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PIKE BAITS

There are three types of bait which are used regularly for pike fishing; livebaits, deadbaits and lures. All can be successful in the right place and on the right day!

LIVEBAITS
A live fish is the natural food of pike so it makes sense that it will also make a good bait.  Any small fish will catch pike.  We recommend fish under 8" (20 cm) in length to preserve fish stocks and to make presentation of the bait and hooking the pike easier. Some fisheries might not allow livebaiting in order to preserve their fish stocks. Livebaits must only be used on the water they have been caught from so you must always be aware of the fishery byelaws which you can find out more about here.

DEADBAITS
Since the late 1950s pike anglers have been using dead fish as bait, but they should not be looked on as an alternative to livebaits, rather as another method altogether. Some fisheries seem to respond better to livebait than they do to deadbaits (and vice versa) - so keep your options open.

Pike sometimes show a preference for particular deadbaits so it pays to use a selection of sea and freshwater fish. Freshwater fish can be used as bait, either freshly caught or frozen, and sea fish also catch pike. Large deadbaits can be cut in two and both the head and tail ends used as bait.


Mackerel

Roach

Herring

Smelt

Sardine

Roach, trout and eel are two popular freshwater baits, while sprats, mackerel and herrings have also caught plenty of pike, as have migratory fish like smelt and lamprey. But anything is worth a try!

LURES
Artificial lures can be used to catch pike in many situations and come in an amazing array of types, sizes and colours. Again they are not an alternative to natural baits, but an extra string to the pike angler's bow.

Always check the fishery rules before fishing to ensure that the baits you intend to use are allowed.

You can find out more about how to fish all sorts of baits and lures in the Fishing Tips section and the Article Archive.

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