bait??

[jb92]

im new to all freshwater fishing really and i was wondering what the best places and bait for pike is

[baitmaster]

well as for places that will depend on your area you live in although the broads and the fens are very good but then i,m bias .
but i think a chat with your local tackle dealer and some locals will probably put you on some pikey areas
now as for bait well any sea bait such as mackerel .herring ,sardine ,smelt lamprey , pollan.small whiting work well too .also coarse baits are good to but mainly roach and bream and eels are most commonly used dead or alive .
there are many tactic that can be used to fish baits differently too from standard float fishing to basic ledger tactics then there are the variation like sunken float paternster or ledger paternoster to wobbling or sink and draw .
so as you can see there is alot to get your head round and i,ve just quickly given you an over view of very basics , but one thing i would stress when you find the area you want to fish and when you get a take from a pike please strike early as you do not want to deep hook it .
hope theres some help there for ya


tightlines
kevin

[***simon***]

my method in the river i fish is catch a roach or anything similar, doesnt really matter on size. jus not too small. i use a wire trace with one treble hook and hook the live roach through the tail and cast it out. within seconds i have pike chasing it and usually eating it. the river i fish is clear and i often have to pike after the same bait. pretty cool to watch in my opinion!

[Bigdave]

Hiya Mate at this time of year you cant go to far wrong with a roach, either dead or alive. If its really weedy fish up in the water with a pike bung and suspend the bait well of the bottom. If live bait is allowed on your water a gudgeon is also an excellent bait, they're tough and they really try to go down onto the bottom sending out those all important distress signals which really get pike going!!! If lives are not allowed then try a spinner or plug or wobble a dead bait. When you do get a take strike as early as possible and when you land your pike you may have to nurse it abit in the margins as summer pike fight incredibly hard and in warm/hot weather oxygen levels can be low so be sure that the fish is ready before release make sure to run water over its gills you can do this by gently moving the fish backwards and forwards, when you see the gills working hold it upright and dont let it go until it can strongly swim away by itself. Also always use a wire trace and a thick gardening glove can be handy to avoid those teeth!! Good look mate and I hope I've been of some help. Tight lines

[tat]

Has anyone ever used perch as a deadbait?I've been told it works well in the Lakes,by locals.Iwas fishing for perch off the jetty at Coniston and 2 guys came over and asked if they could kill the next half dozen I caught for pike bait.Showed me a photo of a 30 they said had been caught on perch.

[baitmaster]

perch are a very good bait but i,ve found they work better as lives than dead but they work well

tightlines
kevin