Fisrt time deadbaiting for pike ;-)

[big pike dreamer]

Hi all, just thought id pop on and give a brief description of my first time having a go at deadbaiting for pike, call it a mini catch report if you like If any of you has read my other posts you will see I have been asking alot of advice recently on this issue . So thought it was only fair!
Anyway I may as well kick of by saying I dident catch! but have to say I thoroughly enjoy my 9 hours on the canal bank, I went on the canal as I wanted to get used to my new equipment and get the whole 'feel' of it before I went for the big boy's up at my local ressy. I was using equiptment I have never used before, I.E bite alarm,new carp rod, bite indicators, baitrunner reel,deadbait, etc,etc! I did get a great setup (eventually!) and was finally happy (about 3 hours later lol) my first problem was my reel was all set wrong but got that sorted quite quickly, I was also finding it very difficult to judge the cast, get my bank sticks in the right position (hard ground) and all that stuff! but eventually I got there! The down side to my trip was the many canal barges that kept going past meaning I had to keep re-casting etc, some little scally fishing literally on my knee (who literally dident have a clue) but thought nuthin of asking me for fags every 2 mins! (I dident give him any) and the million and one bikeriders/dog walkers etc! I guess I should of expected this being a canal and a bank holiday! to be fair they have every right to be there so I cant really moan! (appart from the older lady who saw one of my used deadbaits (sardine) on the bank and accused me of killing fish!!! ) anywat the set-up I used is below - - -
Daiwa black widow carp rod (2.75TC)
Shimano 6000 baitrunner (which im lovin!)
Korum KBI bita alarm (which I was impressed with for the price)
Fox micro swinger (which did exactly what it said on the tin)
Fox 15lb soft steel camo line (I use the 10lb for carp and it has never let me down)
end tackle -
Fox large dia run ring & buffer bead, 1.5 Oz lead attached to a swivil then a snap link to the run ring,18 inch wire trace with two size 6 trebles semi barbed.
The bait I used today was Sprat,sardine,lamprey, I had 2 touches on the sardine and on the retrival somthing had taked a chunk out off the belly of the fish, I dont think this was a pike but maybe an eel or crayfish? what ever it was it deffo wasn't a run!!
Problems - - -
I had both elasticated cotton and small lacky bands to help with keeping the bait on the hooks,esp the sardine which was very fragile! the lacky bands tended to cut through the soft flesh (but still kept it on) and I found trying to tie on with the elasic very difficult, any surggestions fellas??
On the cast I found that the lead was hitting the water way before the fish and not as far out as I would of liked and therefore on tightening the line I was pulling the fish quite away back to my lead (if you understand what I mean? I was very cautious with the cast as dident want to end up in the trees!) Other than these little niggles and with no fish caught I really enjoyed it!! Hope I havent boared anybody!!

Thanks Guys!!

[pingu]

good learning session there
seems doing everything right

dave

[big pike dreamer]

I hope I am Dave, Thanks for the reply, it's deffo wet my appetite! ;-) dont think il go on the canal very often mind ;-)

[CarpMadAdy]

Hi Matt,

You'll struggle with sardines due to their softness. You could try hooking them in the normal way and then instead of using elastic cotton/bands,tie them on with bait floss instead - can even use dental floss which is cheaper,just make sure its flat and not round as this will grip the fish better.

If im using sardines, i dont thaw them the night before like i do with my other fish. Instead, i take it to the bank frozen and use then frozen or semi frozen. Only problem with using frozen baits is they tend to be very bouyant so be warned - you could end up with a bait way off the bottom,depending on the depth of water!

Another option which i haven't yet tried - go to your nearest plumbing centre and get some plumbers "pipe freeze" / "artic spray pipe freeze" - its between £7-£10 a tin i believe. Basically its a "freeze spray" which is used to freeze water etc when working on cracked/broken pipes. Some of the sprays freeze down to -500 degrees centigrade - so be careful with your fingers and anything else!!!!!! (its also good for removing chewing gum from clothes/carpets etc!!)

Hook your sardines in the usual way,then spray onto the hooks - so that you "weld" the hooks to the fish. Once in the water the spray thaws out,just as ice in water does. You could also spray the fish before hooking and "welding" which will obviously make the fish stiffer and may also aid with the casting. It'll be trial and error as to how much you use each time - REMEMEBER TOO MUCH AND YOUR FISH MAY FLOAT!!



Ady




P.s Dont give up on the canal, it will provide a good learning curve where you'll gain alot of experience which will stand you in good stead for when you have more experience and are ready for bigger venues. You have alot to learn yet and there's no point trying to run before you can walk fella! :)

[Baz T]

Good report - sounds like you are on top of everything - just need a pike to snaffle yr bait now!. Dont forget to try the margins - never ignore the margins as they say, and this may also help with the problem of barges and boats going past, if you have at least one of your baits along the margins on your side.

[big pike dreamer]

Hi Ady, Thanks for the reply & more advice! this freeze spray sounds interesting and I will deffo be off to Google shortly! I loved the Fox quick change links you suggested, they worked perfectly and in using them it allowed me to get my next rig ready and simply change the end rig when I wanted to change bait etc. I never thought (being a quiver guy) that I would enjoy using the bite alarm but I suprised myself and quite enjoyed being able to really chill and even finished my days fishing without a headache!! I wont give up on the canal mate, but I think I will choose a better time to go next time! maybe take a day off work or find a quieter spot thats not right on the canal path! The only thing I dident take which I think may of been worth a try due to quite heavy weeds/silt was some poly or balls to pop the bait up, I will try and get something next time to give it a go! Im sure I will be back to you should I come across any probs mate! The casting was very difficult, and a part of me thought that if I was at the ressy or any other large area I could of just 'let rip' with the casts and not had to worry about trees etc! one day eh lol!

Cheers!!!!

Matt

[big pike dreamer]

Cheers Baz, as I was fishing just at the entrance to a small tunnel, even if the rod was dipped right at my feet I would of had to bring it in ;-( but as stated I think next time I will go on a weekday or when the season for the damn barges is over lol, Cheers mate!

Matt