Will see what we can plan in.But the winter has been bad so we have a lot of catching up to do in the next couple of weeks before the season shuts.Keep watching,as we never know what we will target from one week to the next.I'm off to Hayling beach tomorrow to try and catch something and finish a shore film,then next day it should be trotting on a river for world record Dace.Keep watching.
Thanks Barney, sorry for late response. Best to try different retrieving techniques, Pike are quite slow feeders in cold temperatures so a slow retrieve would work best, even better try twitching it like we do with our twitching sprats video, can be very effecting with the right lure.
Check out our latest beach fishing for beginners,Part 3 The Wessex rig .That setup should get you fish off the piers,but try and use shrimp for bait,smaller hooks,even half a shrimp.Tackle shops should sell them over there.Frozen shrimp will do.
Caught my first Pike last year on home made floats using the twitching method. I glued two corks end on end and bored a hole through them, painted them with float paint and fed my main line through them using shot at each end to set my depths. First time out, I chucked the bait along side a weed bed next to a weir and was amazed to see a Pike dash out and take the dead bait (Silver Sillago) after only a few twitches. This is now my favourite method :)
Watched this vid the night before my trip, went fishing in the morning, and after a 20 minute struggle, I managed to pull in a beautiful 18 pounder. Thanks a lot for the tips! They really worked wonders!
Set the float about half to three quarters of the depth.And the depth might not be to the bottom as there could be weedbeds.I advise that setting in whatever band of clear water you have before weedbeds/lake bed etc.The pike will generally be down near the bottom and will strike from below.Good luck,and send Mike a picture of you make a catch.Any fish,we aren't obsessed with big fish here at Totally Awesome as we appreciate ANY FISH !!!
Deadbaits or lures will work.I had success with a red over silver Veltic spinner years ago.I think it was a size 4.But you need a bit of weight like swan shot or Wye lead to keep it low in the current.You need good clarity conditions as well.
Fixed depth by either a split shot or a tied stop knot above the float.This sets your depth otherwise the float would just slide right up the line when you cast.You can even fix stop knots either end of the float if you wanted
Hi graeme, Im just back from fishing for pike..I used your method of twitching sprats and it worked a charm..caught two big pike.You have inspired me! Thank you very much
No,rarely as I don't try to make the bait land in Hawaii. I cast where I think the pike are,and that will be close to mid range .I use a much "softer" cast,sort of tossing the bait througfh the air,rather than power-whipping it to shreds .The sprats are softer,and do sometimes come off,but I fish them near features,and that generally means close.My rods are soft,not like stiff carp and pike rods you seem to get today.
I've only recently started Pike fishing, not yet tried dead baiting only been using lures up till now. Being winter time lures seem to be less effective, meaning I should probably switch to dead baiting. Going to give this technique a go next time I'm out on the water... Great vid guys.
That was probably only about three feet, but it all depends on the depth,weedbeds etc. I would say set it at a third to three quarters of any depth your are working, as most pike will be down deeper and then see the bait above them. The only time I would stay really shallow is if they are "fry-feeding" where they have pushed baitfish into a bay, or near the surface.
Yes, or totally barbless, or crush the barbs with forceps rocked back and forth over the barb. Just leave a barb on one hook of the treble to hold the bait on.
one of the best pike videos ive saw. never caught a pike but havent half had a few goes an failed using wrong techniques. watched all your ta fishing vids an boy dont u guys know how to fish for predators. hopefully tomorrow with your twitching method using baby brown trout or a smelt may do the job! big thumbs up!
In the spring time what fish would you expect around a mouth of a river opening to a lake? It is around 10 feet deep.One last thing what lure/live bait would you recommend?
Hi Kevin, we have tried looking but still cant find them. Graeme is still running on old stock of Partridge vb hooks, dont know if they sell them anymore but I am sure another company will. Try typing it into your search engine
Hi, Nathan is working in the south somewhere,but a few weeks ago left for something like 6 months fishery work in Thailand.I have no idea where he goes from there.
I use Kinder eggs for my pike floats. I have 5 kids so I have enough to last me a lifetime. The older Kinder eggs which you had to screw in weren't the best but now they have a groove for your line to go in and they pop into place. im sure im not the only Pike angler to do this.
Never used them as floats, but back when I was a teenager, we used them as bobbers for bottom fishing, drill a hook into the top, put a few splitshot inside and hang into the mainline, like you would with climbers nowadays. For beach fishing we used those yellow lemon juice bottles, using the same technique, so your neck wouldn't hurt from staring at the tips all day/night.
Don't know any modern reals to be honest. I use "old school" stuff from 30 odd years ago and they are still going strong. However, I have used Daiwa reels for Bonefishing in Florida and they will never get a better test than that. I think you will be ok with that make.
I love all your shows. But when i'm hunting pike on the fly i only keep 2 or 3 of the small males and then i release all the other pikes i'm catching. But again i love your shows i find a lot of inspiration in them. Best regards from Denmark
I'd like to use this method.. but the lake I fish is maybe 4-5ft deep and has thick weed in almost all areas, so I'm not sure what's the best way to fish. Float seems best but any advice would be great
Thanks for the reply whats the best depth to set the float at or should i just plum the bottom prior to fishing. Sorry im new to pike fishing thanks again
HI Graeme, do you recommend this technique during even the coldest winter months when the pike are supposedly laying up not moving at all? Or would you use a static deadbait then? Cheers
Another super video Sport. My only gripe, which applies to all of your shows, and most other fishing videos, as a matter of fact, is the irritating music/noise that punctuates the interesting bits. In my mind I read TA Fishing as 'Totally Awful (Music) Fishing'! Other than that though, great show. Regards. Ray
Ty for fast reply. Ye old reels are great, i have few shimano 3000, old dam quick (one of my favorites). I have little collection of really old reels manufactured in 1940-50, and some of them aren't easy to find :)
Love your fishing videos. Just found your channel the other day and have watched loads of them. But I have a question. I'm heading to a puke fishing tourney this weekend and I want to float dead bait for them. What depth do you fish under your float? 2 ft 3 ft? Keep in mind I'm lake fishing. Thanks, Colton.
Brilliant video, you are barking but I think you get your point over mate, ps love your Finch Farm shot too, so much so have started over there and thanks for your advice.
I watched all your pike fishing videos and fly fishing I do both types of fishing trout from march 15 th to early October then I do the pike fishing and its a pike fishing question I have for you whats your personal favourite way of pike fishing apart from spart and do u use paranoster rig much whats the best way u would say graham which rig like running ledger etc etc please let me no and I think your show is the best on utube bye far I loved the rainbow fly fishing with a 3/4 weight rod enyway tight lines and have a great season whatever type of fishing your doing graham take care ...
TAFishing Very nice, I would have guessed bigger if I seen it myself. I'm in Ireland, is this time of year good for pike or is it better to be snow and ice cold, I have only fished once for pike, I usually fish for trout. But its not their season so I'd like to go catch something else from perch and roach in the canal, they would give a great fight I hear in the winter, I only caught one tiny jack on a trout spinner, I was fishing for perch around 1-1.5lbs and got a 6 pound pike. Great fun on the light rod, that was in october so not too cold at all, I was wearing a tshirt. I should have put a :p at the end of the last message I think.
***** This time of year can be great for big pike as they are fattening up ready for spawning. The same with Perch really. Anything too cold and they will probably come off the feed a bit but look for a mild spell and have a go!
tanks for the twitching video caught my first pike today after watching your rig tying video my fish was between 10-12lb on a joey mack but will be back out on saturday twitching instead of watching reel to start pulling great tip and keesp up the great work.....off to convert some sea floats to the bottom swivel type.. Sardines and Mack planned for baits :) totaly awesome and gtrats to son on pb
Yeah that is really totally awesome ! I like your show. I must ask you something... I cant afford some expensive reel, so im about to buy daiwa exceler-s. What is your opinion on that reel? Is it good for lure fishing for big chub and small pike/zander ?
Will see what we can plan in.But the winter has been bad so we have a lot of catching up to do in the next couple of weeks before the season shuts.Keep watching,as we never know what we will target from one week to the next.I'm off to Hayling beach tomorrow to try and catch something and finish a shore film,then next day it should be trotting on a river for world record Dace.Keep watching.
Thanks Barney, sorry for late response. Best to try different retrieving techniques, Pike are quite slow feeders in cold temperatures so a slow retrieve would work best, even better try twitching it like we do with our twitching sprats video, can be very effecting with the right lure.
That's a nice pike. Good catch. We know the methods work, that's why we use them. Basic is best.
Check out our latest beach fishing for beginners,Part 3 The Wessex rig .That setup should get you fish off the piers,but try and use shrimp for bait,smaller hooks,even half a shrimp.Tackle shops should sell them over there.Frozen shrimp will do.
Good to look back at these old films, farther and son out enjoying a bit of fishing. Hope I get to do that 1 day.
Well we have to say they worked well, Thanks for posting them to us!
Caught my first Pike last year on home made floats using the twitching method. I glued two corks end on end and bored a hole through them, painted them with float paint and fed my main line through them using shot at each end to set my depths. First time out, I chucked the bait along side a weed bed next to a weir and was amazed to see a Pike dash out and take the dead bait (Silver Sillago) after only a few twitches. This is now my favourite method :)
Glad you liked the video, good luck and post any pictures on our facebook page Totally Awesome Fishing
Watched this vid the night before my trip, went fishing in the morning, and after a 20 minute struggle, I managed to pull in a beautiful 18 pounder. Thanks a lot for the tips! They really worked wonders!
Some people like to descale their baits, but I think a lot of the flash is in the scale itself.
Set the float about half to three quarters of the depth.And the depth might not be to the bottom as there could be weedbeds.I advise that setting in whatever band of clear water you have before weedbeds/lake bed etc.The pike will generally be down near the bottom and will strike from below.Good luck,and send Mike a picture of you make a catch.Any fish,we aren't obsessed with big fish here at Totally Awesome as we appreciate ANY FISH !!!
They worked a treat.Thanks.
Deadbaits or lures will work.I had success with a red over silver Veltic spinner years ago.I think it was a size 4.But you need a bit of weight like swan shot or Wye lead to keep it low in the current.You need good clarity conditions as well.
Thanks guys, im still buzzing!
- Mike
Fixed depth by either a split shot or a tied stop knot above the float.This sets your depth otherwise the float would just slide right up the line when you cast.You can even fix stop knots either end of the float if you wanted
Thanx graham, totally awesome video this is one of my favorite methods. Keep em coming .
cheers Matt! It's a great technique!
Totally awesome video! This is really the best fishing show I've come across on youtube. Cheers from Norway! ^^
Thanks! Glad you enjoy it
i like what this chap dose. good luck to him
16lbs is a beauty!! Excellent technique!
Hi graeme,
Im just back from fishing for pike..I used your method of twitching sprats and it worked a charm..caught two big pike.You have inspired me!
Thank you very much
No,rarely as I don't try to make the bait land in Hawaii. I cast where I think the pike are,and that will be close to mid range .I use a much "softer" cast,sort of tossing the bait througfh the air,rather than power-whipping it to shreds .The sprats are softer,and do sometimes come off,but I fish them near features,and that generally means close.My rods are soft,not like stiff carp and pike rods you seem to get today.
thanks for a good bit of pike fishing tactics
totally awesome underwater footage guys
I've only recently started Pike fishing, not yet tried dead baiting only been using lures up till now. Being winter time lures seem to be less effective, meaning I should probably switch to dead baiting. Going to give this technique a go next time I'm out on the water... Great vid guys.
Cheers guys looking forward to the weekend to try the twitching float method appreciate the advise thank you
Thanks Guys, totally awesome!
Thanks Andy
That was probably only about three feet, but it all depends on the depth,weedbeds etc. I would say set it at a third to three quarters of any depth your are working, as most pike will be down deeper and then see the bait above them. The only time I would stay really shallow is if they are "fry-feeding" where they have pushed baitfish into a bay, or near the surface.
Yes, or totally barbless, or crush the barbs with forceps rocked back and forth over the barb. Just leave a barb on one hook of the treble to hold the bait on.
Graeme you utter legend!!!
Great technique, thanks Graeme, gonna try this on a river in Holland
Awesome Comment! Thanks!
one of the best pike videos ive saw. never caught a pike but havent half had a few goes an failed using wrong techniques. watched all your ta fishing vids an boy dont u guys know how to fish for predators. hopefully tomorrow with your twitching method using baby brown trout or a smelt may do the job! big thumbs up!
I've been using this method on a small canal with smelt. it's totally awesome two fish in 20 mins cheers guys 👍
Awesome video great tips! Graham pullen is a legend!!
That underwater camera is phenomenal! Great fish too!
Glad they help, we do a lot of sea fishing too check out our UK sea fishing playlist on our channel homepage
I wanna go fishing with this guy!!!! Great vids mate, well done!
this is your best video so far ! cracking ! well done fellas and congrats on the pb !
Private fishery . Just a one-off chance.We were lucky.
Awesome!
Brilliant watch
Another great video......well done and thanks
Thanks!
Same as always,about 40lbs multistrand as you can never guarantee only small pike will take it.
In the spring time what fish would you expect around a mouth of a river opening to a lake? It is around 10 feet deep.One last thing what lure/live bait would you recommend?
Great fishing show guys at ta fishing, keep up the good work
That's one hell of a big fat Tarpon Fish.
that was one monster pike! great video as always.
Hi Kevin, we have tried looking but still cant find them. Graeme is still running on old stock of Partridge vb hooks, dont know if they sell them anymore but I am sure another company will. Try typing it into your search engine
Lol was flicking through the book at the beginning really necessary!
Hi, Nathan is working in the south somewhere,but a few weeks ago left for something like 6 months fishery work in Thailand.I have no idea where he goes from there.
Really cool guys!
Thump up!
Enjoyed thanks for that Fellas.
This was totally awesome
wonderful video. have you
or anyone you know ever tried this method using soft plastics ?
No,not yet.Maybe a future film ?
I use Kinder eggs for my pike floats. I have 5 kids so I have enough to last me a lifetime. The older Kinder eggs which you had to screw in weren't the best but now they have a groove for your line to go in and they pop into place. im sure im not the only Pike angler to do this.
Do you really? Lol
Not the only one anymore haha
Never used them as floats, but back when I was a teenager, we used them as bobbers for bottom fishing, drill a hook into the top, put a few splitshot inside and hang into the mainline, like you would with climbers nowadays. For beach fishing we used those yellow lemon juice bottles, using the same technique, so your neck wouldn't hurt from staring at the tips all day/night.
I'm definitely trying this, it looks so effective that it makes me wanna grab the bait :-p Thanks for the vid and the laughs as always! :-)
Great looking pikes
Don't know any modern reals to be honest. I use "old school" stuff from 30 odd years ago and they are still going strong. However, I have used Daiwa reels for Bonefishing in Florida and they will never get a better test than that. I think you will be ok with that make.
awesome awesome awesome!!!!! LOVE YOUR VIDS!!!! cheers from the states!!
i caught a 20 pound pike here
in ireland on lough ree using this
method thanks alot :) i was using dead roach
and perch :)
Totally Awesome video! Oddly that's what i do!
Great video 👍 Do you puncture the swim bladder by the roach?
I love all your shows. But when i'm hunting pike on the fly i only keep 2 or 3 of the small males and then i release all the other pikes i'm catching. But again i love your shows i find a lot of inspiration in them. Best regards from Denmark
i love ur pike fishing videos plz keep making them thanks! :)
I'd like to use this method.. but the lake I fish is maybe 4-5ft deep and has thick weed in almost all areas, so I'm not sure what's the best way to fish. Float seems best but any advice would be great
Very nice! Can you plan a vid fishing deep gravel pit Pike?!
I can't stop twitching!
Thanks for the reply whats the best depth to set the float at or should i just plum the bottom prior to fishing. Sorry im new to pike fishing thanks again
Im going to try this today.
HI Graeme, do you recommend this technique during even the coldest winter months when the pike are supposedly laying up not moving at all? Or would you use a static deadbait then? Cheers
No, this method can work anytime, anywhere.I would use this over static deadbaits as it keeps you moving.
Another super video Sport. My only gripe, which applies to all of your shows, and most other fishing videos, as a matter of fact, is the irritating music/noise that punctuates the interesting bits. In my mind I read TA Fishing as 'Totally Awful (Music) Fishing'! Other than that though, great show. Regards. Ray
Ty for fast reply. Ye old reels are great, i have few shimano 3000, old dam quick (one of my favorites). I have little collection of really old reels manufactured in 1940-50, and some of them aren't easy to find :)
Anywhere there are pike.Lakes,Reservoirs,Pits,Rivers,Canals.
are you guys fishing in like specific pike lakes? or are they just random ponds, with a lucky nice dense pike population?
He is huge wow !!!!!!
Fantastic fish 🎣 m8
I bought a couple of savage gear soft 4 play dirty roach, ready to fish, with the built in treble hook system off out soon to give them a go
Hello Graham what test curve was the rods?
Love your fishing videos. Just found your channel the other day and have watched loads of them. But I have a question. I'm heading to a puke fishing tourney this weekend and I want to float dead bait for them. What depth do you fish under your float? 2 ft 3 ft? Keep in mind I'm lake fishing. Thanks, Colton.
Do you do this with a simple running leger rig too? Also hooking through the fishes head like this does it not make it hard to strike the hook free?
Brilliant video, you are barking but I think you get your point over mate, ps love your Finch Farm shot too, so much so have started over there and thanks for your advice.
Hey lads!
You guy's are the best or should i say totally awesome! I'm going fishing on sunday with a bunch of lures in the river ouse, Any tips!
I watched all your pike fishing videos and fly fishing I do both types of fishing trout from march 15 th to early October then I do the pike fishing and its a pike fishing question I have for you whats your personal favourite way of pike fishing apart from spart and do u use paranoster rig much whats the best way u would say graham which rig like running ledger etc etc please let me no and I think your show is the best on utube bye far I loved the rainbow fly fishing with a 3/4 weight rod enyway tight lines and have a great season whatever type of fishing your doing graham take care ...
also, should i use a stiff or flexible quivertip?
16lb 6 oz pike, what did it weight when you took the weight of the net off?
We did zero the scales with the net so the Pike weighed 16lb 6oz
TAFishing
Very nice, I would have guessed bigger if I seen it myself.
I'm in Ireland, is this time of year good for pike or is it better to be snow and ice cold, I have only fished once for pike, I usually fish for trout. But its not their season so I'd like to go catch something else from perch and roach in the canal, they would give a great fight I hear in the winter, I only caught one tiny jack on a trout spinner, I was fishing for perch around 1-1.5lbs and got a 6 pound pike. Great fun on the light rod, that was in october so not too cold at all, I was wearing a tshirt.
I should have put a :p at the end of the last message I think.
***** This time of year can be great for big pike as they are fattening up ready for spawning. The same with Perch really. Anything too cold and they will probably come off the feed a bit but look for a mild spell and have a go!
tanks for the twitching video caught my first pike today after watching your rig tying video
my fish was between 10-12lb on a joey mack but will be back out on saturday twitching instead of watching reel to start pulling
great tip and keesp up the great work.....off to convert some sea floats to the bottom swivel type.. Sardines and Mack planned for baits :)
totaly awesome and gtrats to son on pb
good video...roll on the warmer weather
25.09 look at his face.....dont fall in dont fall in
What rod are you using guys? Going pike fishing Saturday for first time but only have a salmon spinning rod 15-40g
That should do. If its for Salmon it should be good enough for Pike.
great video thank you
Yeah that is really totally awesome ! I like your show.
I must ask you something... I cant afford some expensive reel, so im about to buy daiwa exceler-s. What is your opinion on that reel? Is it good for lure fishing for big chub and small pike/zander ?
Hey TAfishing, can you possibly send me a link where to buy the partridge vb pike hooks. Can't find anywhere in Ireland to buy them, thanks guys.
I can't find them any where either
www.partridge-of-redditch.co.uk/retailers_and_distributors/ireland
How would I fish the twitched sprat on a lake/marina 21ft to 35ft deep?
Sliding float, stop knot,maybe with the bait about 15/18 feet deep.Look up sliding floats and stop knots on your search engine.
OK thank you TA Fishing! You the best!
Graeme i normally spin for pike, any methods or certain lures to use? It would help me out a lot. Thank you.
Check out our Pike fishing on lures film. Should be some tips in there.
Thanks going to use it in Ross
Nice video! Can you please tell me what was the distance between hook and a float?
Does pike night fishing work?
Can you use sprats for this deadbait tactic?