Rigs for pike look intimidating in diagrams, but there are only four that cover almost every situation: a lure trace, a float rig, a paternoster and a running ledger. Each is a trace, a hook set-up and a way of presenting the bait. Get those three parts right and the rest is detail.
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Rules that apply to every pike rig
- A wire trace, always. The previous posts cover traces and main line.
- Barbless or crushed-barb hooks. They make unhooking quicker and kinder to the fish, and that’s what matters most when you’re handling a big pike on an unhooking mat.
- Check the fishery rules. Some waters specify hook types, hook sizes, or ban certain rigs or baits, so read the ticket.
- Keep it simple. A rig with too many parts has too many things to fail.
The lure rig
This is the easiest one. Your main line goes to a swivel or a clip, then to a wire trace of 25 to 30cm, then to a snap link and the lure. If you’re fishing a soft shad on a jig head, the hook is built in. On a hard lure, the trebles are fitted. The Fox Rage Strike Point Stingers add a rear hook to soft lures where fish are nipping the tail.
A twin-treble trace such as the Fox Rage Twin Treble Trace 52cm, 40lb can also be used for lure and bait fishing where the rules allow.
The float rig
A float rig is the most visible way to deadbait. The float cocks, the bait hangs in the swim and you watch the tip. If you want to know why it works so well, our post on float fishing for pike explains the idea.
The set-up: main line, then the float (sliding or fixed), a weight or stop knot above the trace, a swivel, and a wire trace with the hooks. For the float, a slider such as the PikePro Dumpy Slider or the Westin Pike Float Kit suits baits fished at distance, while the Fox Rage Predator Deadbait Pencil is designed to present baits over depth and lift on the bite.
Set the depth so the bait is within reach of the pike you want. In summer, that might mean just off the weed. In autumn and winter, it’s usually closer to the bottom.
The paternoster
A paternoster holds the bait off the bottom on a short side-arm while the weight sits below it. It’s popular on rivers and canals where bottom debris would hide a bait, and in weedy water where you need the bait just above the weed. The pike only has to open its mouth and take the bait.
For a ready-made option, the Fox Rage Predator Kwik Change Paternoster Trace gives you the trace and hooks in one pack. Keep the bait close to the weight arm so it can’t tangle on the cast.
The running ledger
A running ledger lets the pike pick up the bait and move off without feeling the weight. It’s the standard rig for fishing a deadbait on the bottom. Thread a lead or bomb on the main line above a swivel, stop it with a bead or knot, and tie the wire trace below. When a pike runs, the line slides through the lead, and the fish feels little resistance.
It’s best used with a bite alarm or a rod rest with a tension indicator, so you know when something happens. Pay attention to the distance. If the bait sits in a hollow, you’ll see line pull out as the pike moves.
Hooks and hooking
Treble hooks in sizes 6 to 10 are the usual choice on traces. Two trebles spread along a bait, one near the head and one towards the middle, hold a bait securely and spread the hooks across the mouth when the pike picks it up. Some fisheries specify what’s allowed, so ask or check. Many ready-made traces come with barbed hooks, so crush the barbs before you fish.
If you hook a pike deep, don’t pull. Use long forceps and cutters, and if the hook is out of reach, cut the trace as close to the hook as you can and release the fish. A fish that swallows a hook has a better chance after a clean cut than after a rough attempt to remove it. Our guide to unhooking and handling fish covers the process.
Where the rod comes in
Different rigs suit different rods. A running ledger on a 12ft deadbait rod is the traditional pairing, while a float rig suits a rod with a softer tip that’s less likely to pull the hook out. If you’ve read the rods and reels post, you’ll have the right balance in mind already.
Gear that fits this
Some options that match this approach, grouped by type.
Lures worth adding: Fox Rage Slick Shad 9cm and Blue Fox Vibrax Predator Kit.
Reels: Fox Rage Prism X Baitcast, Penn Battle IV 3000 and Daiwa Ninja 3000.
For rods, Fox Rage Warrior Jerk Rod, Fox Rage Prism X Lure and Shad and Daiwa Predator-D Pike Lure.
Gear that fits this
Gear that suits what this covers, by type.
Lures: BloodTeez Worm-Secret UV-7.5cm.
Questions anglers ask
What is the best rig for pike?
There isn’t one. A float rig suits fishing a bait off the bottom and watching it, a running ledger suits a bottom bait, and a paternoster suits weedy or debris-strewn swims. Lures need only a wire trace and clip.
What size hooks for pike?
Treble hooks in sizes 6 to 10 are common, with two hooks per deadbait. Check the fishery’s rules, because some specify hook types or sizes.
Do I need a bite alarm for pike?
Not for float fishing, where you watch the float. For ledgered baits, a bite alarm or indicator helps you see takes at distance or in poor light.
Rob Hadley grew up fishing the rivers and drains of the Norfolk Broads, and it was inevitable that pike would become his species of choice. He’s been targeting predators seriously for over 20 years – starting on dead baits, moving through live bait rigs, and eventually landing on lure fishing as his preferred method about eight years ago.
These days he fishes the Broads through winter, travels to Chew Valley Lake each spring for its outsized fish, and spends the warmer months working soft plastics on rivers across the East Midlands for perch and zander. He’s had pike to 31lb and perch to 3lb 9oz, and reckons both records are beatable on the right day with the right set-up.
At The River Bend, Rob writes the predator species guides, lure fishing technique articles, and most of the winter fishing content.
Covers: Pike, perch, zander, lure fishing, winter fishing, predator rigs