Pike on live bait: float fishing

There are several ways to catch a predator, each angler prefers the one he likes the most. Fishing for pike on live bait on a float is now once again gaining popularity. Simple tackle, accessible components, the possibility of fishing both from the coastline and from a boat will allow you to get trophy specimens of a toothy inhabitant of a reservoir.

How to catch pike on a float

Float tackle for fishing is considered the most common, it was used for food production even in prehistoric times. A lot of different ways of catching a predator have been invented these days, but it is the float fishing rod that allows you to catch trophy specimens even when the bite is very bad.

Pike responds to live bait in any weather, no other bait can interest the predator better. Do not forget about high-quality equipment, only balanced tackle will allow you to catch a trophy.

The fishing process itself is not complicated, all the steps are standard:

• the form is equipped;
• bait is obtained;
• the live bait is mounted on a hook;
• casting is carried out in a pre-selected promising place.

Soon, the pike will definitely take the yummy offered to it and carry out an attack. Then it’s up to the small, to realize the notch and catch the catch.

We collect tackle

Catching pike on live bait on a float will be successful only with high-quality tackle, for this you first need to know all the components and their characteristics. Tackle for pike consists of:

• rod blank;
• high-quality inertialess coil;
• monofilament fishing line for the base;
• float;
• sinkers;
• leashes;
• hooks;
• auxiliary accessories.

Putting it all together, you get a tackle for catching a predator.

Rod

Pike on live bait on a float fishing rod is caught in different parts of the reservoir, the tackle for it is made sliding, so the length of the blank is not very important. However, it is necessary to choose from the options of the telescopic type and with rings. Bologna rods are perfect, they don’t take a fly rod for this type of fishing.

The ideal option is a blank 4 m long, with which it will be possible to fish in medium and small water bodies both from the coastline and from a boat. If it is planned to catch a pike on a float in large reservoirs, then six-meter forms are taken from the shore, but 4-5 m are enough from a boat.

Small reservoirs are also caught with a three-meter rod, it is especially convenient to work with such a blank from a watercraft in water areas of any size.

Particular attention should be paid to the whip, it should not be soft. For serifs at the right time, a hard or semi-rigid option is ideal.

Coil

To collect tackle for this type of pike, you need a high-quality inertialess reel. Strength indicators will be important, because when playing the pike strongly resists. The choice should be stopped on products with the following characteristics:

It is better to choose from options with a metal spool, it will be stronger and, when fighting, it will be better to cope with the assigned duties.

Basis

For pike on live bait, it is best to use a monofilament line with a slight stretch effect as a basis. You don’t need to make delicate tackle, the thickness should be sufficient to withstand the jerks of the toothy one.

Experienced anglers recommend setting at least 0,28 mm in diameter, but 0,4 mm will not be thick. It all depends on what size the pike lives in the reservoir chosen for fishing.

It is better not to put the cord on the base, its strength indicators are better, but the float with the sinker will slide worse on it.

Float

The pike on the float is caught with some features, they consist in the collection of gear, namely the shipment of the float.

It’s worth starting with the choice of a bite indicator, rather heavy options are suitable for gear. For such purposes, floats from 6 g or more are chosen, the ideal option is considered to be the option under 12 g. This is enough for long-distance casting, and is suitable for almost any live bait.

The best option is wooden balsa models, but homemade ones are often used. An excellent option would be a DIY made from a wine cork and a plastic stick instead of an antenna. Foam plastics are also used, they can be made in any shape and for any load.

The float for live bait is chosen only from the sliding ones, models for deaf equipment will not work.

Hooks

Either tees or doubles are used to set the live bait, single hooks are not taken to collect such gear.

A tee is used for larger options, they hook the live bait behind their back so as not to hurt the ridge, but also to get the fore-end under the fin.

Double are used to snap a more delicate and small fish. A good mounting option is rigging through gill covers.

Other components

Another important component for tackle with live bait is recognized as a leash; without it, catching pike on live bait on a float will not work. For equipment use:

• woodland, they will be good options, but pike can cut them with their sharp teeth;
• fluorocarbon options are now very popular, they are not visible in the water and perfectly hold the blow of a toothy resident;
• steel is the most reliable, it will be difficult for a pike to bite it;
• the lead material is used most often, it is soft and strong enough, but the pike is often tough;
• Kevlar leashes are often used, but their predator can also have a bite;
• titanium ones appeared on sale quite recently, but they have already managed to win the trust of anglers, their minus is the price.

Clasps, swivels and locking beads are chosen by strength, they must be of good quality and withstand decent loads.

Live bait selection

Pike on live bait on a float rod will only react with active bait, which is why special attention is paid to the choice of fish. For pike fishing use:

• karasey;
• roach;
• bleak;
• perch;
• dace;
• chub;
• rudd;
• rattan;
• fry of the predator itself.

The more pike you want to catch, the larger the fish is hooked.

Where to get?

Without live bait, catching pike in the spring with a float rod will not work, and at other times of the year too. But where do you get fishing bait? Anglers with experience recommend catching live bait with float tackle in the same reservoir, where pike will be caught later. So you can be sure that these types of fish are included in the predator’s diet.

How to plant

There are several methods for planting live bait, but it is precisely for float fishing that two main ones are used:

• with a tee behind the back, it is necessary to hook it so as not to damage the spine, but also to bring it under the fin. Otherwise, the live bait will break off at the first cast.
• The live bait is injured less by the double through the gill covers, and remains active in the water longer. To do this, a leash without a hook is led through the gill cover into the mouth of the fish. A hook is held nearby, which is attached to the leash through the winding ring.

Some, in order to keep the live bait longer, do not pierce the fish at all. A clerical gum is put on the tail, and a tee is wound under it with one forearm.

The subtleties of catching pike on a float rod with live bait

The pike bites well on the float, often the catch exceeds the achievements of spinners with a bunch of artificial lures. Using this method, the main thing is to choose a promising place and catch each section of the reservoir for no more than 20 minutes.

Pike will respond to a float with live bait in their permanent parking lots, namely:

• on the border of clean water and vegetation:
• along coastal vegetation;
• when leaving the bottom pits;
• at the eyebrows;
• along the whirlpools and bays;
• near snags and flooded trees.

Immediately after casting, it is necessary to wait about three minutes for the live bait to get used to the new place, and then carefully monitor the movement of the float. It’s not worth spotting after the first blows, the pike only drags the potential victim into the shelter, but when the float goes under water, they hook. Then, little by little, they begin to withdraw the catch, while strong jerks should not be made.

The rod for catching pike on live bait has been assembled, most of the secrets of catching pike have also been revealed. It remains to collect the tackle and try it in practice.