant it only as advice, not instruction. I apologise if it came across wrongly []

Not at all wrongly Ian C. I have been gone a while so many on here don't know me or my style but FWIW, my questions will always be just questions for which I'd like but don't have an answer. If I ever take offense at something (and never have here on MD) you will know it loud and clear.

Your advice came across as advice and after reading your reasoning, as good advice. And now AndyA knows not only what you recommend but why you do.

Pike are not familiar to me first-hand. Way too warm in summer where I live and they couldn't survive. Water temperature will approach and occasionally reach 32 surface and probably not much cooler down deep so pike just can't live here.

Where I live, conditions are so much different than in the UK that even after several years of regular reading/posting on UK forums, there are still areas where I'm unsure if an angling practice is because of real need or "well, we've always done it that way" and usually I'll ask about the reasons.

Usually I release what I catch and if so, in as good shape as I can manage. But for me, that is simply a personal preference rather than the way it is over there. About the only fish I ever keep is tiddlers when I want live or dead bait.

Newt Vail