gentle pick ups

hi guys fishing a shallow estate lake and im suffering a lot of gentle takes,with the pike mouthing ledgered deadbaits but im getting no indication just lacerated baits on retreval.im using braid mainline. tight lines clipped up to alarms and drop off indicators 20 inch traces and v shaped lead arrangement.ive tried laying on with a pencil float but as soon as the float dips they drop the bait any ideas fellas ?

thats a tough one but similar to a water i fish. He best way i seem to have overcome this is by using popped up baits. From my experience of watching them do this due to the good visibility, it seemingly forces the pike to take the bait in a way that makes sure they grab more of it = more chance of them taking the hooks in. You have to be quick on the strike though so not to give them a chance of spitting the bait. I only use a float set up as it really helps with the good indication needed, but as soon as that float dips for the first time or lays flat, wind down and strike. Yes i still miss a few but i'm catching more than i was before

Are there any Eels present ?

Lacerated baits and no indication suggests crayfish to me? I also fish one of my two rods with a float and have both set up tight to drop offs and ive always had positive bites. The only thing I could suggest is to use the force and strike when you think you might have one

If you are sure they are Pike, then try using only one treble on a trace, bait lip or tail hooked, as pike will pick up the baits and "feel" for another hook in the flank. Ive tried this after having a similar problem, and i was in straight away ! Give it a try mate, you never know !

i used to get this problem i tried using smaller trebles and i am definatly catching alot more pike than i was

drew321 wrote:i used to get this problem i tried using smaller trebles and i am definatly catching alot more pike than i was

I use size 4's for biggish baits ( half mack ), and 6's for smelts etc and generally dont have a problem with dropped runs or finiky pike. When i catch them that is !!

doug6364 wrote:

drew321 wrote:i used to get this problem i tried using smaller trebles and i am definatly catching alot more pike than i was

I use size 4's for biggish baits ( half mack ), and 6's for smelts etc and generally dont have a problem with dropped runs or finiky pike. When i catch them that is !!

i use size 6 for mackerall and size 8s for small coarse fish i make my own rigs and they are the only 2 sizes i buy i mainly got the 8s for zander fishing but still havnt caught 1 lol

whats a v lead arrangment?

i dont suffer finicky or gentle takes, my way is big hooks and big (min 4 ounce im casting 5 ounce leads more and more) leads

to a drop off with the clip set to release the line when a gudgeon farts near the line, rest of the gear is 0.36 0r 0.40mm braid
a big eye swivel rather than a run ring and 24 inches of mono between the lead and swivel

cheers for the advise fellas got a few ideas to try now to get amongst them thanks

I'm with Noodle. Big, sharp hooks and heavy make it increasingly difficult for a pike to drop much of anything. Even at a rod's length, I've got at least 3 oz of lead on.

alternatively what about giving monkey climbers with sensitive front end alarms a try instead of drop offs? i still occasionally use them on waters where the pike are finicky about initial resistance (i.e. with drop offs) with improved results. position them just infront of the reel so that they literally hang on the line and as the pike takes line the climber moves up and down.... you know what i mean. i think its the steady resistance that makes the difference with this set up.

Anything like that Robh is worth a go on finicky pike. You just never know. Could be the difference between blanking or catching.

doug6364 wrote:Anything like that Robh is worth a go on finicky pike. You just never know. Could be the difference between blanking or catching.

precisely my point mate.... theres been times in the past when i've been using conventional drop offs set really light and the pike have still just pulled on the tip and dropped the bait without even pulling the line out of the clip. when i switched to light monkey climbers (home made ones using a cotton reel 1/2 inch thick and a specially devised gate system) i had solid steady runs every time