Graham Marsden
Editor Emeritus
This is a dedicated thread for discussing article: Positive River Piking
Positive River Piking
- Thread starter Graham Marsden
- Start date
Sean Meeghan
Well-known member
Great article Graham. Just a couple of points from my own experience:
It's really important to explore every part of a swim before moving. This includes casting upstream. Pike can be attracted into the swim or stimulated to feed by the disturbance caused by casting. I normally give it 20 minutes on my first cast then cast around at 10 minute intervals.
I normally use the laying-on/stret pegging technique, but I always fish my bait with the top hook in the tail when doing this. My feeling is that this keeps the bait on the hooks more reliably and gives better hook ups, but that's only a personal preference.
It's really important to explore every part of a swim before moving. This includes casting upstream. Pike can be attracted into the swim or stimulated to feed by the disturbance caused by casting. I normally give it 20 minutes on my first cast then cast around at 10 minute intervals.
I normally use the laying-on/stret pegging technique, but I always fish my bait with the top hook in the tail when doing this. My feeling is that this keeps the bait on the hooks more reliably and gives better hook ups, but that's only a personal preference.
Graham Marsden
Editor Emeritus
I used to always fish with the top hook in the tail Sean and then, when I missed a few runs, and one or two fish came off, I tried it the other way round and it seemed to do the trick. These days I swap around a bit and I must admit that top hook in the tail is my preferred way and as long as I don't miss any I stick to that. When legering a fixed bait I always fish top hook in tail.
preston96
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2002
- Messages
- 2,107
- Reaction score
- 8
A very thought provoking and relavent article for me at this stage of the season......i'm fishing the lower Severn and having some serious heavy debates with a long time pal who is very succsesful for BIG Zander.
He is transfixed by fishing the lead and watching his rod top though and a lot of "takes" are missed........a couple of weeks back i suggested this type of slow searching with a float and just enough lead to hold......his reply was that he doesn't do to bad.....and trust me, he has had some monster fish, but i am gagging to get on a boat in the right conditions and try his technique and some similar to those Graham mentions.
We have been mates a long time and the air can be blue with insults when we get together and "tactic spar".............i can't wait!:wh
He is transfixed by fishing the lead and watching his rod top though and a lot of "takes" are missed........a couple of weeks back i suggested this type of slow searching with a float and just enough lead to hold......his reply was that he doesn't do to bad.....and trust me, he has had some monster fish, but i am gagging to get on a boat in the right conditions and try his technique and some similar to those Graham mentions.
We have been mates a long time and the air can be blue with insults when we get together and "tactic spar".............i can't wait!:wh
Welsh Goff I Do luv My Sheep
Well-known member
Excellent article Graham, as always very informative to all that are interested in Pike.
MarkTheSpark
Senior Member
You've got my piking muscles twitching, Graham. It's all work and no play fir me at the moment, but I may well lose me patience and go on Monday....
Chris Hammond ( RSPB ACA PAC}
Well-known member
Some serious food for thought there Graham. You have a much more structured approach than I do. I'm looking forward to trying a couple of those techniques on my local water courses.
Do you find the bait lies awkwardly when hooked in the flank, i.e tilts over? Or do you purposefully leave some slack in the trace between the trebles in order to keep it on an even keel? I'm just wondering because with suspended baits I sometimes try to fix the bottom treble in the spine to keep it lying on a natural keel.
An excellent read and a sound game plan for anyone to base their river piking on. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Regards Chris
Do you find the bait lies awkwardly when hooked in the flank, i.e tilts over? Or do you purposefully leave some slack in the trace between the trebles in order to keep it on an even keel? I'm just wondering because with suspended baits I sometimes try to fix the bottom treble in the spine to keep it lying on a natural keel.
An excellent read and a sound game plan for anyone to base their river piking on. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Regards Chris
Cakey
Well-known member
if I hold a trace in my hand by the swivel is the top hook the top hook ?
the one that can slide for different sized baits ?
the one that can slide for different sized baits ?
Sean Meeghan
Well-known member
Yes.
But if you hold it the other way up it's the bottom hook!
But if you hold it the other way up it's the bottom hook!
balsamsavage65
New member
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2009
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 0
hi.
how long it can surview after take out from the water and these fishes are usefull for medicines
Miniaturized bugs for audio surveillance
how long it can surview after take out from the water and these fishes are usefull for medicines
Miniaturized bugs for audio surveillance
Steve Spiller
Well-known member
Very interesting Graham.
What are your thoughts on braid? I now use 65lb power-pro after getting broke up on a snag on 15lb Maxima, leaving a set of baited trebles in the water
I've pulled out of every snag since and straightened many trebles doing so.
What are your thoughts on braid? I now use 65lb power-pro after getting broke up on a snag on 15lb Maxima, leaving a set of baited trebles in the water
I've pulled out of every snag since and straightened many trebles doing so.
I was interested to read Graham's views on trotting suspended deadbaits downstream. Many times I've tried it in the past with no success. I've found that to get takes the deadbait has had to be:
lying static on the bottom
dragged slowly along the bottom as the float is pushed downstream
twitched back a foot or so towards the rod
retrieved back toward the rod in preparation for recasting
drifting down to the river bed after recasting
I'll have to give suspended baits another try.
I wonder though if we need to mount a suspended deadbait on the hooks so it looks like a swimming or feeding fish ? Do pike actually believe it's a live fish ? I think that they recognise that the fish is something to eat, but they aren't deceived into thinking it's alive.
lying static on the bottom
dragged slowly along the bottom as the float is pushed downstream
twitched back a foot or so towards the rod
retrieved back toward the rod in preparation for recasting
drifting down to the river bed after recasting
I'll have to give suspended baits another try.
I wonder though if we need to mount a suspended deadbait on the hooks so it looks like a swimming or feeding fish ? Do pike actually believe it's a live fish ? I think that they recognise that the fish is something to eat, but they aren't deceived into thinking it's alive.
Last edited: