Deadbaiting on Esthwaite Water from a boat

Hello everyone. I found this forum and it looks a decent and friendly place, so I thought I'd register to ask for help.

I'm a lifelong angler, an all rounder, and spend my year fishing for big carp on the Cheshire Meres, big barbel all over the place and trotting for grayling and chub in the winter. I also have the occasional pike trip but it tends to be fairly low key, either walking around a local reservoir with lures or float fishing with a livebait.

My wife has bought me a great present: 2 days boat hire on Esthwaite Water in the Lake District. Now this is definitely a step up in class in my pike fishing and I'm currently researching methods/rigs etc. I suspect I will be doing a fair bit of deadbaiting in the bays etc so I wondered what sort of rigs you experts would advise? SImple float leger setups, would you pop baits up, drift them etc? I will be doing some lure fishing too but I'm quite comfortable with that. Would the sensible thing to do be to give each swim an hour, or would you give more? I am going the last week of January, so it's likely to be cold with lowish pressure, maybe a bit windy.

What sort of depth of water would the pike generally be in the depths of winter? I'm presuming they won't be getting ready for spawning yet at this time.

Any help would be gratefully received.

are you allowed to deadbait there?? i thought only lure fishing..

could be wrong though     

You can dead bait to the end of March. Its a hard water but the rewards are can be good. I would fish a pencil float over depth

sea deadbaits,bought from the venue only

Thanks for the replies. An overdepth float would be my first insinct too. If I were to use two rods I'd probably use one with a static bait on the bottom and one off the bottom. Would that be best just drifting around or popped up? Or does it not really matter?

Also, I'm thinking of investing in a Humminbird fishfinder so I can find features. Has anyone used one from a boat?

Blunderer wrote:Thanks for the replies. An overdepth float would be my first insinct too. If I were to use two rods I'd probably use one with a static bait on the bottom and one off the bottom. Would that be best just drifting around or popped up? Or does it not really matter?

Also, I'm thinking of investing in a Humminbird fishfinder so I can find features. Has anyone used one from a boat?

fished the place from boat and bank will pm you pal  

stubbo wrote:

Blunderer wrote:Thanks for the replies. An overdepth float would be my first insinct too. If I were to use two rods I'd probably use one with a static bait on the bottom and one off the bottom. Would that be best just drifting around or popped up? Or does it not really matter?

Also, I'm thinking of investing in a Humminbird fishfinder so I can find features. Has anyone used one from a boat?

fished the place from boat and bank  will pm you pal  

but he always blanks

catchafishy123 wrote:

stubbo wrote:

Blunderer wrote:Thanks for the replies. An overdepth float would be my first insinct too. If I were to use two rods I'd probably use one with a static bait on the bottom and one off the bottom. Would that be best just drifting around or popped up? Or does it not really matter?

Also, I'm thinking of investing in a Humminbird fishfinder so I can find features. Has anyone used one from a boat?

fished the place from boat and bank  will pm you pal  

but he always blanks

only when your with me   

stubbo wrote:

Blunderer wrote:Thanks for the replies. An overdepth float would be my first insinct too. If I were to use two rods I'd probably use one with a static bait on the bottom and one off the bottom. Would that be best just drifting around or popped up? Or does it not really matter?

Also, I'm thinking of investing in a Humminbird fishfinder so I can find features. Has anyone used one from a boat?

fished the place from boat and bank  will pm you pal  

Thanks mate

the bat wrote:sea deadbaits,bought from the venue only

any baits bought from the venue the sea bait restriction isnt in place on there

pencil float overdepth from a boat maybe not as any wave action will mean the float lies flat



inline dumpy sliders fished either pat style so the lead hangs lower than the bait or inline is the easiest if you fish in any depth then forget all this couple of swan stuff and use proper leads to get the bait down
dont be afraid to troll them either or wobble them as well

ive fished it a fair bit too if you want any other help feel free to ask

need to have another crack at that water........  

noodle wrote:

the bat wrote:sea deadbaits,bought from the venue only

any baits bought from the venue the sea bait restriction isnt in place on there

pencil float overdepth from a boat maybe not as any wave action will mean the float lies flat



inline dumpy sliders fished either pat style so the lead hangs lower than the bait or inline is the easiest if you fish in any depth then forget all this couple of swan stuff and use proper leads to get the bait down
dont be afraid to troll them either or wobble them as well

ive fished it a fair bit too if you want any other help feel free to ask

Thanks mate. So you mean float/leger the deadbait, then? That sounds sensible.

I've heard a few people mention trolling a deadbait. How would you rig it up?

how did you get on pal on ethswaite pal due to no posts equals a blank ...................maybe wrong  

stubbo wrote: how did you get on pal  on ethswaite pal   due to no posts    equals   a blank   ...................maybe wrong  

No mate, I'm going on Friday the 21st February for two day's boat fishing. Still doing research and getting ideas together.

I will let you know how I get on!

Blunderer wrote:

stubbo wrote: how did you get on pal  on ethswaite pal   due to no posts    equals   a blank   ...................maybe wrong  

No mate, I'm going on Friday the 21st February for two day's boat fishing. Still doing research and getting ideas together.

I will let you know how I get on!

good luck on there pal

I'm all sorted for this trip now, I think. Thanks for the hep I've had. I've stocked up on kit and I think I know what I'm doing. Will be trolling deads and also fishing static, as well as chucking a few spinners around. Still not 100% sure on the thinking behind the paternoster rig for the static deadbaiting. I'm assuming that the logic is that the bait is off bottom and the pike feels less resistance. is that right?

not sure but you may find(as its a trout water) that your lures/spoons will have to be a minimum length.its 4" on chew,not including hooks,swivels

it was 6 inches at one point but i think thats fallen by the wayside now as you can hire rods for the pike with little spinners attatched

Blunderer wrote:I'm all sorted for this trip now, I think. Thanks for the hep I've had. I've stocked up on kit and I think I know what I'm doing. Will be trolling deads and also fishing static, as well as chucking a few spinners around. Still not 100% sure on the thinking behind the paternoster rig for the static deadbaiting. I'm assuming that the logic is that the bait is off bottom and the pike feels less resistance. is that right?

sort of the idea is the float just holds the bait and lead up when static, when you move the float will still stay up and the lead will lift in the water how much depends on your speed you can troll baits very slowly with the electrics this has plus and minus points sometimes they are the same
plus it gives the fish a chance to see your bait and have a good nosey and then eat it
minus it gives the fish a chance to see your bait and have a good nosey and then sod off
   

Thanks mate. I understand trolling, but I understand now that a paternoster rig for static deadbaiting means less resistance as the pike mouths the bait. I've done a bit of shopping and seen uptraces, and paternoster kits, but still cant quite get my head around what to buy to tie one properly.

Just wire and swivels
If you have an inline lead on the line above the trace all you need is a normal bait trace maybe a bit longer
For the pat use 20 inches of wire to a swivel and ten inches of wire for the bait to a cross lock tie some lightship mono 8lb for example to the swivel at the hook trace end of it and a lead at the other end of the mono link
As you move the bait will lift and follow behind the lead and wire

One thing I would buy having not had to buy the posh bits and pieces to make paternoster set ups
Boobies the are snap on rattle beads and are great for slow trolling
http://www.basstastic.co.uk/booby-rattle-beads---silver-2359-p.asp

how did it go?

We were very close to cancelling on Thursday as the weather forecast was for gales and rain. In the end we took the call to travel up later on Friday, get a feel for the place and hit it harder on Saturday.

We got out at midday, had a motor round with the fishfinder and put out two float-trolling rods with deadbaits. The wind was howling. the rain coming in squalls but it was still a great place to be. We used the afternoon to troll around and scope out places for the morning.

Next morning I was quite surprised that there were about 6 or 7 boats going out, as opposed to maybe another two on the Friday. Whilst it's a big old water there's a fair amount of pressure on these pike. We put a lure rod and a float leger rod and trolled for the morning, keeping changing the lure. Then in the afternoon we anchored up on a plateau. fished static deads on the bottom and threw spinners around the area. After an hour or two we moved off down the lake to a different shallow area and did the same again. And this is where things went a bit Pete Tong. The boat motor suddenly jacked in, just as a storm was brewing. I had to row us back home, against the wind, for a good kilometer or so. By the time we got back it was gone 3.00pm, the weather was closing in horribly as per the forecast so we decided to knock it on the head.

So no fish, but I cannot tell you how much fun we had. I learned a lot and am itching to go back again. Massive thanks to Noodle in particular, and others from this site too, for all the help and food for thought in the preparations. I am now a confirmed big-water piker.

On your profile it doz'nt say where you live.

psion wrote:On your profile it doz'nt say where you live.

Live in Huddersfield but from the other side of the Pennines.