Fishing with dead baits is really popular and effective. Het maakt niet uit of je ervaren bent, of net begint met deze visserij want iedereen kan het! Fishing with dead baits enlarges your chances to catch a big fish. In this article we will share insightful tips and valuable tricks to enhance your chances as much as possible.
The right bait
A succesful pike adventure starts with picking the right bait. Popular baitfish are: mackerel, sardine, smelt, roach and perch. Fish from the sea is more oily and spreads more scent, however nothing is as natural as a dead roach or perch. Whatever choice you make, it’s mainly important that the dead fish is fresh and presented in the right location. However… Where is that? You’ll read that further down!
Equipment
When pike fishing with dead baits it’s mainly important that your rod has enough backbone so you can cast your baitfish and set the hook well. On top of that a strong line and good spinning or casting reel is unmissable too!
In this movie Owen explains all he knows about fishing for pike with dead baits.
Location
Spot choice is of critical importance for your success. It’s good to know pike are lazy by nature. They will always be close to their food source. So what you are looking for is concentrations of baitfish. In the colder times spots that offer a bit more warmth than the rest are quite literal hot spots. Examples could be: places that offer some kind of shelter, bridges, tunnels, deeper spots etc.
Technique
You can fish your deadbaits in different ways: more active with a float, or more passive with a lead on the bottom with your rod resting on an optonic. Big pike can be really slow. But if you present your baitfish in the right location most of the time after a while they can’t help themselves and just eat it. When pike is passive, this method can be productive. The advantage of fishing with floats is that you’re a little more mobile. Doing so, you can fish multiple hotspots in one day. That way you will encounter active pike sooner or later.
Rigs
For fishing on the bottom you’d best use a sliding weight and a rig that is matching with the size of baitfish you are using. A single hook through the head and a treble hook in the side of the fish is okay. Under the float you’ll use a weight to balance the float hookwise a rig with a single treble hook is commonly used. That treble hook can be put in the back of the bait fish so it’s presented horizontal under the float. This is the most natural presentation.
Bite
Your optonic is shouting, or your float pops under… What now? It’s best advice to set the hook as fast as possible. Easily reel in untill you can feel if the pike still has your bait in his mouth. If that is the case with a powerful swift move you can set the hook. Striking so quick insures that pike will be hooked in the front of his mouth. The hooks can be removed with ease and the pike can be returned unharmed.
Tip
Do you like to venture out with lures, are you all about an active approach? You can do so with dead baits too! It can be amazingly effective to fish hot spots more active with deadbaits. With 1 rod and a backpack give each hotspot 15 minutes of time with a deadbait under a float; super exciting, fun and effective!
Fishing deadbaits active can be really effective.