deadbaiting at this time of year

Can you deadbait at this time of year ?As i've always seen people only doing lure fishing for pike in spring.Why is that?And why dont people use deadbaits in spring?

Its a great question.

I stopped deadbaiting, and piking, in March. I will start again in September/October.

Having said that, I'm not sure why. There is nothing to stop you fishing for pike for 12 months of the year and you can use deadbaits throughout. Pike need extra care when the water is warm and oxygen levels are low. They could be more spread out in warmer weather, but I'm not sure if they are any more spread out in October than June. Water temps will vary over the size of venue and location in the British Isles. Many anglers plan trips to Scotland and Ireland during the spring and summer months.

I suspect a lot of anglers like to fish for other species at different times of the year. There are also all those jobs to do and other hobbies to fit in.

If you want to go deadbaiting for pike then go ahead.

Andy

The only thing I'd say is that extra care is needed with tackle and bite indication- weed growth will have started to kick in on a lot of waters so fish with heavy gear- at least 18lb mono or 50lb braid and a 30lb trace. Also pike tend to wolf baits down very quickly in the warmer water so fish with floats set very sensitively (not 3 foot overdepth!), sit on the rods so you can hit runs absolutely immediately and use barbless hooks. Also I'd recommend using good sized baits eg whole/headless mackerel etc rather than lamprey/smelt etc which can get engulfed too fast even with an instant strike. Play the fish hard, then get them straight back in the water- absolutely NO faffing around setting up scales/cameras etc. Pike simply won't tolerate that in the warm water, when they often fight a lot harder than we're used to in the colder months. Personally I no longer bait fish for pike after the end of March simply because the risks are too high and they're a lot more fun to catch on lures/fly tackle at this time of year.

ok thanks for the replys.Would it be ok to sink and draw (wobble) deadbaits and this time of year, as the bait will be moving so the pike wont able to gulp the bait down as quickly?
Rory

Rory,

Sink and draw method would be ideal, for the reason you have stated.

I dont know why it is, but i just see deadbaits as an autmn winter thing! Spring summer sees me try different styles of fishing, and once the rivers open the lures will come out. I enjoy having some fun with light lures for chub / perch / trout / pike etc. However, as described above, deadbaits will definitely work and, with care, be used very succesfully.

Jimlad

When I actually went pike fishing, I went deadbaiting 12 months a year. It's pretty simple really. If you spend half an hour making sure you have everything set up properly for every eventuality, there shouldn't be a problem. I didn't deephook any more pike in the Summer months than in Winter. I suspect this is a bit of an exaggeration, rather than a myth as such. A bit like Winter piking itself. I have no reason to believe there's any reasonable reason why it's alright to fish for pike in Winter, rather than Summer.

I have to ask, why is it OK to fish for fat, overweight, under-conditioned females, carrying eggs, eating very little at their most delicate but not a month or 3 after spawning, when they are fittest, full of vigour, in their prime, fit for the fight as it were?

I'd suggest that Once Upon A Time, when pikers used soft action carp rods, 10lb line, size 8 hooks of no particular value, off coffee grinder reels and fought pike for longer than is probably required, the old advice regarding fishing for pike in Summer, probably had some merit but we don't fish like this anymore.

We use over-gunned rods, 18lb line (which has been known to stop Tuna) or even 50-65lb braided lines, excellent traces, superior hooks, quality reels with proper smooth drags and we actually bully pike home, to be worked on the bank with a degree of care that your average Vet would find quite eye-opening and this is the standard expected of pikers now.

I'm not suggesting you fish 3 feet deep ponds with steam rising off them. Obviously not but I'm sure the average piker knows when conditions are extreme and right now, nowhere is that extreme. It's no warmer down South than it is up here and I'd go deadbaiting tomorrow....if I wasn't thinking about tench instead.

I have a load of deadbaits left in the freezer. Perhaps I should be looking to get out myself. I'm not keen on getting out of bed in time for a dawn start though. Maybe an evening session would see the pike on the feed. hmmmm tempted.

Andy Webster wrote:I have a load of deadbaits left in the freezer. Perhaps I should be looking to get out myself. I'm not keen on getting out of bed in time for a dawn start though. Maybe an evening session would see the pike on the feed. hmmmm tempted.

Same as me, might give it a go too.

Ive never had a problem with pike fishing through late spring and summer,as long as youre competent and as others have said have good indication etc it shouldnt be any trouble,deeper colder lakes and lochs etc are a better place to fish if possible as the water temps stay lower in the warmer months and also dawn and dusk are the better times for obvious reasons.Have to admit i prefer lives and lures at this time of year but will still fish with deads as well

Last Summer we (Gavin and I) hit the local canal a couple of times for the bream on overnight sessions. Each time I took my lure rod and my deadbait rod but never got a bite. A couple of single bleeps but nothing more.

I'm off work next week and was hoping to get out for at least a couple of sessions (maybe an overnighter, even?) and am undecided what to do about the deadbaiting side of things. I will try and get out with my lure rod on one occassion at least.