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The toothy predator responds well to artificial baits, but still, the use of live bait will attract her attention better. Live bait for pike fishing is used almost all year round, but in order to catch trophy specimens, you must be able to properly set the fish. Experienced anglers know the subtleties of choosing live bait and how to bait them, today they share their knowledge with the rest.
Live bait selection rules
To catch pike on live bait, you must have a live bait. To do this, preliminarily, mainly on the usual float tackle, various types of peaceful fish are caught. In this case, small hooks are used, and the fish is removed during hooking and playing as carefully as possible.
Of the fish caught, not all are suitable as live bait. In order for the bait to remain as active as possible and be able to live for a long time, it is necessary to be able to correctly select the right specimens. For further use, fish with the following characteristics are selected:
- It is better to select specimens of medium and larger than average size. A small fish will not be able to live long, and it is unlikely that it will succeed in attracting the attention of a large pike.
- It is important to inspect the fish for mutilations and injuries during the selection. If even a slight damage is present, then this option is better not to use for use as bait.
- It is better to give preference to the most active individuals, such ones on the hook will be constantly in motion, which will attract the attention of a potential victim.
It should be understood that as bait it is necessary to use those types of peaceful fish that are familiar to the predator. It is desirable that the live bait be caught in the same reservoir where the pike will be caught.
Ways to put live bait on a pike
For catching a predator, the ability to get the bait and select it correctly is important, but it will not be the key to success. In order for the pike to notice the bait, and then to be detected, it is necessary to be able to hook the live bait on the hook. Skill is needed for this, experienced anglers will cope with this without problems, and for a beginner, easier methods are suitable.
How to put live bait on a pike hook? There are many ways, but six are considered the most common, each of which is special.
Классический
Attaching a live bait to a hook in this way is as simple as possible, even a novice angler can master it. For him, use the usual live bait single hook with a leash already equipped.
The hook for the classic method is inserted into the mouth of the fish and the stinger is brought out over the nostrils. Next, the equipment is attached to the tackle, thrown into the water and waiting for a bite.
It is better to use special live bait hooks. They are stronger and have serifs, thanks to which the bait will not slip in the water.
For the lip
For pike fishing on live bait, this method is used quite often. To do this, the hook is simply inserted into the mouth and hooked to the fish by the lip. After that, you can send tackle into the water and expect strikes from a predator.
However, this method is not used for all species, some fish have weak lips. After 15-20 minutes, many develop severe injuries, from which the live bait will soon die. Such a bait will not be able to interest the pike, so the condition of the fish on the hook should be checked regularly.
For the nostril
How to put a live bait on a pike hook in this way? There is nothing complicated, this method is a bit similar to the first, but there are still differences.
To form a tackle, simply pass the hook through both nostrils. Then it’s up to the small, install the live bait in a promising place and wait for a bite.
Through the gills
In order for the equipment to turn out to be successful when working with a hook and a fish, maximum care must be taken. If this advice is not followed, it is easy to cause injuries to the bait, which are often incompatible with life. The fish quickly dies and becomes completely uninteresting for the predator.
How to plant through the gills?
The hook is immediately equipped with a leash, but you don’t need to put extra accessories, it’s better to put a carabiner and a swivel on the base. It is worth starting this element of equipment through the leash, it is passed through the mouth and taken out under one of the gill covers, and then fastened to the base.
Sly way
All previous methods of setting the live bait injure him to one degree or another, while the cunning one completely eliminates this. Its essence lies in the fact that in the area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe tail, an ordinary clerical gum is put on the body of the live bait, and the hook is wound directly under it.
A live bait equipped with this method lives much longer, while remaining as active as possible for a long time.
A hook is inserted into the live bait and in the area of the dorsal fin, a more experienced fisherman can handle this. With this method, it is important not to hook the spine or other vital organs.
Hook selection
We found out how to properly hook a live bait to effectively catch a pike, however, there are some subtleties in the process, and they depend on the hook chosen before.
To collect tackle with live bait are used:
- single hooks with serifs;
- asymmetrical double hook;
- symmetrical twin;
- triple hook.
It is impossible to recommend the use of one of the above, each angler chooses the one he personally likes best for himself. For some, a rig through the gills with a tee is lucky, and someone liked to fish with a live bait hooked behind their back. It is best to try all the methods, and then choose the one you like and use it constantly.
Experienced anglers recommend using tees in a live bait rig, this type of hook will accurately detect a predator.
Where is live bait used
There are not so few types of fishing with live bait, but only the most popular ones are known to anglers. Most often, circles are used, the easiest way is to put the live bait on a tee and arrange the tackle along the pond at depths. But there are other methods of fishing:
- float tackle or live bait. It consists of a rod blank, a reel with a brake, a float, which is selected for live bait and high-quality hooks.
- Donka for catching pike is used in the autumn just before the freeze-up. They form tackle from a hard spinning type “Rapier” or “Crocodile”, an inertialess reel with a stopper, a sufficient amount of high-quality fishing line, a sinker and a high-quality hook.
- Zherlitsy and mugs will not do without live bait, it is for such tackle that this bait is the only correct solution. They consist of a base on which a sufficient amount of fishing line is wound, a sliding load is placed, and a live bait equipped with a hook.
It will be necessary to decide on the choice of gear on your own, and then it’s up to you, to find a reservoir and try it.
How to put a live bait on a hook for catching a pike was sorted out. There is nothing difficult in the process, the main thing is to decide on the tackle used and choose the most convenient hook for yourself.