Pike/Cat question

This summer when my carping mates start to emerge from their winter hideaways, i'm going to get on some of their night sessions after the cats.
These waters also contain pike. I've been told the method that works on there is hair rigged fish, kebab style. As a piker, i said that i'd have to use wire as i couldn't pick and choose what picks up the bait. I was instantly shot down akin to when somebody tells me they don't use a trace in waters containing pike because 'they're targeting perch/chub/zander/goldfish', because wire will cut through a cats lips like cheesewire.
So whats the deal? There's lads out there fishing waters stuffed full of pike using hair rigged mackerel, not using wire because they're targeting cats and using single hooks? Has anybody else come across/got experience with this. As far as i can see my only option is to maybe use big fishy pellet or luncheon meat, but i've known pike to hit boilies being brought in. A couple of massive 40mm pellets that stink of fish must be like a dinner bell.

http://www.catfish-tackle.co.uk/acatalog/Pike_Safe_Leader_Materials.html

Have a look at these there made for catfish and are pike safe

Hi mate, pikehunter20 and myself have had some pretty big cats, I am like you..... I am pike through and through so when I fished for them I used a wire trace fishing live baits and squid on hair rigs.... I am not saying this is right but I had to be safe.... I did use single hooks though and they worked a treat.

Hold on tight to them catfish runs pal, they open up a whole new ball game...  

piketastic wrote:Hi mate, pikehunter20 and myself have had some pretty big cats, I am like you..... I am pike through and through so when I fished for them I used a wire trace fishing live baits and squid on hair rigs.... I am not saying this is right but I had to be safe.... I did use single hooks though and they worked a treat.

Hold on tight to them catfish runs pal, they open up a whole new ball game...  

so if a wire trace doesn't cut a pike why should it cut a cat fish that pretty much tackle everything and anything it can eat
a pike must surely be more delicate than a cat..there is some cats in my local I was thinking of trying for them over the summer

Catfish have a softer mouth than pike silkmen and with the strain your going to be putting on them because there so powerful it can just cut straight into there mouth where as in pikes mouth it's pretty boney and hard

Ive done my fair share of time after catfish and the question of wire when using any fish bait always crops up. I prefer to use large 25mm pellets or blocks of meat if going for cats but when i do occasionally use a chunk of fish then I make my own cat safe traces.

Take a length of lead core leader and remove the lead core so you are left with the "outer skin", thread your wire trace materiel through the skin and attach a hook at one end and a swivel at the other, tidy the frayed ends up with a bit of super glue and some shrink tube and thats it. A simple trace that has wire through the middle (dont tell the cat anglers) and what looks like a strong braid leader. Ill send you one as an example if you like.

Matt, that would be awesome. I'll send you some cash over to cover the cost if you like.

matt859 wrote:Ive done my fair share of time after catfish and the question of wire when using any fish bait always crops up.  I prefer to use large 25mm pellets or blocks of meat if going for cats but when i do occasionally use a chunk of fish then I make my own cat safe traces.

Take a length of lead core leader and remove the lead core so you are left with the "outer skin", thread your wire trace materiel through the skin and attach a hook at one end and a swivel at the other, tidy the frayed ends up with a bit of super glue and some shrink tube and thats it.  A simple trace that has wire through the middle (dont tell the cat anglers) and what looks like a strong braid leader.  Ill send you one as an example if you like.

That sounds a mint idea will be making traces up like that, thanks

tomthepiker wrote:Catfish have a softer mouth than pike silkmen and with the strain your going to be putting on them because there so powerful it can just cut straight into there mouth where as in pikes mouth it's pretty boney and hard

so metal in the mouth in the form of wire is bad


remind me what hooks are again

so much crap is spouted about this
wire there is a problem with catfishing using readily available wire and that is its too light and prone to break if twisted up and kinked
how hard do cats fight again and how do the buggers fight
so back to wire it needs to be heavy and when it comes to heavy stuff oddly carpers dont like it so received wisdom then becomes the mother of all ....ups
use decent gear right for the conditions and job done. that said i do like the leadcore trick its one ill use if i need to dodge a wire ban

petestanley wrote:This summer when my carping mates start to emerge from their winter hideaways, i'm going to get on some of their night sessions after the cats.
These waters also contain pike. I've been told the method that works on there is hair rigged fish, kebab style. As a piker, i said that i'd have to use wire as i couldn't pick and choose what picks up the bait. I was instantly shot down akin to when somebody tells me they don't use a trace in waters containing pike because 'they're targeting perch/chub/zander/goldfish', because wire will cut through a cats lips like cheesewire.
So whats the deal? There's lads out there fishing waters stuffed full of pike using hair rigged mackerel, not using wire because they're targeting cats and using single hooks? Has anybody else come across/got experience with this. As far as i can see my only option is to maybe use big fishy pellet or luncheon meat, but i've known pike to hit boilies being brought in. A couple of massive 40mm pellets that stink of fish must be like a dinner bell.

is this on a water park?
not a great many pike in there if thats the case some nice perch though

noodle wrote:

petestanley wrote:This summer when my carping mates start to emerge from their winter hideaways, i'm going to get on some of their night sessions after the cats.
These waters also contain pike. I've been told the method that works on there is hair rigged fish, kebab style. As a piker, i said that i'd have to use wire as i couldn't pick and choose what picks up the bait. I was instantly shot down akin to when somebody tells me they don't use a trace in waters containing pike because 'they're targeting perch/chub/zander/goldfish', because wire will cut through a cats lips like cheesewire.
So whats the deal? There's lads out there fishing waters stuffed full of pike using hair rigged mackerel, not using wire because they're targeting cats and using single hooks? Has anybody else come across/got experience with this. As far as i can see my only option is to maybe use big fishy pellet or luncheon meat, but i've known pike to hit boilies being brought in. A couple of massive 40mm pellets that stink of fish must be like a dinner bell.

is this on a water park?
not a great many pike in there if thats the case some nice perch though

Good shooting tex, that is one of the options.
There's a few waters to be honest. Another one if you're familiar with waters local-ish to me is a free to fish resovoir with persistent rumours of an 8ft long catfish, plus a few Cheshire waters, like the one dam not too far from you.

noodle wrote:

tomthepiker wrote:Catfish have a softer mouth than pike silkmen and with the strain your going to be putting on them because there so powerful it can just cut straight into there mouth where as in pikes mouth it's pretty boney and hard

so metal in the mouth in the form of wire is bad


remind me what hooks are again

so much crap is spouted about this
wire there is a problem with catfishing using readily available wire and that is its too light and prone to break if twisted up and kinked
how hard do cats fight again and how do the buggers fight
so back to wire it needs to be heavy and when it comes to heavy stuff oddly carpers dont like it so received wisdom then becomes the mother of all ....ups
use decent gear right for the conditions and job done. that said i do like the leadcore trick its one ill use if i need to dodge a wire ban

The hook is a bit different I think it's set in a solid position opposed to scrapping along there mouths, I'm just going on what the professional cat anglers say, if there are no pike in the water use braided line if there are pike in there use a material safe for pike and cats.

petestanley wrote:

noodle wrote:

petestanley wrote:This summer when my carping mates start to emerge from their winter hideaways, i'm going to get on some of their night sessions after the cats.
These waters also contain pike. I've been told the method that works on there is hair rigged fish, kebab style. As a piker, i said that i'd have to use wire as i couldn't pick and choose what picks up the bait. I was instantly shot down akin to when somebody tells me they don't use a trace in waters containing pike because 'they're targeting perch/chub/zander/goldfish', because wire will cut through a cats lips like cheesewire.
So whats the deal? There's lads out there fishing waters stuffed full of pike using hair rigged mackerel, not using wire because they're targeting cats and using single hooks? Has anybody else come across/got experience with this. As far as i can see my only option is to maybe use big fishy pellet or luncheon meat, but i've known pike to hit boilies being brought in. A couple of massive 40mm pellets that stink of fish must be like a dinner bell.

is this on a water park?
not a great many pike in there if thats the case some nice perch though

Good shooting tex, that is one of the options.
There's a few waters to be honest. Another one if you're familiar with waters local-ish to me is a free to fish resovoir with persistent rumours of an 8ft long catfish, plus a few Cheshire waters, like the one dam not too far from you.

a dam close to me?

pm the closest cats to me, well wells at least not odd ones like channel cats are manchester cheshire etc