Author:
Andrew Macfarlane
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Date Posted: 20:19:58 08/27/03 Wed
In reply to:
pete
's message, "deadbait time" on 16:25:22 08/27/03 Wed
Hmmm. How long? That will change regularly and experience will have you relying on instinct more than anything.
At first the temptation is to leave the rods out for hours on end until something has a go. For the most part, this will get you nowhere.
The place you fish may be a "featureless" bit of water and you may have to seek the fish out. If you are fishing 2-3 rods, you should consider leap-frogging the rods until you have some sort of success. This means moving 1 rod at a time in a predetermined direction. If you decide to move to the left over the day, take the rod from the far right and "leap-frog" its position so it becomes the rod to the far left. After Half an hour (up to you how fast you want to cover a water) take the rod which now sits on the far right and repeat the move. Once fish have been found, it is simply a case of repositioning the rods until you have found the boundries of that particular swim.
Now for different approach. Being a Human you are obviously faultless (lol). This means you are brimming with watercraft and Angling knowledge. You WILL at some point look at a water and say to yourself "That bit looks Pikey as F***!". What made you decide this? It might be the incoming stream, the reeds protruding from the water, prey fish swim tight to the bank, a sunken tree. Whatever.
In time you will get better at spotting Pike haunts. If you are steadfast and there is nothing swaying your descision, it will be down to tactics wether or not you catch something. Now for some mysterious reason, you will see blokes with 3 rods fishing 3 identical methods. That's like playing Golf with 3 Drivers. Your selection of rods should be utilised fully. Try 1 rod with a running-leger in amongst the shallows, right in the reeds (make sure you use a weak link for the lead). Get a float on the second rod and take advantage of the natural drift. Perhaps put the 3rd rod out in a bit you think there are no Pike (you NEVER really know!). Cover the water with different methods until something kicks off. Keep using different methods until you can say 100% for sure "A running leger with a popped-up Turbo Smelt is THE method to use in this bit" and then take note of your discovery.
If the fishing is slow it may be the conditions of the day. On the other hand, the Pike just might not want your Roach. If the conditions are good and you think fish should be showing, change baits, switch rods, spice up the bait with some oil...work, work, work.
If I am confident there are fish present but I havn't had a sniff in half an hour (a guess), I will assume it is MY bait/method that isn't doing the job and I will try a different approach till something works (hopefully).
Winter has a different set of rules. Pike will gladly sit next to a bait for 3 days until hunger kicks in. Metabolism slows in the cold and feeding almost grinds to a halt. You may decide that your bait is right, the position is bang on and the rig is the best one you know. Then and only then should you leave a rod lying for hours.
This is all suggestion of course. I have no idea what your water looks like but you can see the thought processes that go on in the mind of a dedicated Piker.
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