Homemade Pike Drop-offs.

[naxian62]

Hi y'all,
I've made up some rigid arm drop-offs and some flexible (strong cord) ones. Yesterday whilst willing them to move! I was pondering if there are advantages/disadvantages with either system? Something that I maybe overlooking?
And, yes the sight bobs are heavy enough to register drop back takes.
Anyone got thoughts on this?

 

[greenie62]

.....Yesterday whilst willing them to move! I was pondering if there are advantages/disadvantages with either system? Something that I maybe overlooking?......

Maybe .... you weren't getting bites .... in which case either type was working perfectly!

Could be reasons other than the indicator! Was the bait coming back chewed / bitten in half / stripped off the hook?
Tight Lines!

 

[terry m]

Rigid arms work best for me, but just my preference.

 

[mick b]

Hi y'all,
I've made up some rigid arm drop-offs and some flexible (strong cord) ones. Yesterday whilst willing them to move! I was pondering if there are advantages/disadvantages with either system? Something that I maybe overlooking?
And, yes the sight bobs are heavy enough to register drop back takes.
Anyone got thoughts on this?

Yes, forget them.

In my experience pike don't like a load on the line suddenly disappearing as what happens when the Drop-offs drop.
Far better is a constant load such as a weight on a long loop of line between the reel and butt ring, the old tube of silver paper had a lot going for it believe me.

If you doubt the above get a lump of sponge and shove it into the butt ring so the line is held firmly, when you get a run the pike will happily drag the line through the sponge as long as the tension on the line doesn't change.

Suitable alternatives to silver paper can be made from sections of plastic water pipe with a saw cut thro to allow the line to enter/exit.
There is a long thread on here all about this method and how it works in various situations and with different rigs.


.

 

[naxian62]

Mick, very interesting.
Last season I had this thing about really paring my gear down, in an effort to become more mobile. I did away with rodrests and just laid the rods on the ground using a fold of good old silver foil as an indicator. I caught a few fish this way, and never gave it much thought (as it was my 1st season back piking after a very lay off) , BUT now that I'm kind of following the trends , heavier leads, using drop- offs , sometimes with buzzers, I'm not enjoying as much success! And all this is me striving towards better bite indication. Which has become laughable, on my last 3 or 4 (ledgered) takes, I've noticed the rod tip knocking way before any bleep or indicator movement! Back to the old ways next session.
Thanks for the reminder

 

[BarryC]

Yes, forget them.

In my experience pike don't like a load on the line suddenly disappearing as what happens when the Drop-offs drop.
Far better is a constant load such as a weight on a long loop of line between the reel and butt ring, the old tube of silver paper had a lot going for it believe me.

If you doubt the above get a lump of sponge and shove it into the butt ring so the line is held firmly, when you get a run the pike will happily drag the line through the sponge as long as the tension on the line doesn't change.

Suitable alternatives to silver paper can be made from sections of plastic water pipe with a saw cut thro to allow the line to enter/exit.
There is a long thread on here all about this method and how it works in various situations and with different rigs.


.

If this was the case with naxian the pike would drop the bait when all goes light ie when the drop off drops off.
He appears to be getting no response at all.

In my limited experience I have rarely, in fact can't remember ever having the line pulled from the clip and then no fish.
Have had it happen and felt no fish there and struck just in case only to find one sitting there without moving with bait in mouth.

I know this is a common theory among many experienced pikers so can only assume that pike in some waters/areas are more sensitive to changing line tension than others.

Back to the original question I would suggest that if you are using a reasonable sized lead say 3oz with a run ring fitted as long as your line clip is set as light as conditions will allow and you fish a tight line, if you get any interest from essox you will know it even if dropped afterwards.

I am assuming you are using rear drop offs and open bale arm.

 

[terry m]

In my limited experience I have rarely, in fact can't remember ever having the line pulled from the clip and then no fish.
Have had it happen and felt no fish there and struck just in case only to find one sitting there without moving with bait in mouth.

That is interesting Barry.

I know the accepted wisdom is reduce resistance and doubly make sure that resistance does not change, and that is wholesome advice.

However it is not my experience at all. Like Barry, I have never had a line pulled from the line clip (and I use the pivoting gates that take a modicum of pulling) to be followed by a dropped bait. I have had pike take whilst I am setting the drop offs and not realising that a fish was on the end and physically pulling back against the take, and still no dropped bait. I do not for one second prescribe ratcheting up resistance or anything similar, but in my experience the whole resistance thing is overplayed a little.

 

[thecrow]

How much resistance would a Pike feel at say 40/50yds, I doubt it would be enough for the fish to notice a change in tension and they aint that clever.

I have used home made drop offs for years and had no problems with them or with Pike dropping the bait through a change in resistance, any dropped runs have been before the line/braid is pulling from the clip or well after it has pulled from the clip.

 

[mick b]

Mick, very interesting.
Last season I had this thing about really paring my gear down, in an effort to become more mobile. I did away with rodrests and just laid the rods on the ground using a fold of good old silver foil as an indicator. I caught a few fish this way, and never gave it much thought (as it was my 1st season back piking after a very lay off) , BUT now that I'm kind of following the trends , heavier leads, using drop- offs , sometimes with buzzers, I'm not enjoying as much success! And all this is me striving towards better bite indication. Which has become laughable, on my last 3 or 4 (ledgered) takes, I've noticed the rod tip knocking way before any bleep or indicator movement! Back to the old ways next session.
Thanks for the reminder

I once spent a season moving swims every 15-20mins, this necessitated a slimming down of all my gear and making my own roll-up (they weren't on the market in those days) during that season I caught more fish over 20 and often used a split or folded over section of reed as an indicator.

On one memorable day on Marsworth Reservoir (a damned hard place in the late '70's) I had four big doubles before lunchtime and nothing at all after I stopped roving.

I believe Derek uses a similar approach when lure fishing.

.

 

[terry m]

Mick, how many rods would you normally use whilst roving?

 

[naxian62]

Love it how sometimes these threads take off at a different tangent.
But the topic of resistance is worth going into. The Lumbland blog raises some interesting points on this.
Mick, what's a "roll-up" ?

 

[mick b]

Terry,
I always carried two, a pair of Sportex Hornsea Pike rods fitted with Mitchell 306 fixed spool reels and 15lb clear blue Stren, the line has changed but the same rods and reels I still use for piking today.

Naxian62,
A roll-up is/was a thing I designed in 72 to carry all my Pikeing gear with the rods ready assembled, hooks and all.
It consists of a piece of HD PVC around 7ft x 7ft, one side had 1ft folded over and stitched into 1ft wide pockets, into two pockets went both sections of one rod, secured by a tape stitched to the sheet around 4' up.
Into the third pocket went all my rod rests, simple hollow alloy poles scrounged from retired TV aerials with a peg epoxied into the top to hold an Efgeeco rubber rod rest and the other end hammered into a point.
Another pocket held a brolley, originally a cotton design, later replaced by a nylon NuBrolly, later discarded if roaming.
The last pocket held my folded Efgeeco alloy landing net.
The top was then folded over and the whole lot was rolled around the two rods and carried with a stitched on section of 2" Ex MOD web belt.

This roll-up also doubled as an unhooking mat and an instant rain shelter if I had discarded brollies alltogether.

Lots of specialist anglers who saw it thought my idea was brilliant and later some were made commercially.

I was fishing large pits and reserviors at the time and from stopping at a swim to setting the 2nd indicator took around two minutes max.
Many was the time when I had a take before the 2nd rod was even put together, once a take from a big 20 as I cast the first rod in.
I only stopped roving when I sufferred a sports injury and walking long distances became difficult.
It certainly catches the fish, but you gotta be fit,....... and young.
.