Pike traces revisited: knots, crimping and fire

[Stathamender]

I didn't do much pike fishing back when I was a regular angler 40 years ago but I always enjoyed it when I did (once livebaiting on a London Anglers' section of the Stour at Glemsford I hooked into something the size of Moby Dick and it straightened two prongs on a treble simply by refusing to move from the riverbed while I huffed and puffed and heaved at it). This year I've decided to get out and do a lot more lure fishing not least because this is better for short sessions, you get some exercise rather than sitting around in the cold and it means carrying a lot less gear around as I'll be using a cheapo tele rod for this. These things matter when you're on a bus pass. The freezer is also filling up nicely with mackerel, herring and sprats from the Morrison's down the road which sells its fish off cheap after 4 pm.

So the question is: is it knots or crimping for traces? I used to make up my own traces (everybody did) and back then what you did was loop the plastic coated trace wire twice through the eye of either hook or swivel, wind the tag end tightly round the wire immediately above the eye several times, maybe loop it back through the top two or three turns, tighten, trim and then fuse the plastic coating together on the turns by applying the flame from a match or lighter. The knot held on MD, it was the hook that gave up on me.

Do people still do this or is it thought hopelessly passe (or even declasse) even for traditional anglers? Or can't you even get that kind of wire these days?

Also any recommendations for lures?

I've got Rickards' Big Pike and Big Pike Revisited around somewhere but can't put my hand on them at the moment and I suspect the answers might be there.

[Santiago]

I crimp my traces using special crimping pliers. Never seen plastic coated wire in the tackle shop I use.

As for lures I'd recommend Rapala and Salmo but specifics depend on the water choice. Also plastic shads cannot be beaten and snag very little if used with jig heads. The slower the better!

[Pinhead]

Iain - you kinda answered the question yourself - it depends on the type of wire you're using. If it's modern 7-strand I twist it with a twiddling stick, if it's even-more-modern 45 strand wire you have to crimp it as it is very soft and supple, so twisting doesn't hold.
I couldn't comment on plastic coated wire as I'm not a fan and never use it.
If you wanted to be really traditional I suppose you would have to source some of the old flat wire (that used to get rusty in the bottom of the tackle box - I can't remember the name of it (edit - Alasticum)) and whip the trebles on with red silk and then varnish the whippings!
I, too, am resurrecting my pike fishing this winter after a break, so I am grateful for the tip on obtaining cheap deadbaits!
Good luck with the toothy critters!

[Nick]

Have always twisted my traces, loop the wire on either hook or swivels and twist afterwards.
This is for the likes of seven strand, alasticum or QED trace wires etc.
To spin the wire I still used the forcep method and spin to oneside incase the forceps go for a flying lesson.


Have a look here, this shows a good video for trace making.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jUDMM6bl4XY

[Trainset]

Top Tip on the cheap fish front
I usually crimp my traces with a set of long nose pliers that I use for de-hooking but I'm sure crimping pliers would be neater. I use the seven strand wire and crush the crimp three times, one bottom, one middle and one top. I have on occasion twisted the wire when I've had the time and felt like doing it. I go seven times round on itself and it holds just as well.
My designated spare freezer has a draw full of dead baits which I intend to put to use very soon!
Can't offer any advice on lures I'm afraid as I don't really do much spinning for pike.

[Tengisgol]

I recall Anglers Mail running a test on ready-made traces and I found it just now, link below. Not the cheapest way to aquire traces I accept.

I don't think that there is any sense in being traditional in approach (and using old techniques) as fish safety must be paramount. I strongly recommend barbless trebles to avoid fish damage and your landing net becoming an entanglement of nasty razor points!

However, one of Sussex Micky's floats would look fantastic in both appearance and disappearance!

http://www.anglersmail.co.uk/tackle/acc ... -reviewed/

[Isis]

Forget being Traditional where Piking is concerned otherwise you would have to embrace the use of gorge-baiting, gaffs and gags.
We already use unhooking mats and much kinder netting materials alongside our vintage centre-pins and cane SU carp rods.
Go one step further and try single circle hooks. You don't need to strike, the hook is usually in the scissors so no need to open the Pike's jaws and it's less likely to get caught up in the landing net. If the hook point is 'Inline' and not 'Offset' is wont catch up inside the Pike's mouth. They really do work.

[Santiago]

Great tip Isis!

[Dave Burr]

I'm with Isis and use a single or two (for long eel or lamprey baits) circle hooks. The treble has many faults and lost fish are often left with stitched mouths that can slowly kill them through starvation.

Plastic coated stainless steel traces were awful and should be consigned to history for so many reasons. Modern trace material is vastly superior in every way.

Personally, I won't use for bait any fish I would be uneasy about eating myself. If the gills look anything less than bright red whilst it lies on the fishmonger's slab then it is past it's freshest. When I lived near Bristol I used to go to the fish market at a ridiculous hour to buy the freshest bait I could before heading off to Cheddar Reservoir for a day chasing the hard fighting fish that lived there. Since then I have bought it fresh frozen baits or stored my own by blanching and freezing then individually. I find that tackle shops nowadays have better baits than can be bought at your average supermarket and highly recommend Blue Mackerel, small Trout, Sardines and especially Lamprey.

Although we fish for pike in much the same way as was done a hundred years or so ago but modern improvements in hooks and trace material are much, much kinder to the fish and, in my opinion, should always be used.

[Stathamender]

Thanks to all. I've got some trebles, swivels and some Drennan 7 strand, a friend of mine in the US has sent me a couple of Arbogast Jitterbugs and will make up some traces soon. That online video is very useful and the page it's on produces a lot of other good links (and some not so good) so thanks for the pointer.

The modern 49 strand wire I've seen feels supple enough to be knotted with traditional knots (e.g. a Mahseer, Palomar or Non-slip Loop) rather than just wound and I'm certainly going to try the single circle hooks. How do you set up tandem rigs with these or do people prefer single rigs (and if so how do you get half a herring to stay on)? I've also seen the Snell knot recommended which looks to me much the same as the spade end or knotless knots. Anyone with experience of this?

There's going to be a brief hiatus as I'm going to be away in France for a few weeks from next week. Don't know much about fishing in France but the French are certainly fond of eating pike - the quenelles de brochet I had in Lyon once were delicious and I've seen it frozen in my local Monoprix - so presumably they catch them first but I'm on the South Coast so I don't think there are pike waters within easy reach there.