Where do I present deadbait

When I put a dead bait out on a ledger or float rig do I stick to the rule of lure fishing, do I try to get up tight to features or do I just put the bait out anywhere on the water? Do pike patrol the same route when scavenging or are they a purely opportunist hunter??

i always try and cast next to features on float or ledger if im drifting a bait i try and cast it so it drifts past feature ie a reed bed

Rich wrote:i always try and cast next to features on float or ledger if im drifting a bait i try and cast it so it drifts past feature ie a reed bed

Can I just present the bait anywhere in the water, i always have this vision of a pike being elusive and lying in wait to ambush it's prey,

You could, but as you said about the pike lying in ambush, they would be under/in features such as weed, overhanging bushes, lying under drop offs etc so they are always good places to start, drop your bait in near one of these and if a pike is lying ready to ambush then it'll hopefully take your bait :-) if not then try another place :-)

cavemandom wrote:When I put a dead bait out on a ledger or float rig do I stick to the rule of lure fishing, do I try to get up tight to features or do I just put the bait out anywhere on the water? Do pike patrol the same route when scavenging or are they a purely opportunist hunter??

Try all of the features by moving baits every 20-30 mins. Stick to one water and build up your knowledge. Over time you will catch from some of the features and not from others. You can home in on the better spots and try to learn the holding areas, patrol routes etc. We all wish there was an easy answer to this quetion but we know that time on the bank is priceless in providing the answers. Keep working though and you will get the rewards.

Andy