Large rubber lures have an almost magical attraction for pike and are incredibly versatile. They can be used in both shallow and deep, flowing or still waters. To emphasize this versatility, large rubber lures are generally supplied without hooks, allowing you to customize your setup. In this blog, we focus on the preferred rigging method of big pike experts Marc Vandekerckhove and Luc Declerck. Here’s Marc’s perspective.
MATERIALS “Here, we’ll show you how we rig our favorite lure, the IRIS Shocktail (40 cm), with hooks for trolling large pike. For this lure, we make our own rigs (hook setup). Let’s start with our preferred materials.”
- SPRO 7×7 Supreme Steel Wire – 0.58 mm thickness with a strength of 30 kg
- Single Brass Crimps – 1.4 x 10 mm in diameter
- Gamakatsu Hyper Swivels – Size 5
- Gamakatsu Treble 13B Hooks – Size 2/0
LARGER TREBLES “Our experience has shown that when trolling with this large lure, using a larger treble hook increases the hookup rate,” continues Marc. “We opt for Treble 13B hooks in size 2/0 from Gamakatsu, and we’ve had very positive results with them. These are attached to the swivel with a Hyper split ring in size 5. The swivels help to prevent wear on the rig, extending its durability.”
With these tips, you’re set for maximum success with large pike!
The IRIS Shocktail is a top-tier pike seducer!
TWO SEPARATE STINGERS “Despite the size of the lure, large pike can fully engulf the rubber bait in their mouths. When the hooks are set deeper, it’s often hard to cut the rig or hooks if needed. That’s why we always use two separate stingers, which we attach with a loop over the eye of the jig head. This way, we can open the snap on the leader and remove the stingers individually through the mouth or gills if necessary. Using this method, we’ve managed to safely unhook pike in tricky spots without harming the fish. This is the main reason we prefer two separate stingers instead of a single line with two hooks.”
With two separate hook lines, unhooking a deeply hooked pike is easier.
IMPROVE HOOK-UP RATES
“We determine the length of our stingers based on the length of our lure: the shorter stinger goes under the lure’s eye, and the second stinger is placed where the body transitions to the tail. We mount our hooks with a softbait pin on the side of the lure, not underneath. Using swivels allows the treble hooks to hang freely from the lure, significantly increasing hook-up chances! For those less experienced with rigging, SPRO also offers high-quality rigs and stingers.”
The Gamakatsu Treble 13B hooks dangle freely below the lure, improving hook-ups!