Tackle up!

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A winter double
Returned to the
Icy water at Cape
Boards Lake.

Rods

Many anglers will already be in possession of rods suitable for the task.
Carp rods have a similar action (if not identical), for the majority of Pike fishing situations a rod of about 2 - 21/2 lb test curve will be
perfect for the job, rods of less than 2lb test will sometimes compromise
your casting capabilities (particularly with heavy bait).

Reels

As with rods, a reel suitable for Carp fishing will usually suit Pike just as good.
My favoured reel sare the Baitrunner type, Baitrunner for those not initiated
means that the reel has the capability to allow a fish to take line from the
spool on pickup of the bait ( the spool tension can be adjusted accordingly).
Quite a few companies now produce Baitrunner type reels (often under
different names) but my own choice of manufacturer is Shimano

Bite Detection.

There are so many types of bite indicator around now that it would be almost impossible to list them all, my own preference is Delkim. This type of bite indicator or buzzer detects line movement through a V shaped rest in which you place your rod.
The line is tensioned and placed through the indicator and then it is essential to place some form of bobbin indicator or back weight to ensure detection of fish pulling or letting the line go slack, ( slack line bites or are usually caused by the Pike picking up the bait prior to swallowing it ) it is vital to detect even the slightest movement of the bait when Pike fishing, this is to avoid deep hooking - it is far better to strike early than to allow the Pike to gorge the bait and risk serious damage to the fish.
Other Bite indicators that I would recommend would be: Ghetto Blasters, Ava Drop - Off types, Optonic, Fox, and many more.

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Bivvied up at Frensham

Unhooking Mats

Pike, in spite of their fierce reputation are very easy fish to damage especially by inexperienced anglers. It is important to treat pike with care and an unhooking mat is an essential item to the Pike angler. These mats come in various forms but at the end of the day their basic function is to protect the Pike from the abrasive surface of the ground, you must use one.
One other word about Pike handling, never keep a pike (or any fish for that matter) out of the water for longer than is required to unhook, weigh and photograph.
Always return your catch as quickly as possible to minimise stress.

For any advice on purchasing fishing tackle or any other related accesories don't hesitate to contact me, if I can't help I know a man that can!!.

What Tackle should I be using?

When purchasing tackle for the first time it is strongly adviseable to take along someone who knows a little about what you require.
It is all too easy to go along to your local tackle shop and buy whatever is on display but you may be purchasing an item that is not really suitable for the task that you really want it to do.

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Whoops! Alan Beale's Chair collapses.
(should have saved up a bit longer
and bought the more expensive one.

Terminal Tackle

I always use line with a minimum breaking strain of 12lb,
the breaking strain of your line should be governed by:

1). The water you are fishing may contain snags or an abrasive bed.

2). The Pike on that particular water may be very big!.

3). You don’t want the line to break with a fish hooked possibly to die.

Many anglers now use braided line, this line is very strong but like anything
"you only get what you pay for" and it tends to be a bit on the expensive side.
Nevertheless it is very good for Piking and if you can stretch your budget to
include braided line the by all means do so

Trace

You need to use a wire trace of at least (I think) 18 inches possibly 24 inches
for safety. My wire traces are rated at 30lb breaking strain (Berkeley seven strand).

Hooks

My own view of the use of treble hooks is: I don’t think they are necessary.
I use only double hooks nowadays, the type I prefer are Vick Bellors usually
in size eight or ten with the barbs crushed ( the removal of hooks is so much
easier with barbless ). Berkeley swivels and Link swivels complete my trace
and to date have never let me down

Methods

There are many methods associated with Pike angling, too many in fact to list here
but I will include my two favourites.
1). Static deadbait.

2). Float suspended deadbait.

With the Static deadbait method, I usually use a sea bait ie: Herring, Sardine, Mackerel or Sprat, but other baits would include Roach, Perch, Trout or Lamprey.
This method literally means laying a dead bait on the bottom (or slightly raised) and
waiting for a Pike to pick up the bait. This can sometimes take quite a while so I usually twitch the bait at 15 min intervals and move position frequently to find the Pikes location.
With the Float suspended deadbait method, the bait can be made to look alive by means of slowly retrieving line or even letting the wind do the job of moving the bait into position for you (this method covers a lot more water and allows you to fish the bait at a variety of depths).

Livebaiting.
I have in later years decided to discontinue the use of Livebaiting, many Pike anglers use this method and good luck to them, this is my decision but I do not wish to try and persuade other anglers from using this very effective method, I just feel happier not to use live fish as bait.

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20lbs from the boats at Blenheim Palace.