Fishing in the Florida Keys is an unforgettable experience, and it can be even more…
With bait fish for pike – quite simply on the capitals
Especially in waters that are strongly blinked and high angling pressure there is one bait can still be very effective, and that is that dead bait fish. Because big pike in particular can be very lazy and like to take the bite on the bottom without showing any great suspicion. Especially in the Winter and late autumnThe bait fish is often clearly superior to the blinker, wobbler or rubber fish. How I fish for pike with the baitfish is actually very simple and I’ll show you here.
The right bait fish for pike
The best bait fish for pike depend on the fishing water. Above all, it is important which fish are found there and the season also plays a role for a certain time in summer the pike often shoot completely at the smallest fish.
In the rest of the year, however, you are usually very well advised to go with the hunchback roach. Where are available Perch also very good bait fish for pike. The spines do not need to be cut either, because they do not bother the pike, although some anglers cut them off before fishing. A big advantage of perch is theirs tough skinso they can often be ejected without disintegrating.
Pierce the swim bladder
To Swim bladder: this should be pierced when the bait fish floating offered at the pose
becomes. When bottom fishing, an intact swim bladder gives a little boost and slightly offsets the weight of the heavy triplets and assembly. Therefore I leave this with The basic angle is intact.
For targeted fishing for capital pike, I recommend fishing bait fish with a size of 20 cm or even a little more. My next tip is for big pike too.
With sea fish for pike: herring, sardines and mackerel as bait fish
Oily marine fish like Herrings or half mackerel are very good large pike baits, especially in winter. Their very strong odor attracts predators from far away and the fish oil makes a great scent cloud. This bait is also practical to get hold of, as these bait fish can be found in almost every supermarket.
Of course, the fish must not be clearly smoked or pickled, but preferably left in their natural state or removed from the freezer.
That is to be observed
It is best to take the sea fish to the water half frozen, then the very soft fish are much easier to hold on the hook.
Additional support for the bait fish is provided by some bait elastic or some line that is wrapped around the leader and tail end of the bait fish. The fact that the purchased fish are excluded does not affect the success of the catch, because they simply smell very strong. To make the bait smell even stronger, you can inject some fish oil into it with a syringe.
Feeding for pike
You can not only feed when fishing for coarse fish. As a pike angler you have two options for feeding. During the day you can simply eat it with a simple coarse fish food or some breadcrumbs lure small whitefish to the fishing spotwhich then also attract the interest of the pike.
The other method is ideal, especially if you take sea fish for feeding. This comes a little closer to the classic feeding on coarse fish and consists of simply throwing small pieces of fish into the water a few days before the hide. This also gets the pike used to the more unusual bait fish.
Another tip on the subject of feeding: never feed just one spot. Because maybe the spot is bad, but maybe another angler is already sitting at the padded spot on the fishing day. It is best to be flexible and at least feed two better three at. If nothing works at one point, you still have a plan B. AThere is no feeding on the fishing day, that is the big difference to feeding on non-predatory fish.
Lure bait fish properly
Lure fish properly is not that difficult and there are countless variations and almost all of them work very well.
The hooks for fishing for pike
I take it as a hook Triplets of sizes 6 to 8 for pike fishing. These grip particularly well in the very hard pike mouth and today’s quality of hooks ensures that even these small ones do not bend open. Hooks of size 1 or 2 grip much worse and the rate of incorrect bites increases. Large triplets are also more noticeable and pike can see fish hooks. I like to take two Triplets of the size mentioned, then you can strike very quickly and the pike do not swallow as deeply.
The best methods of luring baitfish for various fishing techniques
- Lure the bait fish for fishing with a float / float for a floating bait fish. The swim bladder is squeezed out or removed
- Angling of the bait fish for fishing on the ground, can also be used with float mounting. The swim bladder remains intact
Steel leader: I have explained how to tie a steel leader yourself in this article. Which material I use for this I show in this article.
Mounted with a float on a pike
A pike swimmer should carry around 10-35 grams depending on weather conditions. As already mentioned, the swim bladder should be pierced in the float when the bait fish is floating. An assembly for pike can be very easy and does not need any gimmicks. Unlike pikeperch, pike are much less suspicious when they feel resistance.
This is what my standard assembly looks like:
- On the main line comes the first Stopper
- This is then followed by the Schwimmer
- Now comes a lead according to the swimmer
- A Rubber bead protects the knot for
- Swivel into which the leader is then hung
- 40-70 cm long leader with triplets and bait fish
Assembly for bottom fishing for pike
In wind, waves or if the bait is to be placed far from the fishing spot, then a basic assembly is the right one. 20-60 grams of lead are usually sufficient. The leader should be at least 70 centimeters long, as we sometimes don’t notice bites that quickly.
The assembly then looks like this:
- First of all, an anti-tangle tube is attached to the main line, where the weight is attached. Alternatively, just a pear lead with a swivel
- A rubber bead on the main line prevents the lead from damaging the knot.
- A carabiner swivel is tied to the main line
- The leader is hooked into the swivel – done!
You can read here >> how to make your own steel leaders for pike fishing
Set the stop
When is the right time for the stop depends on the assembly. When using two treble hooks of size 6 to 8, as described for me, you can already strike when the pike has taken 1-2 m of line. The attack must come after a maximum of 1-2 minutes. If you fish with sardines, you can set the first strike very quickly, preferably immediately after the bite, as the soft bait releases the triplets easily and the baits are very small.
Logically, the bigger the bait, the longer you have to wait. Pike often pull something off first and stop after a few meters of line. If the pike starts moving again afterwards, it is always time for the attack.
There are pike here in all seasons
In the winter
In winter, pike prefer to stand at 5-6 m or even lower, if the water allows it. So it is important to look for the pike in the deep in winter.
In the spring
Around the spawning season, the pike like to stand over old, half-dead weeds in shallow water. Even before the spawning season, the fish collect in these places. After the spawning season, they distribute themselves back into the water.
Im summer
In the evenings, the pike can often be found in shallow water, because not only the pikeperch know where to find prey. At night they often retreat into somewhat deeper water, unless one is dealing with the very rare nocturnal specimens. In the mornings, the pike can often be found at their classic locations. Noon is usually the worst time to fish for pike in summer.
In the autumn
The pike are hardest to find in autumn. They are usually found in relatively flat regions until the first frost and often not in those they seek to spawn. Often the big fish move into the deep earlier. The only thing that helps here is a search and a little knowledge of the water to find out where the fish are.
The fishing spots
The best fishing spots on lakes or rivers are listed in this post. Also with hints as to where the pike can stand.
I made this post on the subject of spin fishing for pike. In which techniques and many tips can be found.
Fishing tackle for sitting on pike
The right device for pike sitting is explained quickly and easily. Carp rods with round are suitable as a rod 3lbs and 3.6m Length. A stable free-running reel >> is recommended as a role. So if you already have carp tackle, you are well prepared for pike hunting. A cord is recommended when using a monofilament 30`s or 35`s, while an 18 to 20 is sufficient for a braided line. Monofilament line even has advantages when sitting down for pike, because in a fight it cushions the jumps and head shaking of pike better.
Important fishing accessories for bait fishing for pike
Here are a few more tips for important or useful fishing accessories for pike fishing.
- A Abhakmatte protects the fish when you want to put them back
- Without Maulsperre bloody fingers are almost guaranteed
- A long and stable one Arterienklemme allows ticking off neatly
- If you want to thread your bait fish is one Bait needle useful
- A spacious predatory fish net >> ensures a pleasant landing. Since you never know where the hooks are exactly, landing by hand is often very dangerous.