[Thegaff]

Im curious to see if any one uses pike for livies, yesterday I was catching a few so I decided to to put one of the smaller ones on the end of my jig head and not to long after that i pulled up a 30 cm cod. I do remember someone a wile ago saying they had a go using pike and they got smashed by something rather big.

So any one use them for livies?

 

[bunsen]

They're hard to keep alive, avoid handling them so their scales don't rub off. The only thing I've ever caught on a live pike was a massive squid. Oh, and nearly caught a sea eagle on one too.
Pike stink.

 

[Plasman]

Pike make good strip baits for bream.

 

[avayak]

They're hard to keep alive, avoid handling them so their scales don't rub off. The only thing I've ever caught on a live pike was a massive squid. Oh, and nearly caught a sea eagle on one too.
Pike stink.

Best to have your livie rod, rubber bands and needles all ready to go so as soon as you catch one put it out straight away. I had one out yesterday for a few hours and released it still alive. Kings will take them. I had one hit so hard it almost rolled the yak. An easy way to pick up a livie on the way out to your favourite mark. Hard to handle the stink first thing in the morning though.

 

[ArWeTherYet]

I find they stay alive for a couple of hours.
I run a stinger hook to the anal fin with a wire trace to catch Tailor here.

 

[Thegaff]

Ive never done much live baiting but I think im gona have to take a bit more of a look in to this whole thing.
Im glad to see that they prove to be good baits as there seemed to be a rather large amount of them at scarby yesterday.

 

[nanook]

Fished with a guide on a recent trip to the Goldie,we spent an our chasing pike on poppers over the weed beds then out to the Seaway where every drop of the pike resulted in a jewy, one at 75 one at 81 and the best going 87, also had a few yellowtail that were not touched,dropped a smallish tailor and he didnt even make the bottom .
Pike are now my sought after Jew bait!!!!

 

[intrepid]

hey nanook/anyone - how did you put them on the hook/s

was it a double snelled rig - mouth/dorsal?

or a single hook?

 

[imtheman]

yep kingys love em

 

[nanook]

single 5/0 through mouth ;-)

 

[Thegaff]

I went for back of the head, I might head out tomorrow arv after work to try it out again.

 

[avayak]

A rubber band through the eye socket takes the shock and keeps them alive for ages.
Heres a link courtesy of the Downrigger Shop.
http://www.downriggershop.com.au/how-to-rig-bait.html

 

[Thegaff]

A rubber band through the eye socket takes the shock and keeps them alive for ages.
Heres a link courtesy of the Downrigger Shop.
http://www.downriggershop.com.au/how-to-rig-bait.html

Will this method work for for fish other then pelagics say snapper and jew?
The needle is it just a sewing needle or is it something different?

I caught my biggest snpper on the sunnycoast with the head and shoulders of a pike, I think they have a smell that turns predators on.

They are starting to turn me on. :lol:

 

[SharkNett]

I rate live pike as highly as live squid for chasing kings (probably jews as well, but have yet to catch one). I think its just that they are a bit harder to keep alive so don't get used as much. have used quite a few over the years and most have been eaten before they died.
Bait rigging needles are bigger/stronger than sewing needles and have an open eye to you can unhook the loop once through the fish and put it over the hook a few times to hold in place. You can also cut a slot in one side of the eye of a large sewing needle.
I prefer to just put a non offset 5/0 to 8/0 hook in the mouth and out between the nostrils of the bait.
Rob

 

[Thegaff]

Ive been catching pike for years and just tossing them back in to the water...starting to kick my self now.