Ground Baiting For Pike
Locating the fish is an essential skill when fishing.
Knowing where they are hiding will let you put your baits in the right place.
With pike it can be a good idea to lure the fish closer in by pre-baiting.
Many pike anglers like distance techniques for pike.
They will use extra strong gear not unlike heavy sea fishing beach rods that can cast big weights up to two hundred yards.
Radio control floating craft are even used to take the ground bait to a distant hot spot and dump it there! There is no doubt that this method will catch fish, but it does have the disadvantage of reducing your contact with the fish and your ability to feel or notice a take.
Deep hooking a pike down its throat is most likely to happen when control over the end rig is least, as with long distance fishing.
Deep throat hooked fish can starve to death, as the hooks and wire trace cannot be removed without damaging the delicate throat and stomach.
Striking a pike's bite at just the right time is the way to prevent deep hooking down the throat.
It is much easier to be in control when fishing at 20 yards than at 150.
Using ground bait to attract pike to you has the added benefit of stimulating otherwise sleepy fish during the cold season.
If you introduce a ball of fish mash into a potential swim the pike will be attracted by the smell.
Pungent fish oils can be mixed into the ground bait to increase their allure.
The mixture can be made up in the comfort of your kitchen and frozen in soluble PVA bags.
These will dissolve in water.
This means that when you are ready to go fishing it is a simple and clean process of taking a few frozen ground baits with you.
While still frozen they can be thrown into the swim and will slowly melt releasing the smelly oils.
Near fishing for pike means that you can strike immediately you feel the bait has been turned in the pike's mouth, but before it swallows it.
This prevents deep hooking.
As you will have been using much lighter tackle you will likely have had a more enjoyable tussle with the pike.
Knowing where they are hiding will let you put your baits in the right place.
With pike it can be a good idea to lure the fish closer in by pre-baiting.
Many pike anglers like distance techniques for pike.
They will use extra strong gear not unlike heavy sea fishing beach rods that can cast big weights up to two hundred yards.
Radio control floating craft are even used to take the ground bait to a distant hot spot and dump it there! There is no doubt that this method will catch fish, but it does have the disadvantage of reducing your contact with the fish and your ability to feel or notice a take.
Deep hooking a pike down its throat is most likely to happen when control over the end rig is least, as with long distance fishing.
Deep throat hooked fish can starve to death, as the hooks and wire trace cannot be removed without damaging the delicate throat and stomach.
Striking a pike's bite at just the right time is the way to prevent deep hooking down the throat.
It is much easier to be in control when fishing at 20 yards than at 150.
Using ground bait to attract pike to you has the added benefit of stimulating otherwise sleepy fish during the cold season.
If you introduce a ball of fish mash into a potential swim the pike will be attracted by the smell.
Pungent fish oils can be mixed into the ground bait to increase their allure.
The mixture can be made up in the comfort of your kitchen and frozen in soluble PVA bags.
These will dissolve in water.
This means that when you are ready to go fishing it is a simple and clean process of taking a few frozen ground baits with you.
While still frozen they can be thrown into the swim and will slowly melt releasing the smelly oils.
Near fishing for pike means that you can strike immediately you feel the bait has been turned in the pike's mouth, but before it swallows it.
This prevents deep hooking.
As you will have been using much lighter tackle you will likely have had a more enjoyable tussle with the pike.