best method

I'm after an idea into people's typical day/ tactic when they arrive at a venue. Is 1 float fished dead and one ledgered dead pretty typical? And once I've set the baits how long should I be leaving them for. I always tend to fear of I haven't had a take maybe I'm doing something wrong. Will pike actively seek my baits or do you need to be lucky and drop your baits relatively close ??
Cheers for any help

Hey!

Everybody is different, some like to sit it out behind alarms almost like carping whereas others like to actively seek the fish! Me personally, im a rover! I find I get a lot more fish on the bank by actively covering a water.

I usually take 2 rods that I have set up on bungs, my large net, a selection of dead baits (usually Smelt, Sprat, Lamprey and Roach) and my zip up carp mat that I put all my bits and pieces in and use as a bag... for example all my unhooking tools, extra traces, bungs, few weights, scales etc, and oh dnt forget a flask Lol. I then walk the lake or river (usually small rivers for me) covering all the typical areas, deep holes, weir pools, slacks, overhangs, reed lines etc, but also dont forget to look out for smaller bait fish swimming about or jumping as this is a sure sign a pike will be near by. On a river Ill have a certain distance I plan to cover before ive even got there, then spend 45min-1hour in each swim along that stretch usually putting my 1st bait right in the margins of each swim. You wouldn't believe the amount of time ive banked myself a fish within a couple of minutes of putting a bait out in a swim by lowering just a few feet from the bank! The second rod usually goes downstream a bit or I put it out near far margin where there is usually less disturbance on the bank. I usually fish these deep, preferably on the bottom, but not to deep as I don't want fish picking up and managing to swallow my bait without any indication, deep hooked fish isnt good! would rather miss a fish than deep hook one.

If I dnt get any interest after 20-25min I give the bait a little tweak, sometimes a pike can be sitting right near the bait and just need that little bit of movement to spur it into hitting the bait. Ive sat in a swim in a past looking at a bung for almost and hour, I moved the bait all of 2-3 ft and within seconds of putting the rod back down the bung was gone!

If traveling vast distances isn't your cup of tea, don't worry the pike will actively seek the baits out. I got a mate I occasionally take and he couldn't think of anything worse than trekking all day. Ive been known to sit in swims with him on alarms or watching a bung for hours in the same spot and its suddenly gone. If im doing that Ill usually scatter a bit of bait out round the swim to try draw in fish, cut the hook bait open a bit put some bit extra attractant on and put one rod a little more into the flow to get the scent going down the river to draw any fish up from downstream. The only thing Ive found is I dont have anywhere near as many fish, and if I do have several fish their usually smaller ones, sadly im not sure why though, thought they would draw bigger fish in through all the commotion... maybe its just me and im unlucky lol

Anyways im not saying its THE way you should do it as everyone is different, but that's my way. And its caught me a Lot of pike!

Hope it helps, and i'll stop going on before you have a book rather than a reply!

Tight Lines!