Singles for Pike

[Ian Sewter]

When I am using trebles in the bait I strike almost immediately I register a take. One club now specifies singles. As a pike grabs a bait across the baits flank and the single on a hair would be outside the mouth should I leave it longer to strike so the pike has turned the bait and the single would actually be inside the pike's mouth?

 

[Richard Isaacs]

Singles work fine. Use something big like a size 1.0 straight through the root of the tail and use a smaller bait.

 

[Ian Grant]

I'm not sure if you're talking a one hook trace or two hook trace with singles not trebles ! , but here's what I've been experimenting with, two singles, and so far I'm quite pleased ! over about 12 captures, I've had no losses, generally both hooks are in the Pikes mouth, but i do make my hooks fairly close together using the width of my open hand to gauge the separation, if you do get a flyer it's no problem if you use barbless, I use Sardines, and have been using singles for hooking in the tail root for years using barbed, but using barbless i was a bit concerned about loosing the bait on a heavy cast, so far so good, and I've never used bait elastic to secure the hooks. Personally i don't see why people have trouble casting Sardines ! now I'm not shy of unhooking pike, but this is so easy ! and I've taken to using Barbless for both hooks, i expect I'll get a drop off sooner or later, but as i say so far so good, I use for my traces ESOX super trace which is rubber coated much reducing wire kinking, and allows you to attach the hooks with a knotless knot, i use about 6mm of 0.75 silicon tubing to protect the knot, a bit of an over kill i expect but i do it with any other hook link i make. I hook the front treble at the top of the Sardines flank and make sure the hook goes under the sardines spine with at least the very tip of the point coming through the other side.