Pike fishing

GTDolanator

More of a sea angler here,going to give the pike fishing a shot this weekend.
Got myself a lend of a pike rod and reel and some tackle

Was planning on heading up around belturbet or butlersbridge and to be honest just winging it.

Should i use dead bait or jerk rigs or something else?

complete pike noob looking for advice

Cheers

breghall

my advice is to go out with a good pike angler for the first few times.

Handling pike with their sharp teeth and gill rakers while trying to remove a deep taken treble can be an hard task for a noob. Also the aim here to not to distress the pike much at all and return them in the best possible condition they are surprisingly a fairly fragile fish.


Other than that try spinning with smaller spinners first so at least you won't get the big guys at first just the jacks, once you get a bit of confidence then go onto the bulldogs and dead baiting...

COYW

breghall wrote: »

Other than that try spinning with smaller spinners first so at least you won't get the big guys at first just the jacks, once you get a bit of confidence then go onto the bulldogs and dead baiting...

You will probably hit some decent perch on a spinner too. Where do you plan on fishing GTDolanator? I don't pike fish that much anymore as I prefer to relax and fish on the waggler myself but the pike fishing in North Kildare on the Royal Canal is very good, judging by the volume of pike being caught.

GTDolanator

Both of you thanks for the replys

Ive handled big fish before ie tope....Never handled a pike but i was warned about them.

I was planning on heading up cavan direction..was also planning on using dead bait,my prefared way of fishing,not a big fan of using lures

frankosw

COYW wrote: »

You will probably hit some decent perch on a spinner too. Where do you plan on fishing GTDolanator? I don't pike fish that much anymore as I prefer to relax and fish on the waggler myself but the pike fishing in North Kildare on the Royal Canal is very good, judging by the volume of pike being caught.

Has the fishing improved then?

The last i heard the polish "anglers" had wiped the canal out.

R P McMurphy

Some great pike fishing lakes in and around killykeen and on towards Killeshandra and Belturbet. Are some large pike in those lakes. If heading around Flynn's pass would need to get there early as sometimes the best places are taken from friday night onwards but are plenty of other great places around there, a maze of roads in between the lakes

GTDolanator

R P McMurphy wrote: »

Some great pike fishing lakes in and around killykeen and on towards Killeshandra and Belturbet. Are some large pike in those lakes. If heading around Flynn's pass would need to get there early as sometimes the best places are taken from friday night onwards but are plenty of other great places around there, a maze of roads in between the lakes

whats everybody fishing dead bait or spinnin?

R P McMurphy

GTDolanator wrote: »

whats everybody fishing dead bait or spinnin?

Easy answer. I always use both at the same time. Set the rods with alarms for dead bait and then spinning to keep myself moving if it is not so warm. You can pick up an angling map of the area or try the Cavan coco website and see if they have one to download. Should explore the lakes around there and find a good spot that suits you. There is a great pike lake outside ballyjamesduff (think it is called lacken lake). Not so scenic but good access and good catch

R P McMurphy

And as per the advice above pike can be tricky to handle, watch those fingers

Holyboy

GT....you should give wobbling a deadbait a go, much better than just lobbing one out and leaving it while getting cold and bored waiting!

Now back over to the cycling forum with you where you belong :pac:

COYW

frankosw wrote: »

Has the fishing improved then?

The last i heard the polish "anglers" had wiped the canal out.

I fish the area quite regularly and have done well catching roach, perch, rudd, bream and tench this year. I know a fair few pike fisherman in the area as well and they have reported good fishing. I have seen a fair few pike been caught between 5 and 15 lbs during the summer months and one lad I know who walks the banks all time told me he has seen a very healthy rise in the number of jack pike this year.

Bizzum

R P McMurphy wrote: »

Easy answer. I always use both at the same time. Set the rods with alarms for dead bait and then spinning to keep myself moving if it is not so warm.

How many rods do you fish?

R P McMurphy

Bizzum wrote: »

How many rods do you fish?

Two rods, meant plural as in usually dont fish alone

GTDolanator

COYW wrote: »

I fish the area quite regularly and have done well catching roach, perch, rudd, bream and tench this year. I know a fair few pike fisherman in the area as well and they have reported good fishing. I have seen a fair few pike been caught between 5 and 15 lbs during the summer months and one lad I know who walks the banks all time told me he has seen a very healthy rise in the number of jack pike this year.

celbridge direction?

COYW

GTDolanator wrote: »

celbridge direction?

Nope, the Royal canal. Maynooth/Kilcock stretch.

Offy

Are you fishing from the bank or trawling? I used to fish Pike a lot. In the boat Id use a plug of a homemade bait, a bic pen with the center (ink part) removed, place some trace wire through it with a treble hook at the rear and decorate it with some bright feathers, works a treat. If your fishing from the bank use dead bait. Forcepts are really good for removing the treble hooks, watch your fingers!!!

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Offy wrote: »

Are you fishing from the bank or trawling? I used to fish Pike a lot. In the boat Id use a plug of a homemade bait, a bic pen with the center (ink part) removed, place some trace wire through it with a treble hook at the rear and decorate it with some bright feathers, works a treat. If your fishing from the bank use dead bait. Forcepts are really good for removing the treble hooks, watch your fingers!!!

Not only are forceps really good...they are a necessity... for safely removing hooks and not damaging the fish.

weatherbyfoxer

as some of the lads said earlier you would be best off trying to get a pike session or 2 in with a regular piker who knows what they are doing

Bizzum

Any update OP, how did it go for ya? A lot of water since you first posted.

kwik

R P McMurphy wrote: »

Some great pike fishing lakes in and around killykeen and on towards Killeshandra and Belturbet. Are some large pike in those lakes. If heading around Flynn's pass would need to get there early as sometimes the best places are taken from friday night onwards but are plenty of other great places around there, a maze of roads in between the lakes

Was in that area saturday. One of the lads had 25lb 8oz pike. Fine fish for such a small lake

surly joe

COYW wrote: »

I fish the area quite regularly and have done well catching roach, perch, rudd, bream and tench this year. I know a fair few pike fisherman in the area as well and they have reported good fishing. I have seen a fair few pike been caught between 5 and 15 lbs during the summer months and one lad I know who walks the banks all time told me he has seen a very healthy rise in the number of jack pike this year.

A rise in jack numbers is a bad sign.

8k2q1gfcz9s5d4

surly joe wrote: »

A rise in jack numbers is a bad sign.

true, wonder if the lake fell victom to our "Pike Killer" friends

Irish_Fisher

Hi, every time i go pike fishing, i go early morning or late evening.
use a bige spinner spoon... dont use deadbait... i have more luck with spinners spoons and rubber fish. make sure you use a long wire trace(leeder) so a pike doesent bite through the line. casn infront of weeds ( full of pike ).

if you want to try deadbaits. use a full mackrell and a deadbait rig with 2 triple hooks and a float.

just remember to bring a long unhooking tool as pike have over 700 teetn :P

good luck fishing

8k2q1gfcz9s5d4

have a look at this link http://www.fisheriesireland.ie/Download-document/164-Pike-conservation-2011.html
Lots of information there.
Pike are very delicate and need to be handled with extreme care. In the summer months, when the water heats up, they fight nearly to the point of exhaustion, so its very important to have strong tackle to get them to the bank as quick as possible (if you cant get a good double to the bank in around 5 mins, then your tackle isnt strong enough).

When on the bank, NEVER us a "pike gag" to keep their mouths open while unhooking. This can cause a lot of damage to smaller jack pike. Always have a good pair of forceps and wire cutters. If hooks get caught in the landing net, it may be easier to just cut them off the trace than waste time getting them and keeping the fish out of the water longer.
The biggest danger with unhooking pike is a flying treble hook. This happens when only 1 treble hook is attached to the fish, and the other is hanging outside its mouth. if the pike jumps, that loose hook can go anywhere, including your hand! (its happened me before, not a nice situation to be in!).
The safest way to unhook pike for both the angler and the pike are as follows:
1. Put the pike on its back on an unhooking mat.
2. kneel on the unhooking matt, putting the pike between your legs.
3. Put your fingers/hand (depending on the size of the pike) into the gills, and gently force the mouth open. This pic shows exactly what to do. http://www.waltonpac.org.uk/Images/Tony2007/Unhook1.jpg
4. Once the mouth is open, using a forceps, remove the hooks.

When handling pike (or any fish for that matter), dont hold them at shoulder height. keep them close to the ground in case you drop them.

Never us a "boga grip" to weigh pike. There are designed for bass fishing in the states, and were never meant to be used on pike. They can cause lots of internal damage to pike, and also cause serious damage to their mouths.

When returning pike, dont just "throw" them back. gently lower them into the water and hold their tail. you will feel them kicking, but only let them go when they are able to escape your grip on their tail on their own power.

Always return pike alive.
If you are too nervous to fish for them, then dont. Go with an experienced angler and they will show you the ropes.

Hope this helps any beginner to pike fishing!

dodderangler

Just a quick question
What do yas prefer?
Float fishing a mackerel for pike or on the bottom?
I've plenty of joey mackerel there and was planning to go fishing on Sunday.
I prefer flot fishing seeing the float moving about before going under

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Float fishing on the bottom