In reply to Post #16
Yeah of course he does
I'm getting old lol!
I spoke to him for the first time in years about 18 months ago, I was down that way for a funeral, and called in the shop on the way back.
Amazing shop, they still had the old one last time I saw him.
Don't hear about the real big pike much now.
Yeah of course he does
I'm getting old lol!I spoke to him for the first time in years about 18 months ago, I was down that way for a funeral, and called in the shop on the way back.
Amazing shop, they still had the old one last time I saw him.
Don't hear about the real big pike much now.
In reply to Post #17
There he is, the cheeky old chap. Holding the deformed old pike that lives in that area. Next time you go in the shop, remind him you saw a pike he had caught, that you were told looked a bit like him
There he is, the cheeky old chap. Holding the deformed old pike that lives in that area. Next time you go in the shop, remind him you saw a pike he had caught, that you were told looked a bit like him
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In reply to Post #15
Best of luck mate, few people rooting for you
Best of luck mate, few people rooting for you
In reply to Post #19
Thank you mate, that's much appreciated
Thank you mate, that's much appreciated
In reply to Post #18
To be fair, he's aged well, nice bloke too 
To be fair, he's aged well, nice bloke too
In reply to Post #21
Look at you sniffing for a discount lol. I don't blame you mate, Army Andy uses this forum I think and is in the shop all of the time. He's Gary's friend. He might see it. Stand firm, he'll love you lol. Gary's a lovely bloke, I love him to bits and consider him a good friend... But come on. I'm pretty sure he scares most of the fish away when he comes. Lucky he brings a proper coffee percolator, and the finest coffee known to man. He also makes lovely fishing rods, but this is a far less important situation than the coffee percolator gig.
His coffee is second to none, he's a real expert. I like coffee, I love Gals coffee.
Ageing well...
Look at you sniffing for a discount lol. I don't blame you mate, Army Andy uses this forum I think and is in the shop all of the time. He's Gary's friend. He might see it. Stand firm, he'll love you lol. Gary's a lovely bloke, I love him to bits and consider him a good friend... But come on. I'm pretty sure he scares most of the fish away when he comes. Lucky he brings a proper coffee percolator, and the finest coffee known to man. He also makes lovely fishing rods, but this is a far less important situation than the coffee percolator gig.
His coffee is second to none, he's a real expert. I like coffee, I love Gals coffee.
Ageing well...
In reply to Post #1
A photo of the bags of Waitrose sardines I like, and the other photo, look at the bit of pink rig foam on the trace hanging out of the jack on the left. This bit of foam really really helps with dead bait fishing. It means the bait lays on the bottom, hook side up every time. You will snag weed and the bottom far far less. Just slice a couple of inches of high density rig foam to the middle with a pair of scissors. I like pink, adds some colour. Slide onto trace and super glue it in place. It really helps a lot. I pike fished a lot when I was younger, never done this. A friend showed me, it's very simple, but it makes a massive massive difference. You hook up with more pike to I think, the hooks are always facing up when the fish takes it into its mouth.
A photo of the bags of Waitrose sardines I like, and the other photo, look at the bit of pink rig foam on the trace hanging out of the jack on the left. This bit of foam really really helps with dead bait fishing. It means the bait lays on the bottom, hook side up every time. You will snag weed and the bottom far far less. Just slice a couple of inches of high density rig foam to the middle with a pair of scissors. I like pink, adds some colour. Slide onto trace and super glue it in place. It really helps a lot. I pike fished a lot when I was younger, never done this. A friend showed me, it's very simple, but it makes a massive massive difference. You hook up with more pike to I think, the hooks are always facing up when the fish takes it into its mouth.
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In reply to Post #23
Paulie, you must have to put the rig foam between trebles I'm assuming to make it work? will try it next time out on a couple of rods
Paulie, you must have to put the rig foam between trebles I'm assuming to make it work? will try it next time out on a couple of rods
In reply to Post #24
Yes Daz, exactly half way between the two trebles. Stick one treble in tail root, and the other up near gill plate. The foam will then be laying along the side of the dead bait. It's one of those things, that's so bloody simple, but it makes a vast difference to your fishing. No dead leaves on the trebles, no dead weed. You can fish a bait hard on the bottom, without snagging it. On a river this is extra important with movement.
If you think about when the pike takes the bait into its mouth to, the hooks are on top of the bait every single time, facing up. When you strike, you're never striking into the dead bait itself, or through it.
It makes everything just work better.
Yes Daz, exactly half way between the two trebles. Stick one treble in tail root, and the other up near gill plate. The foam will then be laying along the side of the dead bait. It's one of those things, that's so bloody simple, but it makes a vast difference to your fishing. No dead leaves on the trebles, no dead weed. You can fish a bait hard on the bottom, without snagging it. On a river this is extra important with movement.
If you think about when the pike takes the bait into its mouth to, the hooks are on top of the bait every single time, facing up. When you strike, you're never striking into the dead bait itself, or through it.
It makes everything just work better.
In reply to Post #25
That's a great tip thank you Paulie, will definitely try it next time i'm pike fishing (hopefully at some point over the Xmas period). Do you think the colour of the foam matters? Have you experimented, found some colours seem to be more effective than others?
That's a great tip thank you Paulie, will definitely try it next time i'm pike fishing (hopefully at some point over the Xmas period). Do you think the colour of the foam matters? Have you experimented, found some colours seem to be more effective than others?
In reply to Post #26
No I've just always used pink mate. I did not have any red. I had loads of pink foam for carp fishing. Any tackle shop will have the stuff on that trace in stock. It's zig foam. I had some old Gardner stuff in my tackle den. I'm sure all of the companies will sell the same.
Get some red stuff from fleabay. The pink has worked exceptionally well for me though.
No I've just always used pink mate. I did not have any red. I had loads of pink foam for carp fishing. Any tackle shop will have the stuff on that trace in stock. It's zig foam. I had some old Gardner stuff in my tackle den. I'm sure all of the companies will sell the same.
Get some red stuff from fleabay. The pink has worked exceptionally well for me though.
In reply to Post #27
Yeah i've got some Fox zig foam, what I was going to use, got a few colours but mainly black and yellow. Pink and red are two of the few colours I don't think ive got any of. Will have a go with the black and yellow and if they don't work will get some pink/red. Reckon it's a top tip though coz ive always thought that the trebles could be the wrong side of the dead bait and are therefore likely to pick up debris off the bottom possibly impeding hooking so thank you.
Yeah i've got some Fox zig foam, what I was going to use, got a few colours but mainly black and yellow. Pink and red are two of the few colours I don't think ive got any of. Will have a go with the black and yellow and if they don't work will get some pink/red. Reckon it's a top tip though coz ive always thought that the trebles could be the wrong side of the dead bait and are therefore likely to pick up debris off the bottom possibly impeding hooking so thank you.
In reply to Post #28
Black will work, you just don't have the visual thing. Yellow may work really well. Try. The visual thing is only a bonus, the main thing is, that it makes the rig work so much better. Balances it a bit more to, makes it easier for them to pick up. But it sounds like you have already sussed that. Good luck.
Black will work, you just don't have the visual thing. Yellow may work really well. Try. The visual thing is only a bonus, the main thing is, that it makes the rig work so much better. Balances it a bit more to, makes it easier for them to pick up. But it sounds like you have already sussed that. Good luck.
In reply to Post #29
Yeah was just wondering if the visual aspect may attract them or put them off. Doubt it would put them off coz naturally eating dead fish off the bottom they must pick up detritus as well which they'd filter out, so yeah more a case of seeing if different colours do attract more than others but like you say balancing the bait and ensuring the hooks are face up is the most important thing. Thanks again.
Yeah was just wondering if the visual aspect may attract them or put them off. Doubt it would put them off coz naturally eating dead fish off the bottom they must pick up detritus as well which they'd filter out, so yeah more a case of seeing if different colours do attract more than others but like you say balancing the bait and ensuring the hooks are face up is the most important thing. Thanks again.
In reply to Post #30
When feature finding in winter I've had lots of Pike follow various coloured & black marker floats right into the shallowest of water.
Agree with Paulie 're the Sardines, though have been known to use a Sprat when it's quiet just to try and get some action.
When feature finding in winter I've had lots of Pike follow various coloured & black marker floats right into the shallowest of water.
Agree with Paulie 're the Sardines, though have been known to use a Sprat when it's quiet just to try and get some action.