Difficult to do other than agree with Graham Marsdens treatise on Pike and deadbaits.30 years of piking has driven home the message that static deadbaits do
offer the most CONSISTENT chance of a big pike in an average water.(If there is such a
thing.)
If there is something faintly unsporting
about sitting out a deadbait offering,I can live with it, for ALL of my biggest pike have fallen to deads,from every water I have
caught them from.The skill might be in presentation, it may be the way you prepare
the baits, it may simply be time and effort,
but not using livebaits would not dent my catches,sizewise at all.
There is no doubt that livebaits do attract
pike better than deadbaits in most conditions.In my experience livelies catch
more pike and quicker. Sizewise they fall
well behind a well fished deadbait.Pike are not subtle fish, but the big females are more likely to succumb to a static bait that is dead than a live one (i,e anchored).........Why?
I can only think that an 'experienced' pike
cannot 'read' a deadbait,(sea or fresh), in the same way she can a lively.I believe very much that older pike are far more wary than most believe, Ive had deads outfish a
livebait far too many times to think otherwise.Invariably the livebaits have caught more, usually at the start of the session, but be aware as soon as the smaller pike are no longer attacking the livelies,probably, (almost certainly)a bigger pike has arrived on the scene.This, for me, is the role of a livebait,if any,as
an attractor - to let the deadbaits do the real work.
Of course big pike are caught on all kinds of livebaits,but far more are caught on deads.Lethargy may also come into it, a static is not hard work for a big pike after all, but the real secret of catching
big pike is 1. Make sure you are fishing a water where there are big pike, and 2.Spend time and effort locating them.
If you treat them gently and put them back
carefully and unharmed, they will even grow
and quite quickly too.
I never use deadbaits other than frozen in
fish oils- these lolly baits cast like stink, if needed,and pike love them.They thaw very qickly, and are often taken in a semi frozen state anyway.I never use leads,
unless I want to pop the bait up,or the river flow is severe.One last must-do, baits must be as fresh as possible,dont be tempted to save iffy baits,big pike are not caught on em.......Just to confuse the issue, there is one deadbait that catches
as many small fish, and that is lampry's.
A brilliant catcher, but its very high blood content seems to attract jacks like no other bait. Im going to bed.