Crimpers

Crimpers are indispensable pike & predator fishing tools, allowing anglers to create, modify, and maintain secure connections between their wire traces. These connections are crucial for preventing bite-offs, ensuring angler safety, and promoting the treatment of the fish. 

What crimpers do:

Side or hook Cutters

An essential tool, especially when trebles are being used, side cutters can help hugely with awkwardly hooked predators or if accidental self-hooking occurs.

There will be situations when rather than using unnecessary force on hooks that are well embedded it’s quicker, and safer  to the fish if you simply turn the hooks through and cut the points and barbs off the treble. This can be quicker and ensures that the fish risks minimal stress and discomfort.

Forceps

In pike fishing, forceps serve as invaluable tools for several important purposes.

Hook Removal: The primary function of forceps is to safely remove hooks from a pike’s mouth. Pike have razor-sharp teeth and powerful jaws, making hook removal by hand risky. Forceps allow anglers to grasp the hook firmly and extract it without harming the fish or the angler.

Quick and Precise Work: Designed for precision work in hospitals they allow anglers to access hooks deep within a pike’s mouth. This precision is crucial for both catch-and-release fishing and minimizing harm to the fish.

Minimizing Injury: Forceps help minimize injury to both the angler and the fish. Pike have formidable teeth, and accidental bites can lead to painful wounds and infection. Forceps keep the angler’s hands at a safe distance from the pike’s mouth.

When using forceps in pike fishing, it’s important to choose a sturdy pair with a long reach.  Twelve-inch forceps are ideal to ensure you can access hooks effectively and maintain a safe distance from the pike’s mouth.

Scissors

Probably the most versatile cutting tool in the world. Used for a wide range of tasks including fishing line, braided line, and more. Scissors are designed to provide precise, clean cuts and are essential for tasks requiring accuracy and neatness.

A good pair of scissors in pike and predator fishing serves various practical purposes:

1. Line Cutting: We use them to cut fishing lines, whether it’s to trim excess line, change rigs, or replace damaged sections. They provide a clean, precise cut, ensuring the integrity of your setup.
2. Bait Preparation: They are handy for cutting or trimming bait. They are also handy for adjusting the size and shape of artificial lures.
3. Knot Trimming: After tying knots, scissors are useful for trimming excess tag ends to create neater, streamlined connections, which can reduce the chance of tangles or snags.

Bent nosed Pliers

This little tool is the safest and best way to unhook lip-hooked predators. Simply grab the shank of your hook with the pliers and twist just like an extended set of fingers.

This design allows you to reach into tight or hard-to-reach spaces and provides better access for tasks such as gripping, bending, and manipulating.

Unhooking Gloves

Unhooking gloves ensure a completely secure grip, enabling you to hold the fish at your discretion. They are highly effective for safely landing pike and zander with a firm hold behind the gill cover.

Fish gill rakers are bony, comb-like structures located within the gill arches that function to filter food particles from the water as it passes through the gills. While these structures are crucial for a fish’s feeding process, they can potentially pose a danger to humans if not handled properly.

The sharp edges of gill rakers can cause injury when a fish thrashes or when it is handled carelessly, leading to cuts, punctures, or abrasions

If you have this array of tools in your bag you should cover most eventualities. There are a whole host of brands out there and a range of prices to suit everyone’s budget.

Until next time, may your hooks stay sharp and your catches plentiful,.

https://www.foxrage.com/home/product/fox-rage-side-cutters

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Proper bait storage can make a significant difference in your fishing success, and we’re here to help you master this crucial aspect of predator fishing. Read on to discover the secrets of maintaining your deadbaits in top-notch form and save money by not wasting bait.

Blast Frozen Bait

If you’re an avid predator angler who loves pursuing Pike, Zander (Walleye), or Muskie you know how important it is to have your deadbaits in prime condition.  That is the reason I like to buy blast frozen deadbaits online for my fishing. Blast freezing rapidly lowers the temperature of food or other products to freezing levels. This extremely quick cooling method helps preserve the items’ quality and freshness by minimizing the formation of large ice crystals, which can damage cell structures.  Slow-frozen baits often end up soft and can come off the hook easier when casting.

When the baits get delivered, this is the ideal time to manage your bait. I know so many anglers who buy a pack of ten roach or sardines and will take them all with them.  They only end up using three or four of them and either chuck the rest in or refreeze them. The refrozen ones end up deteriorating and I would only use them if I was desperate.

On receiving my bait I always take the time to separate the frozen fish into sizes. Even though the fish are all frozen they can be prized apart with little damage. You can leave them out for five minutes they will be able to be separated. I categorize the sizes of baits into; four to five-inch and six to eight-inch fish.  I have found these are the best sizes for general predator fishing at the venues I fish. If you fish big waters and use bigger baits such as whole trout or mackerel just get a wider tube. The wider tube can store the small fish as well. You can also pair up baits if you wish or just seal single ones.

Storing deadbaits

I bought a reel of three-inch polythene plastic lay flat tubing from eBay to individually wrap each fish. Individual wrapping allows you to keep your baits organized and easily accessible. You can quickly grab the bait you need without rummaging through a jumble of loose baits. Extended Shelf Life: Properly wrapped and stored deadbaits can last longer, reducing waste and saving you money in the long run.

Heat sealer

I am lucky to have a small heat sealer from when I had my tackle company “Future Image”. We used this in the warehouse to package all types of products and is ideal for sealing up bait.  You can buy a new one off eBay for around £25 and is a worthwhile investment. They are very simple to use.  All you do is lay the tube on the sealer and press down for a second.

Take the tubing and cut it into lengths that are four inches longer than your bait.  Then seal one end of the tubing. I have a good habit of double-sealing my bags to prevent any chance of defrosted baits leaking into my cooler bag. Just make your first seal, then move the tubing a couple of millimetres and make a second seal.

Preparing your baits

Alaways try squeeze out any excess air that may be trapped in the bag and seal it twice. Taking the excess air out just allows for more room in my freezer and is not critical.

Result

You can see from the image below how your baits should look ready for the freezer. You can label or mark the wrappers with bait type, size, and date of preparation, making it easy to choose the right bait for the specific fishing conditions.  I do this because I also have sea baits stored in the same freezer.

Storing deadbaits properly will make your life easier and get you better results.  As with most fishing, bait is a key ingredient to success and fresh bait usually gives you the edge.

Check out how to make deadbait traces HERE

The post Storing Deadbaits appeared first on Fishing Maverick.

You will need a rod of around 2 3/4lb test curve with a carp size reel with either 18lb Monofilament or 40lb braid. If you use a braid, you need to tie around twenty feet of 20lb line, preferably fluorocarbon.  I use a surgeon’s knot to tie the two together and have never had an issue. There are several knots you can use so it could be worth experimenting.   

For the rig you will need the following tackle:

In-line pike float

There are many floats on the market but I believe the best starting point is a simple inline or sliding pike float.  Several companies make them but I tend to use ones that I have handmade.  They do the job just as well.

Beads & Float Stops

Medium float stops. These are an absolute must if fishing with sliding floats.  They allow you to put a tight small rubber stopper on the line in seconds. Before these were invented we would have tied a special sliding knot using mono or power gum.

beads

4-6mm beads (preferably orange) will stop the float from sliding above the stoppers. 4-6mm rubber beads act as a small shock absorber for the weight when casting.

weights

Bullet and oval weights are ideal and will help you be able to find the correct depth to set your float.  Unlike regular float fishing, the float does not need to sit up low in the water. It should sit at a 45-degree angle or lay on its side and is used to anchor the bait.  Once a fish takes the bait and moves off, the float will completely cock and move away.

There are several good types on the market.  The ones I carry with me are Fox Rage Quick Change and inline olive weights I picked up in the States. I would suggest carrying a few sizes in case the wind picks up and you need a bigger anchor.

Pike Trace

Your choice of pike trace will depend on what size and bait you want to use.  As a guide, I would start off using a twin treble hook snap tackle with size 4 semi-barbless hooks.

Quick change swivel

Most good pike anglers will tie a quick change link swivel to the end of their rig.  Your trace wire is clipped onto the link while fishing. When you get a fish in the net you should aim to safely unclip the trace so you can get your rod entirely out of harm’s way.

Assembling the rig

Step 1

Feed on two rubber float stops onto the line. I use a medium size stop so they do not slip up the line. Then slide the rubber stops a few feet up the line.

Step 2

Feed a bright coloured bead onto the line followed by the pike float.  Once in the water, the float will slide up the line until it hits the stopper.

step 3

Slide the weight onto the line followed by the rubber bead. Tie on your quick link swivel and clip your trace onto the link.  Your finished rig should look like this.

To find the depth of your swim simply keep sliding the top rubber stop up the line until the float cocks. When you reach this point you know that the whole trace is laying on the bottom. Just to reiterate you need to have the float laying at a 45-degree angle or just laying flat.  When you get a run the float will cock and start to move.  Make sure you strike early to avoid deep-hooked fish.  

This is the simplest pike float fishing setup and is ideal for beginners through to seasoned professionals.

How to Make Dead Bait Pike Fishing Traces

The post Pike Float Fishing Setup appeared first on Fishing Maverick.

Twin hook snap tackles have been the go to rig for predator anglers. Any angler using dead bait will have a collection of these in their box.

WHAT YOU NEED

Making them is pretty straight forward and doesn’t take long to master the technique. You will need; Treble hooks size 6 or 4’s, 5mm 0.8mm bore crimps, trace wire minimum 20lb, 3or 4mm shrink tube, size 4 swivels, crimping tool and your kettle.

Attaching the point hook.

To start off, cut a length of trace wire to 25inches or 64cm.  The trace will shorten to around 20″ after you have made the trace. Take one of your crimps and thread it on the trace and then thread an treble hook. Tread the wire back through the trace like below.

Then thread the wire back on itself.

Slowly pull the two ends until the top loop has been pulled close to the crimp. The hook end should be pulled so the hook can freely move.

Trim off the excess wire at the end of the hook using the cutters on the crimper tool. Next, place the wire with the crimp into the crimper.

Squeeze the tool hard, squashing the crimp around the wire leaving some obvious markings on the crimp.

Cut a 25mm piece of shrink tube and feed it down the trace and over the hook. Make sure the crimp and hook eye are concealed.

Boil your kettle and carefully hold the tube over the steam from the kettle.  It must be steaming for the tube to shrink.

Once the tube has shrunk it should be nice and neatly concealed like this.

Second treble hook

Next, thread the second treble hook on to the trace and place it approximately 80mm apart or whatever distance you require. Distance between the hooks will depend on the dead bait you will be using.  If you are fishing sprats then 70 to 90mm is fine.  But if your choice of dead bait is a whole trout then you will need to widen the gap to 130mm.  Remember this is just a guide. The beauty about making your own pike fishing traces is that you can tailor each trace to the bait you use.

Holding the hook and trace firmly at the hook shank, make 6 tight turns towards the bend of the hook.  Then make six turns back, overlapping the wire trace.  Feed the wire back through the eye of the hook and tighten.

Thread another length of shrink tube onto the shank of the hook hiding the twisted trace wire and shrink over the kettle as before.

attatching swivels to your traces

To attach you swivel to the end of the trace you must first feed a length of shrink tube on to the wire followed by a crimp. As with the hook, feed the wire back through the crimp and then back through again. Crimp the wire together using your crimping tool.

Place the shrink tube half way up the swivel body making sure the whole crimp is concealed and steam shrink over the kettle.  Make sure you give your trace a frim pull to check its strength.  And there’s how to make own dead bait pike traces.

If you want to learn more about types of pike traces why not have a look at the article “SIMPLE  GUIDE TO PIKE TRACES”

The post How to Make Dead Bait Pike Fishing Traces appeared first on Fishing Maverick.

A lot of trout are caught on spinners especially on rivers and streams all over the world but in the UK they are mainly used for Pike, Perch, Chub and Zander. But there are some great any method trout fisheries where you can give it a go.

One thing that I have learnt that has improved my catch rate on these type of waters is that spinner size and hook choice are of upmost importance. I learnt this when I went and visited the reservoir just as Covid restrictions were lifted back in May 2020.  My son Jordan and I were busting a gut to get out fishing after being locked down for weeks on end and had booked some tickets for that first Saturday in May.

research

As I always preach, it is so beneficial to get as much information as possible on a new venue or method before you fish. So, I decided to drive the hour and half round trip see what was happening o the reservoir.

I got down at 4pm and the whole of the dam wall was heaving with people, nearly all of them ledgering with Berkley Powerbait but I noticed two eastern Europeans spinning and instinctively knew they knew what they were doing.  Sitting behind them for half and hour I just watched and made some notes.

I watched the equipment they used and the rod action. The speed of the retrieve, the distance they cast, how long they waited before retrieving and what they caught.  I had a good idea what they were doing but I couldn’t see what type of lures they were using.

quizzing reveals all

They caught four trout in that half hour and missed a few takes.  They must have hit their eight fish limit as they climbed the bank towards me to pack up.  I courteously ask them how they had got on and we got talking.  He showed me his lures, which were Mepps Comet spinners and gave me a run down on what they had done.  He was an absolutely smashing Eastern European guy who did not hold back any information. The one thing he did tell me was that they were hitting the lures but the fish were coming off.  I asked him if I could hold the spinner and noticed a couple of things.

Firstly the Mepps they were using looked great but I couldn’t believe the size of the hook.  It must have been a size 4 or 2 treble.  Surely far too big for a stock trout’s mouth. On inspection of the trebles I notice that they were a little on the blunt side and looked like they had been on the spinner for years. He had also painted the blades white and put red spots on them and swore this was the killer colours. I believed we could maximise our hit rate if we had new ultra sharp hooks and smaller hook size that the fish could engulf. A quick paint down the shed wouldn’t be hard either to achieve that pattern.

The plan

We said our farewells then I spent the next forty minutes analysing what I had seen. On arriving home I downloaded my brain and came up with a plan.  I dug out some Mepps spinners that looked similar and decided I needed to change the trebles. This was a feat in itself as they are manufactured in such a way that you can only cut the hook off. There is then the problem of connecting the wire eye on the spinner and the eye of the hook.

Doctoring the spinners

I dug deep into my hoard of bits and pieces and luckily had some small split rings and a selection of trebles I use for Pike and Zander fishing. I had to use my Fox Pike wire cutters to cut through the eye of the treble in two places to release it from the spinner.

It’s not until you take the original hook off that you realise just how big it is. These hooks are put on in the manufacturing process and are not meant to be changed or replaced.  The only way you can re attach a hook is by adding a suitably sized split ring. I only had 5mm split rings.  4mm would have been better but that is all I had. I took the size 4 treble off and replaced some with smaller size 10’s and 12’s.  It’s a fiddly job trying to get the split ring onto the spinner eye and then attaching the hook.  It took me five minutes to do the first one but got faster with practice.  I used a Stanley blade to open the ring then slide it on the spinner and hook at the same time. Like I said it is extremely fiddly but the challenge is worth it. Go the extra mile and catch the extra fish.  It immediately looked better balanced and was confident my plan would work.

Paint job

A quick rub down of the blades with emery cloth and a spray of white car paint done the trick. Red spots were applied with some acrylic paint and we were ready to go. You can see from the photo that the blade finish was a bit rough but the fish didn’t care.

Armed with our newly upgraded spinners Jordan and I got down to Hanningfield twenty minutes before the gates opened and made our way down the dam wall. To cut a long story short we both started on our new spinners.  Smaller hooks and white painted blades with red spots and we had an absolutely great day.

OUR results

To see how we got on just click here to read about our spinning adventure at Hanningfield with our doctored spinners.

Have a look at all the Mepps range at Mepps.com

The post Spinner Fishing For Trout appeared first on Fishing Maverick.

Northern Pike Esox Lucius

When someone refers to a “Pike” they most often refer to this fish. It can be found inhabiting the freshwaters in cooler regions of the Northern Hemisphere. This is the only species of pike found in the UK.  

Angling supremo Gary Newman, Korda’s TV Production Manager with a fish 20lb plus

https://www.instagram.com/garynewman7518/

World Record 25.00 kg (55 lb 1 oz)
Lake of Grefeern, Germany
16-Oct-1986
Lothar Louis

Southern Pike Esox cisalpinus

Is a species of pike from central and northern Italy, south eastern France and Switzerland. It has traditionally been considered a southern European variant of the widespread northern pike.  Its distinct markings make it one of Europe’s most stunning looking fish and one that I would like to stick on my bucket list.

This beautiful picture is of Max van Oers from Netherlands with this Italian Southern Pike.   Max van Oers Instagram

World Record 10.00 kg (22 lb 0oz)
Lake in Italy near Rome

There is very little information on the record of the southern pike. If you can help then please contact me over social media so we can update this article.

Amur pike Esox reichertii 

A pike that is native to the Amur River system in east Asia. Including the Amur drainage and Sakhalin Island, Onon and Kherlen drainages in Mongolia. It is closely related to the northern pike, it reaches lengths of over of three feet and has been known to weigh up to 27 lb.  This striking looking fish can be easily recognised by its silvery gold body and small black spots.  Stan Dabrowski reported catching a 27lb fish but no record has been officially set.  There are unverified reports of bigger fish caught in China but evidence is hard to come by.

Korda’s TV Production Manager Gary Newman. Gary Newman Instagram

World Record according to the IGFA is vacant.

Muskellunge Esox masquinongy

The muskellunge or “Muskie” as its known across North America thrives in and around the Great Lakes in North America. You can find both the Muskie and northern pike in all five lakes and the surrounding rivers. 

Nick Watkins with a monster Muskie. Nick Watkins Instagram

World Record 30.61 kg (67 lb 8 oz)
Lake Court Oreilles, Hayward, Wisconsin, USA
24-Jul-1949
Cal Johnson

Tiger muskellunge (Hybrid)

Because of its stripes you can clearly see how this Pike got its name. The Tiger Muskie, is a usually-sterile, hybrid offspring of the true muskellunge and the northern pike. The tiger Muskie is a hybrid and is produced when a male northern pike fertilizes the eggs spawned of a female muskellunge. It prefers cooler climates and because of this its range extends to Canada, the Northeast, and the Midwest United States. One study showed that tiger muskies grew one and half times as fast as a regular Muskie. 

Picture courtesy of U/Amoralman at Reddit

World Record 23.21 kg (51 lb 3 oz)
Lac Vieux-Desert, Michigan, USA
16-Jul-1919
John Knobla

Aquatainian Pike Esox Aquitanicus

Because of its scarcity not much is known about the Aquitanian Pike and the species was only first recognised in 2014. Native to the Charente to the Adour drainages this fish is can be found the rivers and drainage’s of the Rhine, Seine, Loire, and the Rhône in southwestern France.

As of today there is no known record that is currently listed on the IGFA website and because of this, images are very scarce.

This image is courtesy of an amazing wildlife photographer, Matthieu Berroneau. More of Matthieu’s wonderful work can be found at http://www.matthieu-berroneau.fr

Redfin Pickerel Esox americanus americanus

Redfin pickerel are found in freshwater lakes, rivers, streams, and swamps along the Atlantic slope of the USA.

Photo courtesy of Dave Wich Reddit

World Record 1.02 kg (2 lb 4 oz)
Gall Berry Swamp, North Carolina, USA
27-Jun-1997
Edward Davis

Chain pickerel Esox niger

A Chain Pickerel looks like a smaller version of it cousin the Northern Pike.  They inhabit the eastern United States and Canada, from Nova Scotia southward through all of the Atlantic coast states and most of Florida, and westward through Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana to as far as the Navasota River in eastern Texas. From Louisiana, it extends northward in the Mississippi River drainage through eastern Arkansas to south-eastern Missouri and southwestern Kentucky. 

Grass Pickerel Esox americanus vermiculatus

Like the Redfin Pickerel, Grass Pickerel have evolved to be smaller than their pike relatives. I love these beautiful little miniatures and because they are Matchbox size rarely grow more than 300mm in length and weigh on average 170 grams.

These little pike are native to the states of Florida, Eastern Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and the Great Lakes region.

Chain Pickerel By Hellion102792 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=85061892

Check out my autumn pike adventures here https://www.fishingmaverick.com/autumn-pike-fishing/

The post Pike Species You Didn’t Know Existed appeared first on Fishing Maverick.

As a rule of thumb you should use a semi barbed hook.  Semi-barbed treble hooks feature one barbed hook for placing in your hook bait and two barbless hooks. They are more fish friendly and allows for much easier unhooking of the fish. Most modern pike anglers tend to use this type of hook. For all these patterns of traces you should use a minimum length trace of 18″ and around 20- 30lb breaking strain wire.

Here are a few of the basic patterns of hook traces you should consider if you are starting out predator fishing.

Twin or tandem treble hook (semi barbed)

The most widely used out of all the pike traces. Two treble hooks let you securely hook deadbaits.  The ideal hook size to start with is a size 4 or 6 but this depends on the size of deadbait you are using.

When hooking deadbaits there are two main methods.  The first is to insert the barbed hook of each treble into your bait leaving four hooks exposed.  The only problem with this is that the hooks that are exposed tend to lie quite close to the bait.  If you use two hooks from each treble to secure your bait the remaining hook will sit nice a proud of the bait.  It’s a confidence thing so see what works best for you.

If you are going to secure two hooks from each then you could try stepping up the hook size.

Single Treble (Semi barbed)

These type of pike traces are ideal for fishing with smaller baits such as sprats or live baits.

For sprats hook in the tail remembering to have you hook points facing away from the head of the fish. For live baits hook in the upper lip only. This will allow the fish to breath and stay active for longer.

If you are wanting to twitch deadbaits then hook securely through the lip using the one barbed hook.

                                                                                                                                     Single Circle Hook

The hook was originally developed to reduced deep hooking and the improved survival of released fish. Circle hooks were designed to hook fish in the corner or the scissors of the mouth, making fish easier to release. Circles have been used successfully with both dead and live baits for many species. You don’t actually strike when using circle hooks. The way of setting the hook is to wind down on the fish steadily allowing the hook to turn into the side of the mouth.

Tandem Double Hook

For those of you who wish to use a more refined set up then you can try a tandem double hook rig.  There are two hooks that are different sizes.  One small hook with a barb for securing the bait and a larger one for hooking the fish.

This image shows the how you can flatten the barb on the large hooks

                                                                                                                                     Spinning and lure Traces

A must when using spinners, plugs and lures.

Each spin trace is assembled with a rolling swivel fitted to each end, and a type of snap link at the other so you can change your lures easily.

Ideally use some heavy braid when lure fishing. If you do get your lure stuck on something you can pull or straighten the hook out rather than lose an expensive lure. 

Have a look at this article. 5 Deadly Deadbaits For Pike

Learn more about the Northern Pike

https://www.fishingmaverick.com/autumn-pike-fishing/

The post Simple Guide To Pike Traces appeared first on Fishing Maverick.

1. Sprats

Many a Pike angler cut their teeth on sprats. Small and easy to use, these small fish can be deadly when fishing venues with smaller Pike.

Due to their size they are likely to be engulfed quickly and early striking is a must to avoid deep hook fish.

You can use a single size 6 or 8 semi barbed treble hooked in the tail end or a pair of semi barbed trebles. You must strike early.

2. Pichards (Sardine )

In the UK we call them Pilchards but in Europe they are called Sardines.

Ranging in length from 15 to 30 cm, these fish live in dense schools, migrating along the coast.

Because they are so oily fish Sardines are great bait of you are looking for some attraction in the water.

Sardines are the perfect size fish to be fished as a whole fish. A two treble hook trace with size 6 or 4 semi-barbed hooks is ideal.

3. Bluey (officially called the Pacific saury). 

These fish can only be described as a cross between a Mackerel and a Garfish. Their natural environment is the North Pacific where they feed on plankton and the larvae of fish in mid water. They have beautiful shiny electric blue glimmer and are high in oil.

Because it is such a long fish the most common presentation is to use half a fish, preferably the tail end as it is simpler to hook.  Use a two hook trace with size 6 semi barbless trebles.  Hook one or the trebles in the end of the tail as shown. If you can try and get the hook around the back bone it will be more secure. Place one hook from the remaining treble hook halfway up the back or the flank of the fish.  Because the skin is not really tough enough to cast distances so it is best fished in the margins of at around 15 meters.

If you want to cast further then use some fine bait elastic and wrap it around the trace where the tail meets the body around 15 times so you make a rubber band.  Because you have created an anchor point you will be able to cast a bit harder and fish further out.

4. Half Mackerel

These oily fish have been used as pike deadbaits for decades and can be used whole or in half. If your quite new to Pike fishing then starting with half of a “Joey” or small

Mackerel would be a great starting point.

These smaller fish are around 25 – 30cm long and because they have tough skin they are ideal for casting further.  They are also fished on the same rig as the Bluey.

5. Horse Mackerel or Common Scad

Scad or Horse Mackerel as they are known are not actually a Mackerel, but belong to the family of Jacks and Trevallies. 

At present Scad are found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean off Europe, Africa and the south-eastern Indian Ocean. They grow up to three pounds so the ideal size to use as bait is around 20cm or 3-4oz. so fish as you would a Sardine using a tandem (two) hook trace.

There are some bait companies that offer colour variations of all the baits above.

Why not check out my article on Pike species by clicking here

The post 5 Deadly Deadbaits appeared first on Fishing Maverick.

Now the other side of summer is firmly upon us I felt the urge for some autumn pike fishing. My son Jordan has been fishing with me a hundred times but has never caught a pike. He had taken a weeks holiday off work and asked if we could do a couple of days fishing. I  asked him where he fancied going fishing and instantly he said “I just want to catch my first pike”

VENUE

The problem was where to take him. All the venues I used to fish that held good head of Pike have all been either privatised syndicated or taken over by clubs.

After souring the internet looking for a venue with a good head of Pike I came across a little gem of fishery. Crowsheath fishery near Billericay in Essex seen the perfect place to give a beginner a lesson in pike fishing basics.

Perfect Weather

The weather looked like it was going to be perfect on the Wednesday which was still three days away. We we’re coming out of a cold spell which was going to be followed by three warmer nights and days. There was going a light southerly wind and the forecast was overcast.  Just what the doctor ordered.

Armed with a selection of frozen baits from Online Baits we got to the venue at around 10am. Unfortunately I had to do some work so we couldn’t get an early start in.

Bait Selection

2 Joey Mackerel, 3 Smelt, 3 Sprats, 2 Pilchards and 2 Bluey

I always like to take a selection of dead baits so I can chop and change if necessary.

TERMINAL TACKLE

Armed with two 2 1/2 pound Image carp rods and Nash reels loaded with 15lb Gardner GT-HD line. Float fishing was the order of the day and I dug out a couple of tried and tested Drennan 15g Zeppler pike floats. I opted to have similar set ups on both rods.  Our homemade wire trace was two feet of 30lb American Fishing Wire with two semi barbed size 6 trebles.

Mainline Gardner GT-HD 15lb

Trace wire 30lb AFW

Size 6 Drennan semi barbed treble hooks

Float – Homemade float and a Drennan Zeppler

Float stop and small bead

The swim

We asked the bailiff where was fishing and suggested the twenties. We settled on peg 21. Our swim was on a corner of the lake. We had two feet of water under our feet with it deepening off to 8 feet around three rods out. We placed the baits in around 5 to 6 feet of water halfway up the shelf. One with sprat down on the right and the other slightly left with half a bluey. Both sliding floats were fished around 2 feet over depth so the floats lay just on their side as the weight just rested on the bottom.

Jordan positioned both of the rods and we sorted ourselves out ready for what would hopefully be a good days fishing.

The breeze was making small waves and the float was bobbing and blowing around in the wind. If you didn’t have a trained eye you could quite easy not see the initial take. After 20 minutes my trained eye noticed a change in the floats position. It was a take on the sprat on the right. I told Jordan to pick up the rod and talked him through the process.

the process of striking a run

I explained that the pike picks the bait up and moves off with it. They then stop and turn the bait head first before swallowing it. The best time to strike and set the hook is as early as possible to avoid a deep hooked fish.  I said we may well miss a take or two because I would prefer that than having to deal with a set of deep trebles.  Fish welfare is priority.

Jordan was ready. Tighten the drag, test the drag, adjust the drag and when you happy strike and lean in and set the hooks. In all the excitement he forgot to tighten the drag enough. This gave the pike the time to feel the tension and the fish aborted the run.

Profanity’s followed but I explained it’s part of the learning curve and he wouldn’t do that again. We just hoped that wouldn’t be the only take that day.

We re-baited and cast back into the same spot. For the next couple hours we occasionally drew the baits back to see if the flashing of the fish can get the attention of a hungry Pike. We would pull the bait around three feet off the bottom and then let it sink and leave it for 10-15 minutes. 

At Last

Around 1.30pm I wandered back to the car to grab some food that I had in the boot. On my return to the swim I could see Jordan was standing up totally focused on the right hand float. I could see from ten yards away the float starting to move off. I reassured Jordan and went through the procedure again. What followed was a perfect strike to set the hooks. After a brief fight Jordan’s first ever Pike graced the landing net. Fist pumps and huge smiles all around. Wow was I relieved. Imagine if the only take of the day was the one we had missed.

A brief but informative lesson in fish care and finger safety followed. I wish I would have taken my own advice. I saw the fish bleeding then realised it was my cold fingers that had been caught by it teeth. At 6lb on the button it was a fish for both of us to remember.

We re-baited with a pilchard minus the head. I used a bit of bait elastic to secure the bait as I wanted to cast further along the tree line. An hour and half later the float took off like that barrel in Jaws. No slowing down he launched into another fish.

This one must have been the identical twin of the first one but I could not complain. Two fish on his first Pike trip.

We fished until it was virtually dark without any more takes and decided to called it a day.  Maybe Jordan had caught the bug and agreed on another trip the following week.

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