pike

[nigel rudkin]

how do??? just started pike fishing could do with all the help and advice you may want to offer good or bad!!!
please!!

[nigel rudkin]

thanx chap will have a look at them both im off to try and catch some more now!!

[EEFCOTE]

Hi Nigel, by far the most important thing to learn from the start is how to handle and unhook Pike safely and confidently. This will benifit both you and the fish.

All to often people who start Piking catch a fish and then dont have a clue what to do once they get it on the bank, ive even seen people that are to scared to touch a pike in case it bites them!

Sensible, confident handling of the fish will ensure a minimum risk of coming into contact with a Pikes teeth, a Pike will NOT purposefully try to bite you despite what some uneducated anglers might tell you.

For starters, when you get a take from a Pike, strike the run as EARLY as possible! Again some uneducated anglers will tell you to count to ten or wait for the second run or something ridiculous like that, dont do either of these under ANY circumstances! Leaving a run will only result in deep-hooked pike which can be bad news for even the most experienced anglers and can result in a death sentence for the poor old pike.
Dont worry about missing the take or bumping the fish cos there will be plenty more oportunities and chances are the same fish will probably pick up the bait again on your next cast anyway.

Once you have the fish on the bank, lay the net and the fish on an unhooking mat making sure you have your unhooking equipment to hand. With regards to the kit you need, from personal experience i would recommend;

1) 12inch and 8inch locking forceps
2) A pair of gloves to protect hands from teeth and gill rakers, not too thick though, i use a pair of lightwieght neoprene ones although there are proper fish handling gloves available in tackle shops.
3)A pair of long handled side cutters ( to use for cutting hooks when they are too difficult to remove by other means)
4)A deep throat Pike disgorger, a little bit controversial this one but i have to say this bit of kit has got me and the Pike out of some very tricky unhooking situations in the past.. I only ever use single trebles or single hooks for my piking so the disgorger works quite well.

Here is how i normally go about unhooking a Pike myself, others have slightly different methods but this is the way im most comfortable with and satisfied that the fish will come to absolute minimum harm whilst in my care. Like i said before, i only use barbless or semi-barbed single treble or single hook rigs as i believe double treble rigs or snap tackles as they are often called, kill fish and are completely unesessary in modern Pike fishing.

A) Once the fish is on the mat, i kneel down with the fish laying on its side between my legs, this way, if it flaps about, it cant go anywhere and is far easier to control.

B)With a glove on my left hand, i gently slide my fingers along the underside of the fishes gill cover and into the groove underneath the pikes chin. You will find that once your hand is in this position you will have a very good, safe grip on the fishes lower jaw. You may hear or feel something scrraping slightly on the back of the glove, dont worry, its NOT the pikes Teeth so dont drop it! it is just the fishes gill rakers and great care should be take not to damage these.

C)Now gently lift the Pikes head up off the mat until its mouth opens enough to enable good access the hook.

D)All being well, using either of the forceps you should be able to simply clamp onto the hook and push or twist it free. However, if the hook is deeper down or closing off the pikes gullet it becomes trickier but whatever you do, DONT PANIC! just take a breath and approach the situation calmly.
If the forceps wont reach from the front of the mouth, you could try carefully inserting the forceps through the fishes gills just beneath where your hand is positioned, whatever you do though dont hook your fingers into the loops on the forceps if using this method cos if the pike thrashes whilst the forceps are in there then great damage can occur to the fish or indeed yourself because your fingers will still be s

[EEFCOTE]

Bummer! its cut me off in my prime!

Basically i was just saying, that your fingers would still be stuck in the loops of the forceps. If the fish is hooked deeper stiill or the hook is closing its throat up then the disgorger and the side cutters are another option. Whatever you do, NEVER just cut the trace and return the pike with a stitched up gullet. It will swim off apparently fine but chances are it will die slowly from starvation.

I put loads more stuff in the original post but to cut a long story short, you wont go far wrong but visiting the PAC website or looking in on forums such as Pike and Predators. These are all a goldmine of piking info, i hope all this helps anyway mate.

[nigel rudkin]

wow!!! thats a lot of info to take in!! thanx for your help most appreciated

[Rob Southwell]

Most pike i have caught are when float legering the margins, just as they drop away. You'd be surprised how often even the really big pike are sitting just under your feet in the shadows.
Try and target areas of reeds or tree cover as these are ideal ambush points for the pike. I make my own pike traces but even if you buy them ready made, make sure they are a good length, around 18 inches. Too many of the shop bought ones are just not long enough! Also do not use trebles that are too large. I usually use size 10 or 8. Thre are rarely situations in which hooks bigger than these are really necessary. As for baits, Mackerel is always a good start, it is really oily and has a tough skin (ideal for a longer cast). Sardines are great as a river bait, but the skin isn't tough enough for casting anywhere other than the margins or close range work. My favourite bait is Herring, especially a tail section. It is very oily like sardine but has a tougher skin so can be cast much further.
Don't forget natural baits as well like roach or rudd. they can be really good on their day.
hope this helps.

[nigel rudkin]

thanx for the advice i will try and take it all in its like being back at school!!!

[terry]

caught a 5lber the other week on a halibut pellet whilst chubb fishing apparently this happens quite alot but when fishing is slow any bend in the rod is welcome

[joel booth]

Robs right about the margins.I reckon 80% of my pike over say 12lb have been on a float set up not more than a rod length out.If you wanna really experience pike fishing at it's best,Get youself lure fishing.You can't beat a double blasting out the water with a crazy crawler in it's jaws.Truly heart stopping stuff.

[Michael Hastings]

Hi Nigel,
Plenty of good advice here already, as Chico has said, check out www.pacgb.co.uk, can't recommend the club highly enough. Also one of the quickest ways to ruin good Pike fishing is to advertise it on the net!
Good luck

[Scott Richardson]

good tip i always use, i place a livebait rod out (if allowed if not then deadbait is fine) and while im waiting for a take on that rod i cast out a plugging rod and retrieve it close to my float so that any pike that are following my plug that arent up for chasing fish but are hungry, will just grab your free meal thats sitting underneath your float.

[robert lee]

dont be fooled into thinking you need big baits and big trebles to land big pike you dont and dont be afraid to fish the margins some big pike can be under your feet always look for features such as fallen trees and bridge structures on rivers look for wier pools or some slack water that comes off faster water and unless you are biviying up dont be afraib of moving

[Scott Richardson]

yes thats right robert, my personnal best pike of 24lb 12oz was caught on a 3inch live roach under a float, i was after pike, but i didnt expect a monster like that grab it, it was in winter i caught mine.