need advice on dead bait for pike

db97

Got herring first time trying them have smelt also which I know is good but the herring are big like shoukd I half them will they still work as good halved ?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Halving herring will work and will help release oils - much like halving mackerel. They are softer than mackerel and may need a bit of bait elastic but you'll know when you get to use them.
Tight lines!

db97

Sound man.. have you trid them in the past.. any luck with them .

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

It's probably over 30 years since I used herring and I honesty can't remember the results but we rarely blanked back in those days. Herring can be coloured if you wish and some say the scales falling off when the bait hits the water acts like an attractor. The fresher the better for firmness but frozen still works well.

db97

Had four pike today me frst double and 3 decent singles 2 on smelt and two on herring

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Excellent! Did you float them or ledger?

db97

The lake I was in was really weedy and shallow so I just used an ssg shot to sink the bait worked really well im addicted to pike fishing now haha but have a bit of hassle unhooking them as im a bit paronoid to hold it in the gill cover and it kept biting down on the forceps but after the second fish I got more relaxed and the four were returned to fight another day haha was great day ;-) and also there like a bar of soap to get a grip on ha but great day only for the mad weather and I also noticed that when there was a break in the rain/sleet and wind I would get runs with the calmer conditions.

pheasant tail

I wouldn't get caught up too much worrying about what baits too use if your just starting out. I've always found a mackerel or smelt on the bottom is a fairly safe option, but to use say roach if your float fishing .

The other fella

Caught my biggest pike on a herring so there good in my book.I find smelt are far and away the best pike bait.

dodderangler

What way were you holding them? I've never had a pike bite down on a forceps.
Hold them at the gill plate and support the weight on your knee or on the mat.
If your holding them properly at the gill plate they won't bite down

db97

I definetely find sea baits really good.. and the first one I caught was paronoid to hold it in the gill cover so it was biting down on the forceps

twin_beacon

good video from mick brown, he shows you how to handle them too.
Holding pike via the gill cover is by far the safest way for both you and the pike. It may seem strange for a beginner to hold them that way, but once you get used to it, it will be second nature. you can safely force the mouth open that way, and also, you feel their muscles tense up before they jump on the bank, that second can be handy to get your hand out of the way of a flying treble!

To ease unhooking use semi barbless hooks. These are trebles with only a barb on one point. the point with the barb goes into the dead bait. you can buy them like this, or just crush the barb down with a pliers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22S7dcuB8tk

I dont use ealstic on any of my dead baits, as I mainly fish rivers where only a fairly short cast is needed. Herring is soft, but never really had any massive issue casting it distance. If I need to hammer it out, I just cast it frozen.

sent you a pm there db97

db97

thanks for the reply twinbeacon.. the only reoson why I am paronoid to hold them there is because when I caught my first pike I was only young like my father was showing me how to hold it in the gill but I thought it was like holding a trout and my hand slipped and I cut me hand off its teeth haha.. but sure its like everything else like practice makes perfect.. and I didnt get your pm twinbeacon.

twin_beacon

db97 wrote: »

thanks for the reply twinbeacon.. the only reoson why I am paronoid to hold them there is because when I caught my first pike I was only young like my father was showing me how to hold it in the gill but I thought it was like holding a trout and my hand slipped and I cut me hand off its teeth haha.. but sure its like everything else like practice makes perfect.. and I didnt get your pm twinbeacon.

yea, their teeth will give you nasty cut, and it will bleed for a while too!
you will get a few pricks and scratches when holding them via the gill covers, but thats the sign of a good days fishing

dodderangler

I've gotten worse cuts from taking mackerel off the hooks when out in bullock harbour.
You should go YouTube and watch mick brown. He's always good tips on pike an he'd show you proper way to hold them

db97

yea iv been watchin some of his stuff hes very good and takes you through his tackle and rigs step by step

ComfortKid

db97 wrote:

Had four pike today me frst double and 3 decent singles 2 on smelt and two on herring

You caught one anyway id say youve the whole of limerick fished the last few weeks. Where did u catch them? Im mad to catch pike myself in nly ever used lures at o briens bridge and off the shore in lough derg but no joy. Seen a fella catch a big pike in logh gur with a frog one few year's ago ha

dodderangler

ComfortKid wrote: »

You caught one anyway id say youve the whole of limerick fished the last few weeks. Where did u catch them? Im mad to catch pike myself in nly ever used lures at o briens bridge and off the shore in lough derg but no joy. Seen a fella catch a big pike in logh gur with a frog one few year's ago ha

Illegal to use frogs. They would probably be the best bait to a pike but illegal.
Don't know if frog lures work though
I used a fly with a frog look on em and caught nice rainbow on em

ComfortKid

It was a frog lure. Just jerked it around the weeds at the edge and had one after 5 or 6 mins. This was years ago though. Same lake cant be fished now. Pity. Lovley little lake

db97

id love to try lough gur.. and id say your wasting your time with o briens bridge man iv tried everything there and nothing at all was very good before.. if your going to obriens bridge you might aswell go doon lake huge pike in there.. and not far from obriens bridge.

ComfortKid

Where's doon lake? It was last year when I fished o briens bridge. You'd need a boat for decent pike fishing anywhere id say

db97

ill pm you.. and ya especially if your fishing lough derg its huge man..

dodderangler

ComfortKid wrote: »

Where's doon lake? It was last year when I fished o briens bridge. You'd need a boat for decent pike fishing anywhere id say

Big pike aren't always in the depths despite was people think.
Look at the amount of doubles and pike in the 39s a firing record if 46 was all caught from shore.

ComfortKid

dodderangler wrote:

Big pike aren't always in the depths despite was people think. Look at the amount of doubles and pike in the 39s a firing record if 46 was all caught from shore.

Sorry that makes no sense to me? Yeah I know, I think pike actually prefer to be in and around the grassy reedy banks? Hard to get at them without getting snagged on most lakes I've bin though

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I have always got the bigger pike from a boat. I prefer from the bank but in a large lake there is no doubt that the best pike are got from a boat. It allows access to areas you won't get to from the bank and trolling from a boat is a very effective method.

db97

ya sramreen this is what I meant like I meant lough derg is huge and a boat would be handy to cover such an area.

db97

aswell lads have a question, my girlfriends friends father works in a fishmonger and I asked him would he sort me out with the mackeral thats left over that would otherwise be gettin throwing out like so I said id take it ha. but I just thought of it there if there gutted will the pike still take them ? I dont mind paying for dead bait like but if I can get it for free and it works.. cant go wrong there like ha anyone ever got decent pike on the mackeral?

dodderangler

Shouldn't think it matters mate.
The fish oil will still be flowing from it so the scent should be everywhere.

db97

nice one dodderangler.. have ever used the mackeral ?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Unfilleted mackerel works best for pike, in my experience, but take what you can get.

dodderangler

db97 wrote: »

nice one dodderangler.. have ever used the mackeral ?

Mackerel and roach would e my favourite bait. Both have to be fresh. I'd usually keep a few mackerel ( joeys) during the summer for pike baits.
On boating or floating they both are great baits.