The pike rig
A pike rig is built around a trace, wire or 0.50 to 0.90 mm heavy fluorocarbon, because pike teeth cut through a normal leader. Below the trace you fish either a big soft shad on a jighead, or a roach under a float. Both work from the bank and from a boat. The trace is the one non-negotiable.
| Lure version | Spec |
|---|---|
| Main line | Braid, PE 0.8 (≈0.14 mm, ≈12–16 lb) |
| Swivel | A larger swivel, to take the trace |
| Trace | A wire trace, or 0.50–0.90 mm heavy fluorocarbon |
| Lure head | 15 g+ jighead, or a weighted single hook |
| Stinger | A light stinger hook for short bites |
| Lure | Big soft shad 15–30 cm, natural and flashy |
| Bait version | Spec |
|---|---|
| Main line | Braid, PE 0.8 (≈0.14 mm, ≈12–16 lb) |
| Bobber stopper | A bought rubber stopper (no knot) |
| Bead | One small bead below the stopper |
| Float | One float sized for the bait |
| Swivel | A larger swivel, to take the trace |
| Trace | A wire trace, or 0.50–0.90 mm heavy fluorocarbon |
| Hook | A single hook for the bait |
| Bait | A roach, live or dead |
What it's for
Pike, from the bank and from a boat. Pike are present all round the banks here and the big ones go out over the deep water mid-lake, so you can fish for them from the fishing pontoons, the river mouths and the harbour walls, or take a boat to the plateaus and drop-off edges. May and June they sit shallow at 3 to 5 m; through summer they drop to 6 to 15 m; from November they are best on livebait.
Why a trace, always
The rig at a glance
Two versions on one rig. The lure version: main line (braid, PE 0.8) to a swivel (Palomar), then the trace, then a big soft shad (15 to 30 cm) on a 15 g+ jighead or weighted single hook, with a light stinger for short bites. The bait version: main line to a bobber stopper, bead, float, swivel, then the trace, and a single hook with a roach as livebait or deadbait. In both, the trace is the thing that protects against pike teeth.
How to build it
- Tie the braid main line to a larger swivel with a Palomar knot. On the bait rig, slide the bobber stopper, bead and float onto the main line first, then tie the swivel below them.
- Join the trace, wire or 0.50 to 0.90 mm heavy fluorocarbon, to the bottom of the swivel with a Palomar knot. This is the non-negotiable bit: it sits between the pike's teeth and your main line. A wire trace often comes ready-made with a clip.
- For the lure rig, fix the big soft shad (15 to 30 cm) on a 15 g+ jighead to the end of the trace, and add a light stinger. For the bait rig, tie a single hook to the end of the trace and hook on a roach, live or dead.
How to fish it
For lures, cast the big shad out and work it back with a steady roll and the odd pause, or jig it down the drop-offs from a boat; add a stinger because pike often nip short. Fish 3 to 5 m in May and June near the banks, then deeper, 6 to 15 m, through summer. For the bait rig, set the float so the roach sits in the pike's layer, cast it out gently, and watch the float. From November to the close in January, livebait out-fishes lures.
Where this rig works
Right now this rig is fished on one water: Lac du Bourget, in France, for pike from the bank and from a boat. As the atlas grows, every new water that uses it will link to this same page.
Pike rig questions
You need a trace, and it can be wire or heavy fluorocarbon of 0.50 to 0.90 mm. Pike teeth cut straight through a normal 0.22 mm leader, which loses the fish and leaves a hook in it. The trace is the one thing you never leave off a pike rig, on lures or on bait.
Both share the same trace and swivel. The lure rig ends in a big soft shad of 15 to 30 cm on a jighead with a stinger. The bait rig adds a bobber stopper, bead and float above the swivel, and ends in a single hook with a roach, live or dead. Lures suit active fish, bait the rest.
A big soft shad, 15 to 30 cm, on a 15 g or heavier jighead or weighted single hook, with a light stinger for short bites. Alternate natural and flashy colours through the session until one gets hit. Crankbaits, lipless lures and swimbaits fish off the same trace too.
A Palomar knot ties the swivel and the trace, so one knot builds the rig. A ready-made wire trace may clip on instead of being tied. If you want more movement in a lure, tie it to the trace with a non-slip loop knot instead of a fixed knot.