Pike Deadbait Paternoster

What you need

• Pike float — sliding or fixed, 10–20 g depending on bait and conditions.
• Float stop / bead / bead-and-swivel setup for a sliding float.
• Strong main line, 15–20 lb mono or 30–50 lb braid.
• 20 lb+ wire trace, 18–24 inches long, with two semi-barbed trebles (size 6 or 8).
• Running lead — a barrel or in-line bomb of 1–2 oz.
• Bait clip and treble baiting needle.

Tying it

1. Thread the float onto the main line. For a sliding float, add a stop knot above the depth you want to fish — set so the bait hovers 6–12 inches above the bottom.
2. Thread a bead, then the running lead, then a second bead. The lead must slide freely against a hard stop at the bottom.
3. Tie a strong swivel to the end of the main line — this is the hard stop the lead sits against and the attachment point for the trace.
4. Clip the wire trace to the swivel. The two trebles on the trace are positioned 2–3 inches apart; the lead treble (closest to the swivel) pins through the bait's flank, the top treble pins through the wrist of the tail.
5. Hook the bait so it hangs naturally head-down — pike eat their prey head-first, so a head-down presentation reduces deep-hooked fish on the strike.

Tuning

Always use barbless or semi-barbed trebles — debarb with pliers if you only have barbed ones. Long-handled forceps and a 30 cm pair of side cutters live in the unhooking kit; never go pike fishing without them.

When it shines

Cold-water pike from October through to mid-March on stillwaters and slow rivers. The paternoster keeps the bait pinned just off bottom in the strike zone for cruising fish, while the running lead means a taking pike feels no resistance and runs cleanly.

Baits

• Smelt — oily, smelly, hugely effective. Half a smelt on a smaller trace works well in cold water.
• Mackerel tail/head — robust, stays on the hooks well, releases scent slowly.
• Sardine — soft, oily, doesn't last long in the water but pulls fish fast.
• Joey mackerel or herring — whole baits for big-fish waters.

Striking a run

• The float lifts, lays flat, slides off across the surface — this is the take. Don't strike immediately.
• Engage the reel, wind down to feel the fish, point the rod at the line, then strike upwards firmly. By this point the pike has the bait crossways in its mouth and is about to turn it head-first to swallow — a quick wind-down strike catches them in the scissors of the jaw, not deep.
• If in doubt, strike sooner. Deep-hooked pike die. A missed run is fine; a deep-hooked fish is a tragedy.

Unhooking

Always over a wet unhooking mat. Hold the fish flat, slide one hand under the gill cover, and use long forceps to back the hooks out. If a hook is deep, cut the trace at the hook — never go in past the throat. A small pair of side cutters on the boat/bank kit means you can crop a hook shank if needed and back the rest out.