Big pike are not hard to catch

[Derek Gibson]

Greg, good questions, let me start by saying the large lures I use were not arrived at by accident. I became aware many years ago that almost all lure fishermen were using identical lures, from a size perspective. And my reasoning was that the pike had, shall we say seen it all before. So I started to experiment with larger lures, many of which I made myself. That also enabled me to reduce the amount of hooks and position them in the most effective place. Nowadays even my largest lures of ten inches or so carry only two hooks, and much smaller sizes than are to be found on many of the American/Canadian equivalents.Another plus was that I discovered unhooking pike of all sizes became an absolute doddle. Gone were the days of lures being completely engulfed, and crushing barbs ( not flat ) made the whole process of unhooking both good not only for me but more importantly ''the pike''.

To be continued------- 1 of 2.

 

[Derek Gibson]

Greg, Spinnerbaits are amazing lures, I have sung their praises for many years, nowadays I tend to use them in the one/two ounce bracket. Simply because they are ideally suited to the waters I fish. I have a penchant for those with Colorado, or Indiana Blades--''low frequency sound'', most attractive to the big old girls,''if the scientists are right'', I personally agree.

Yes I use twintails, the biggest I can lay my hands on, also Castaics, these are a must have for the big pike hunter. Occasionally I do use spoons, but perhaps not as often as I should. The ones I have are large ''Spike'' spoons, a Canadian product.

No, I don't use Bull Dawgs after seeing some other lure guys get into a hell of a mess with hooked pike. Repeatedly the lure balls up in the mouth of any decent size pike ---result , totally engulfed- blood everywhere!!

And yes Greg, lots of good pike, and more than a few biggies. Can't cover it all though in one reply. Anything else, come back I'll be happy to be of any help mate.

 

[Les Clark ( not too proud to nick a good idea fro]

<blockquote class=quoteheader>Tanis Half Elven wrote (see)</blockquote><blockquote class=quote>

Anyone done any good with trotting dead baits?The crayfish problem last weekend was a pain with the bait fished on the bottom.

It's frowned upon on one club water I fish to use livebaits. </blockquote>
One method that that I use is to float fish sprats ,one on each barb ( 6) off bottom , the flash and movment attracts pike to a mini shoal and the sprats are soft enough to strike through , if you can find sprats these days .

 

[Greg Matthews]

derek

thanks for the replys.more questions.do you favour particular colours in your lures or is it more the action of the lure.how small a treble would you use on 8inch glide lures.on twintails do you use lead heads.do you fit stinger trebles to your spinner baits.i would presume with lure fishing you fish short intense sessions moving from place to place.do you bring many lures with you on a session.do you use a landing net or hand land the pike to stop lures tangling in netting.that enough for now.

 

[Derek Gibson]

Greg, please remember what follows is my own views, some will disagree. Yes I have a particular thing about chartreuse and hot orange, both on solid lures and spinnerbaits.-----I think that maybe the action of the lure would take precidence over colour, if only because action/frequency is the first stimulus the pike is aware of. Whereas in bait fishing olfactory considerations would take precidence.So from a lure point of view action then colour!-----Treble size, that's a thorny one. On an eight inch glide bait I reckon 02/03 curved point eagle claw, I don't use any other brand.-------------Twin tails yes, swimmer head leads as light as I can go where conditions allow.---Yes I always fit stingers to my S.Bs I also bend the point of stinger out of line with shank and fit trailer/teaser grubs.-----Yes, short hard sessions, I only carry around twenty lures in jacket pockets (customised by the wife).-----Round net, I use it most if not all the time, some of the banks are awful.

Glad to be able to help, you can ask me anything regarding lure fishing with the exception of where I'm currently fishing.

 

[Greg Matthews]

derek

thanks for the help the fact that we are fishing in two different countries i wont need to ask where you are fishing.thanks for the tip on fitting teaser on stinger treble.do you go with the theory of bright lure on dark day etc.i presume from what you have siad that using lures not bait for most of your piking has not diminished your catch rate over the years.or the size of the pike you catch.

 

[Derek Gibson]

Greg, I place no credence whatsoever on the oft touted bright lure on a dark day- in fact much of the time I find the reverse to be the case. As regards baits vs lures many years ago in common with most pike anglers I did quite a bit of livebaiting. Then as attitudes changed so did my own outlook, and I swung rapidly in favour of lures, a decision I have never had cause to regret. On reference to old diaries I can state with confidence that my catch rate has not diminished either in numbers or quality of fish taken. One point I keep banging on about Greg is that whatever method one chooses, the single most important point is that of location, at least for the bigger pike. In any body of water the ratio of smaller pike to the big old girls is huge. I believe by and large that lure fishing by its nature allows one to cover more water, and if that is done with purpose, skill, and a little ''luck'' you will, over a period be able to pin/locate the better fish- well it's worked for me. The rest as they say is up to you.

Good luck Greg, and P.M. me.

 

[Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)]

Just prior to my illness I spent quite a bit of time with Derek, watching him catch pike on lures and occasionally catching the odd one myself.

What he says is spot on, and by crikey does this man cover water. I've seen him put in 6 casts with as much as 200 yards I guess, between the first and last cast on a fenland drain or river. Derek is obviously looking for hunting pike and generally speaking it doesn't take him long to find one.But then he will often catch 2 or three pike in quick succession.

As regards the size of the baits, you had better believe what he says. I was a little astonished when i saw the size of his lures but after casting fruitlessly around a length of the river Idle with the sort of lure most use,I put on a huge Gibson special and bang, a nice double figure fish tailwalked across the river.

But I have seen Derek catch up to 7 double fish in 30 minutes and then have to rest. Derek catches so many fish in the short time he is on the water it prompted Gord Burton to say that he is the most effective pike angler he has ever seen over short periods in his life. My comment is that if Derek fished for long periods, his results wouldprobably amaze himself.

And then we go home, passing several deadbaiters on the way who have only had the one run in 2 days between three of them using 9 rods in total.

The main problem as both Derek and myself see it, is obtaining the right lures. Many of the importers of these lures will not bring in slow sinking versions of the large lures Derek wants. This means buggering about with the few baits he can obtain.

But things are still very unsatisfactory.

 

[Derek Gibson]

Ron, I have for as long as I can remember adopted the approach you noted,''when conditions allow''. And as you witnessed on numerous occasions it works for me, so much so that I can see no reason to change, working on the maxim ''if it aint broke don't mend it''. I don't claim it's the only method/approach for everyone, in fact it's becoming increasingly hard for me as I said in an earlier post, but,it is the right one for me.

I think the true measure of how effective any method is for any individual, is how successful that person is when viewed against national averages, and angling companions. It's many years now since I really considered that aspect, but I must have done when I was younger. Nowadays my only competition is with the fish, and enjoying every minute of it.

My advice to others wishing to do the same would be, don't waste time, look for actively hunting fish, and always keep an eye out for the elusive biggie, then mark her position.

 

[Greg Matthews]

derek

when you are fishing do you favour a particular style of lure like sinking/floating etc.and why.do you think pike feed at set times or with lure fishing do you give yourself a chance to find fish feeding at different times by covering more water.do you think that plastic lures which imatate natural fish make good lures or is it because everybody is using them.have you found any weather patterns that are better than normal for piking.

 

[Derek Gibson]

Greg, heaven forbid that I was ever in a position where I had to be restricted to one type of lure for the rest of my fishing days. But if I were it would have to be slow sinking plastics, but that just reflects on the type of waters I choose to fish. Fast sinking lures for bank fishermen present many problems on rivers, drains and canals.

I do have favourite weather conditions, they would be on a rising pressure, in the autumn period, and a good breeze that ripples the surface. If and when those conditions occur my heart begins to race, and I'm well up for it.

Plastic lures, yes many are using them these days, though I suspect not so many use them in the sizes I do. That's a decided edge for me, that's possiblydue to using more robust gear.

What are your preferred waters Greg, and how do you approach them , bank/boat? I'd be happy to know.

 

[Greg Matthews]

derek.i live in the midlands of ireland i have 4 major trout lakes and miles of the river inny and two canals which flow through the area.plus about 7 smaller lakes of about 44 hectares.but over the years i have realised that 90 percent of it is no use for piking.each lake/river/canal has particular hotspots at certain times of the year.a lot of my fishing is dictated by the movements of the roach shoals.fishing such big waters i have to use boats or would never find the fish.i do prefer to bank fish when possible and consider a twenty from the shore to be a better achivement.i do a lot of float trolling on the lakes with big dead roach/trout.and sometimes troll lures.big spoons 45/70 grms 8in long in copper/silver/brass work very well on the trout lakes.on the river it is mainly float paternostering because of the weeds.my fishing was becoming to predictable so this season i am going to lure fish only to compare results.plus i need a change of scenery this lure fishing will make me explore more.and do damage to my bank account with the price of lures.

 

[Nathan]

Right here are my questions:

Derek - i started seriously fishing for pike last winter after having a few half hearted attempts. The real turn around for me was when I started using rubber lures instead of spinners & spoons.

I've only had limited experience, mainly fishing on local canals and a few lakes. One of the lakes i've tried i'm sure must contain a few of the big girls but i'm unsure of how to go about catching them. I've had pike frrom the lake but they've all been about 4-6lbs but i know a 14lber came out last winter to the only other guy who fished it for pike (most people go for the large carp).

I guess what im after is any tips you might be able to pass my way to help me get amoungst the bigger fish. The water is quite coloured and there's only a few areas of sparse weed (i took a marker set up to investigate the bottom) and an island which casting to seems to bring about a few bites. I'm only using small lures and ifdeadbaiting the most successful bait seems to be sections of mackrel.

You seem to be a reliable & knowable person to contact and as i dont know many people that like fishing for pike I dont really have anyone to bounce ideas off.

I know this is a bit long but thank you for your time. Any tips/help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Nathan

PS: Have you ever tried lure fishing at night?

 

[Derek Gibson]

Greg, you're spoilt for choice, I remember my old mate Gord (Burton) telling me that copper spoons were very effective over in Ireland. Having access to a boat must give you unlimited scope. Thinking more about boat fishing Greg have you tried twelve inch Grandma Lures? I ask because I made some jointed ones up for crackerjack (sorry Gord)a while ago, and he tells me they were killers when trooled on the Scottish lochs. One thing about the grannies is that they won't get ripped to pieces like the plastics!

The exploring aspect is crucial in lure fishing,hard on the back and knees when you're bank fishing, but from a boat less so. The Inny I know a little bit about, I have a mate who nailed a thirty plusser from there several years ago.

What models of jerkbaiters are you using at present. I will willingly send you over a couple of big Grannies if the idea appeals, no charge glad to help. Your'e gonna love it Greg.

 

[Derek Gibson]

Greg, you're spoilt for choice, I remember my old mate Gord (Burton) telling me that copper spoons were very effective over in Ireland. Having access to a boat must give you unlimited scope. Thinking more about boat fishing Greg have you tried twelve inch Grandma Lures? I ask because I made some jointed ones up for crackerjack (sorry Gord)a while ago, and he tells me they were killers when trolled on the Scottish lochs. One thing about the grannies is that they won't get ripped to pieces like the plastics!

The exploring aspect is crucial in lure fishing,hard on the back and knees when you're bank fishing, but from a boat less so. The Inny I know a little bit about, I have a mate who nailed a thirty plusser from there several years ago.

What models of jerkbaiters are you using at present. I will willingly send you over a couple of big Grannies if the idea appeals, no charge glad to help. Your'e gonna love it Greg.

 

[Derek Gibson]

Nathan, let's take canals first, I don't know why but most serious pike anglers tend to dismiss canals as though they are incapable of producing big pike. Let me squash that from the get go, sure, there may be one or two dotted around that are not worth the effort, but let me assure you most are capable of throwing up a few surprises. I am currently fishing three such waters for short sessions and the results have been to say the least encouraging. With fish to over twenty five already recorded. the odd local anglers we've met are adament the big ones are no longer present. Lure fishing seems to be made for canals, long stretches that appear to be fishless and featureless, they aren't, but mobile lure fishing allows you to cover water and locate fish in that type of water quicker than any other approach, given that your lure is the right one. I would advice to err on the large side, this has always stood me in good stead. It pays also to pay close attention to edges (camp sheathing).

Nathan, can you describe the depths around your lake? Marginal slopes if any,structure? predominant wind direction, your description is a bit vague.

 

[Greg Matthews]

derek.at the moment i am using mean lures slow sinkers.a couple of 10inch suicks.cobbs easy glider floating.smity floater.burts and salmo slow sinkers.thanks for the offer of the lures will take you up on that.it is a great advantageto be able to make and design your own lures.

 

[Tanis Half Elven]

Les,

I have been looking for some "Sprats" today.Not about in supermarket's down here.We used to eat them as kids,fried by mum.What is the world comeing too/forum/smilies/embarassed_smiley.gif.

Hopefully I will be able to get some for the weekend?

 

[Les Clark ( not too proud to nick a good idea fro]

Hi Tanis , I used to buy them off the boats at our harbour but these days they are hard to find but well worth a go if you can.

 

[Greg Matthews]

derek ok what is the secret to not getting your lures caught in your waistcoat.dont like bags.because i carry my net over my shoulder.trying to get lures out of waistcoat tonight my hands looked like i had been playing with a chainsaw.