What set up for dead baiting?

[Frenchieboy]

I normally lure fish for pike and have never tried dead baiting for them. I don't have a problem with people who "dead bait" but up till now it has not really interested me. Having said that I am happy to give it a try as long as I don't have to spend a fortune on tackle as I fish on a very tight budget. I currently have 2 spinning rods and reels and was wondering if one of them would be suitable for dead baiting. It is an ICON 9ft rated to cast 20 to 60 grams. Would this be suitable for dead baiting with sprats or other small fish or should I think about putting a more "dedicated" rod on my Christmas/Wish List please and if so what size etc of rod should I look for?
Please bare in mind that I have said that I fish on a very tight budget!

[stubbojo]

spinning rods are for spinning not dead baiting , you would need a 10ft-12ft 3lb test rod , there are a lot of cheaper rods out there that would do the job
look at the second hand market if you dont want to by new ......surprising what you can pick up for 20..30 quid ....
i have sold all my older pike rods at the car booty ......you could have had mine .....for very little money too....
you sound like my mate ......he is a tight git.......

steve

[JoeNickel]

If you're float fishing in the margin, with a small bait (eg. sprat, sardine) then your rod will do for a few sessions until you work out whether it's for you or not. That rod is beefy enough to set hooks and land a fish with lure, so you can do that with a deadbait too.

But it's not ideal - especially casting. And if you want to deadbait regularly, you'll almost certainly want to buy a rod something like 11-12ft, and 2.75 - 3.5lb TC, depending on the venues you're fishing and the size of baits you want to use.

Reels - again, what you have is probably fine in the short term IF your line is beefy enough to straighten hooks if you snag up. Losing a lure is bad, but you don't want to snap off and leave a baited trace in the water. Mono ideally 20lb or braid 60lb.

Hopefully you already have large net, mat, long forceps/pliers, long cutters.

So all you'll need are a couple of floats (cheap white poly sea floats off eBay are fine), weights and some bait traces - suggest 20" minimum, 30lb+.

[Mike J]

I normally lure fish for pike and have never tried dead baiting for them. I don't have a problem with people who "dead bait" but up till now it has not really interested me. Having said that I am happy to give it a try as long as I don't have to spend a fortune on tackle as I fish on a very tight budget. I currently have 2 spinning rods and reels and was wondering if one of them would be suitable for dead baiting. It is an ICON 9ft rated to cast 20 to 60 grams. Would this be suitable for dead baiting with sprats or other small fish or should I think about putting a more "dedicated" rod on my Christmas/Wish List please and if so what size etc of rod should I look for?
Please bare in mind that I have said that I fish on a very tight budget!

Use the 60grammer, a 4/0 single hook, preferably a circle design, half a sardine hooked through the lips and a lump of plasticine or Blutack as a weight.
Don't clump about on your approach, just a short cast into the margins and sit well back. For indication lay the rod on the ground, bail arm open, gently ease the line until you feel the weight of the tac/plas, form a bow so the reel end of the line is at 90 degrees to the spool, into the bow stick a feather, twig or bit of kitchen foil. Sit well back and watch the line at the rod tip, if it goes slack the fish is moving towards you, if the feather falls over the fish is moving away.

I only fish with one rod and often fish like this, also caught 20's on similar rods to yours.

Its not rocket science whatever the shops and comics want to sell you.



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[Frenchieboy]

Thank you Mike! I was only planning on using a float set up with either a sadine or sprat. I wasn't planning on trying to send a mackerel out beyond the horizon. Reading through the replies I am however starting to look for a second hand rod with something around a 2.5lb test curve. Can I ask you to educate me by asking why you suggest a single hook rather than a treble rig please?

Edit: I should have said that the bait caster (Multiplier) reel that I would plan on using if I try dead bait fishing is filled with 40lb braid.

[Discus man]

Her you go pal plenty for you here viewtopic.php?f=12&t=36701&p=549668&hil ... te#p549668

[paintman]

I use an 8' Kodex AC-T Radar Lure 90gram for canal float fishing.
Originally bought as a cheapie to try out heavier jigs for zander on a big AW water but has become a bit of an all-rounder for lures incl boat use at sea for bass/mackerel etc.
I'm mobile on the canal bank & carry as little kit as is necessary.

Fixed spool with 66lb PowerPro braid - in the event of snagging a lure will usually get everything back.

Whole sprat, circle hook, no weight or large shot if required suspended under a Fishing Gazette type float or a sliding float.
Hadn't thought of using plasticine/blutac & I've got some of the heavy putty sold to carpers but it hadn't occurred to me to use that either so thank you Mike!

Hooked either through the jaws or eyesockets or a braid loop on the hook cable zipped through the skull. Same can be used through the back if you want the bait to present horizontally & a cable tie will push through the bait. Trim to length afterwards. Can also use loom bands (elastic band) but you will need a baiting needle.
Various youtube 'how tos' if you have a look.

Either cast & leave or I prefer to fish as a very very slow sink & draw with most takes coming after a draw as everything is settling again & the float just wanders off.

Prefer circles as I haven't yet had a deep hooked fish & the surgical kit has not been required.
Early days using them having previously used either a single or double treble rig but I'm happy with the results so far.

[stubbojo]

thought you was deadbaiting the ressie , if not a smaller rod 10ft will do you 2lb will also do you for perch., carp ,tench

[Frenchieboy]

Correct, I should have said! The ressie and maybe a few lakes like Daisy Nook.

[BreadflakeTFF]

Use the 60grammer, a 4/0 single hook, preferably a circle design, half a sardine hooked through the lips and a lump of plasticine or Blutack as a weight.
Don't clump about on your approach, just a short cast into the margins and sit well back. For indication lay the rod on the ground, bail arm open, gently ease the line until you feel the weight of the tac/plas, form a bow so the reel end of the line is at 90 degrees to the spool, into the bow stick a feather, twig or bit of kitchen foil. Sit well back and watch the line at the rod tip, if it goes slack the fish is moving towards you, if the feather falls over the fish is moving away.

I only fish with one rod and often fish like this, also caught 20's on similar rods to yours.

Its not rocket science whatever the shops and comics want to sell you.



.

Hello Mike,

I'm trying to picture the line and rod positioning in my head and I'm struggling, do you have the rod on a bank stick with the indicator on the line like a Carp angler would using a bobbin paired with their alarms? If so, I know what you mean, if the rods actually laid on the floor you've lost me

[Mike J]

My fishing is very simple, waterproof gear, single rod, net and bait bag, no rod rests, bite indicators or scales. I simply walk the banks and if I think a place looks interesting I drop a bait in.
The rod is laid on the ground, on its side or propped up on any suitable bankside vegetation. If there is enough wind or current to form a bow in the line I use that to indicate a take, if a float is essential I use a bit of stick with a slit in the end to hold the line, I also carry a few indicators in a pocket incase I cannot find anything suitable on hand.
My hooks are 4or5/0 circle hooks. Why a single, because its all you need, if the fish is the one your after it will have the bait well inside its mouth anyway (to quote Dick Walker).
My rod is a 2.5tc P2, I make my own traces which are 30+" long, line is 50lb braid, swivel is a Berkley bb, weights are what I can find eg; stones or a few SSG shot I carry in my pocket. I gave up carrying a bag after I fell in a flooded river because the bag slipped around my legs.

Roaming the banks hunting for fish appeals to my psyche, I also fish alone and if I can see someone they are to damn close.


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[Flipflopjoe]

Although mikes advice is sound, for starting off I’d go with a more user friendly bite indication set up, then adapt and strip away bits if you feel the need to once you have some experiance.
The 2 main methods are float ledger and straight ledger.

Float ledger requires no extra gear, you can set your depth and lay the rod on the ground or vegetation knowing when the float moves you have interest. Float lays flat or goes under, strike !
The float you use matters. Flowing water or windy conditions, in-line float. Normal still water you can use a standard pencil float.

Straight ledger, you need bank stick, alarms and drop offs or back biters. (I personally use Delks and fox drop offs).
This can be used on your baitrunners or with open bail arm. I go with the latter.
Alarm beeps, drop off drops off and the line is peeling off the spool. Don’t wait, wind to take up slack and strike!

Float ledger lends its self to being more mobile. Less gear to carry & set up so you can hop between swims.
Straight ledger, more of a faff to move so maybe if you know of a “hot spot” you want to fish in for a full day although you can strip back and get set up to be mobile using this method also.

Once you’ve sussed these, then you can experiment with float suspended baits, float paternosters, popped up baits etc, lead booms for weedy areas, different floats for live baits, drifting, add bits like uptraces where required etc.etc.etc

[paintman]

If you want to do a DIY low rod rest find a piece of stick with a 'Y' shape in it, trim as required & push into the ground.
When finished don't forget to remove & get rid as it can be a bit of a giveaway - more so in the days of worming for salmon.

If you don't know what one is the Fishing Gazette type float I mentioned has a slit cut in one side & hole through the middle. Line goes through the slit into the hole & is held in place by a peg pushed into the hole.
No need to take the rig apart to use & remove. Easy to make from a foam sea float or cork ball using a junior hacksaw blade.

[BreadflakeTFF]

My fishing is very simple, waterproof gear, single rod, net and bait bag, no rod rests, bite indicators or scales. I simply walk the banks and if I think a place looks interesting I drop a bait in.
The rod is laid on the ground, on its side or propped up on any suitable bankside vegetation. If there is enough wind or current to form a bow in the line I use that to indicate a take, if a float is essential I use a bit of stick with a slit in the end to hold the line, I also carry a few indicators in a pocket incase I cannot find anything suitable on hand.
My hooks are 4or5/0 circle hooks. Why a single, because its all you need, if the fish is the one your after it will have the bait well inside its mouth anyway (to quote Dick Walker).
My rod is a 2.5tc P2, I make my own traces which are 30+" long, line is 50lb braid, swivel is a Berkley bb, weights are what I can find eg; stones or a few SSG shot I carry in my pocket. I gave up carrying a bag after I fell in a flooded river because the bag slipped around my legs.

Roaming the banks hunting for fish appeals to my psyche, I also fish alone and if I can see someone they are to damn close.


.

I like it Mike, I try to fish as light and mobile as possible but when it comes to Piking I seem to take everything and the kitchen sink. I'll certainly be giving this a go

[Jawpiker]

Although mikes advice is sound, for starting off I’d go with a more user friendly bite indication set up, then adapt and strip away bits if you feel the need to once you have some experiance.
The 2 main methods are float ledger and straight ledger.

Float ledger requires no extra gear, you can set your depth and lay the rod on the ground or vegetation knowing when the float moves you have interest. Float lays flat or goes under, strike !
The float you use matters. Flowing water or windy conditions, in-line float. Normal still water you can use a standard pencil float.

Straight ledger, you need bank stick, alarms and drop offs or back biters. (I personally use Delks and fox drop offs).
This can be used on your baitrunners or with open bail arm. I go with the latter.
Alarm beeps, drop off drops off and the line is peeling off the spool. Don’t wait, wind to take up slack and strike!

Float ledger lends its self to being more mobile. Less gear to carry & set up so you can hop between swims.
Straight ledger, more of a faff to move so maybe if you know of a “hot spot” you want to fish in for a full day although you can strip back and get set up to be mobile using this method also.

Once you’ve sussed these, then you can experiment with float suspended baits, float paternosters, popped up baits etc, lead booms for weedy areas, different floats for live baits, drifting, add bits like uptraces where required etc.etc.etc

Brilliant advice