How to unhook a pike

Here's a video I made to help show how to unhook a pike.

Musky Mania Squirrely Burt

Long time readers will have heard me talk about the Squirrely Burt before. A favourite lure of mine after being put on it by Woody. I also know this lure to be a favourite for Neil too. It accounts for plenty of fish between us and for me personally I know it's bagged me hundreds and hundreds of fish over the years. However some people are totally unaware of its existence while others own the lure but struggle to catch anything with it.

The thing with Burts is that they are often a little random out of the box. They aren't perfect and sometimes you have to tinker with them. I recently covered this in an article where I explained how I re weight my Burts. That is the one thing you need to do, take a bit of time and set up your Burt to suit your water. Having a few Burts, in my case usually at least half a dozen, I can set them all up differently to help me tackle lots of situations. Now when you add this to different retrieve styles too you have a lure that can do so much. You just need to spend time setting it up and getting to know both the lure and your waters.

After writing that re-weighting article I got out and fished. First time out I did some instructional work, capturing it on video and then went and caught a nice low double pike within minutes. I was all set to make a nice video when somehow I managed to delete all the files. This meant I had to wait a few days before I could get out to do it all again. When I did get out I had an even better time with the fish so the video ended up being split, a tutorial and one just full of pike action and a surface Burt video as a bonus.

I believe that with the article I wrote before, and the videos I made I have pretty much covered everything with the Burts. Spend time reviewing this information and watching the videos and I'm sure your dust covered Burts will be catching you plenty if you give them the time in the water they deserve.


This first video is the tutorial. Use this, along with this article, to set up the Burts to suit, and then get out and practice with them.

This second video is all the proof you need to give you the confidence that they do work, especially after having a tinker.

Finally, the third video shows you another way to use the Burts to have some fun. Straight out of the box, these lures are often a great surface bait.

Re-weighting Squirrely Burts

A couple of new Burts have arrived, thanks to Lure Lounge for super quick delivery. Two shiny new Musky Mania Squirrelly Burts. All my others are a mess with so many teeth marks. A super lure that bags me so many fish. But the thing with Burts is, not all Burts are the same. There are un weighted and weighted versions. These two are weighted. However, you usually need to tinker so that you can set them up to suit. That part is the fun part and also the most useful when you are on the bank. Because you can have four or five Burts that do different things. Now these two Burts I have already tested, bagged one fish, lost two and had a load of interested from fussy pike (coming up and rolling but not taking....aaaargh! lol). 

Both these Burts are shallow and didn't go down too far, may be two to three feet but that was hard work. The aim of a Burt for most people is to set them up so the tail is in the air and the nose is pointing down. On the down stroke of your rod, this will push the lure down in the water and you can work it to the required depth. With multiple Burts you can then add more or less weight so they sink, suspend or float on the pause. You can then have them set up to work varying situations you will encounter. I also keep one of these weighted Burts as is, so that it just works that 2-3 foot depth and this lure is perfect for shallow bays. Also don't forget the surface Burt, a slow retrieve of a Burt on the surface is a killer!

My two new Burts I wanted to add some weight to help set them nose down, arse up. One way is to drill the lure and pop some weight in, but I'm not going to cover that as I'm too impatient and I'm also usually pretty crap at things like this so I'd end up ruining a Burt. So the way I do it, and others, is to stick a bit of lead on. Simple as that.

The first thing you need to do is get some lead. Cut it up in to small random pieces and then it's trial and error to get the lure to do what you want. An easy way I find is to just tape a bit of lead to the nose of your lure and pop it in some water, luckily for me I have a garden pond so testing is easy. When adding some weight, you need to remember to add a wire trace and also consider that you will be using epoxy to fix the lead in place too. These two Burts are now ready to test.

In the water, these two are perfect for what I want. Nose down, tail up and floating. On the down stroke they will dive deeper, tap again and they go down again. On the pause they will slowly float to the surface. For me this is perfect for 6-8 feet deep water that could be snaggy. You can get it down but also know it will come back up out of harms way. The photo below shows how they sit in the water.

Final step is to mix up a bit of epoxy and stick the lead to your lure, remembering which bit of lead goes with which lure. You can see in the photo below, that mine aren't a work of art or anything. I'm not too fussed for a square lump on the front, pike aren't fussed either. However if you are bit more patient you can take time to shape the lead and round off the corners and even paint it up so that when finished it isn't such an eye sore. That's time on the bank though to me so I don't bother.

Final tips for Burt owners. They come with big hooks and seriously strong split rings. Designed for 50lb Musky so they need to be tough. If you fish places with no snags, that's not a problem. However if you fish snaggy rivers like me, then those strong hooks and strong split rings will have you losing a lure. So change the hooks to something like Eagle Claw 3/0. These will bend out of snags a little easier. You can also switch the split rings for some that bend out at 30 or 40lb.

Check the tail. Some of them I have bought in the past have not been fixed in and it will fall out after a fish or two. Epoxy is good for setting them firmly in place. These two from Lure Lounge seem fine. One last check, look for holes around the hook eyes. For some reason they aren't always covered and you end up with a lure that sinks fast when it fills with water so use that epoxy to fill the hole. Again, these two are spot on.

That's it, your Burts are now super fish catching lures. I know a few people who don't always get on with them and can't catch a pike. I promise you if you follow this guide your Burt will catch pike. That downward stroke followed by a pause, however long or short you want, will trigger a fish at some point. 

Big lures for pike

I forgot to put a link on here for this video I made a week or so ago. Pretty much me just sitting and talking about why I use bigger lures for pike fishing. It's not going to teach any of the experienced lads anything, possibly a few things I do differently may be. But for the beginner, novice and casual angler looking to improve their piking it should have in plenty. It's a long video so be prepared for that but it will help a few people I'm certain.

Link to video

Video - Fox easy twist trace wire -ultra light trace making - PART 3

I've put blog posts up before to show how to make traces and they're actually quite popular, loads of people searching how to make a wire trace. So I decided to take it one step further and show you how to in a video. Nothing new to some of you but for others this is something you need to be doing. Saves you a fortune and you can build the traces to suit your needs. No more words needed, just watch the video.

A great example of poor tackle.

I hooked in to something which turned out to be about ten feet of line with a trace and spinner on the end. It came in easily and wasn't connected to a snag, or a fish even, so no ideas how the person lost so much line. When I took a closer look I realised it was a perfect example of something that is a million miles away from being anything suitable for pike. I can only guess that the person using this just simply didn't have a clue, so as with my guide I posted a week or two ago, the best thing I can do is share the knowledge in the hope that someone learns from it.

So here's what I found and it isn't the first time I have seen the same sort of set up.

So what is wrong? The top lure and trace is what I had on. This is a heavy set up, 100lb titanium trace and 80lb braid. The bottom spinner is obviously on a much lighter set up but this is not what I am trying to highlight. Firstly, those cheap green traces aren't the best, but even worse is the fact that this trace is about five inches long. This simply is not long enough and even a small pike can engulf that spinner and the whole length of trace. When it bites down or during the fight the 10lb mono will be bitten through easily. Compare with the lure I am using, which itself is nearly as long as the whole other rig. I often catch pike which swallow the lure I was using whole, so this should illustrate the fact that you need a long wire trace, at least 12 inches long and better if it is 15-18 inches.

The person using this obviously had the good intention to protect his gear from pike. However they simply did not realise how far down a pikes throat that spinner can end up. Lost tackle is bad enough but a dead pike too, that's just not right. So please, if you are using anything similar then throw it away and get something longer.

New to lure fishing? - the casual lure anglers guide

 The sun is out and the new river season is nearly upon us and so it is time for many an angler to get stuck in to the rivers, but also it is a time when many anglers turn to a spot of piking. I'm going to put up some information that every pike angler new to the sport needs to learn. Some will be helpful, some will be a must and some might tell you to pack in before you start since you are way off the mark. Pike fishing is a part of angling which needs a bit more knowledge, care and experience so that both angler and fish can go home safe. Anyone can catch a pike. Doing it right so that both fish and angler go home to live another day is the crucial part.



The tools

Another pike suffers at the hand of inexperience

The most important thing in pike fishing is correct gear. Without it, then don't even think about going fishing for pike. You need to spend a few quid first and get some decent tools. A pikes mouth is cavernous and a lure can end up elbow deep down the throat of a toothy monster (no exaggeration). Not the easiest of jobs for someone unprepared. If you can't get the hooks back out safely, then you are going to end up with a dead fish and it will happen lots of times up and down the country over the next four or five months and that simply isn't good enough given that today, we have enough information around for every angler to be doing it the right way. Yes we have enough information, but I'm going to put my bit up there so that it helps at least one angler and many, many fish.



You need big tools. No tiny disgorger for pike fishing,  just big tough tools. Get the best you can afford but don't scrimp. Buying a cheaper smaller version now will mean you spend more in later months when you realise you got it totally wrong.

Forceps can come in handy, but they are often not strong enough for larger treble hooks. I do suggest a pair of extra long forceps for smaller lures and trebles and also just in case they may be of use for anything else (there's many a time when you end up in a pickle!). Instead I prefer a set of long nosed pliers, 12 inches at least. They are much stronger and will help get out the bigger hooks. I do also carry a small pair of pliers in my pocket for simple unhooking jobs. Lastly a large set of side cutters are needed for those rare occasions when you can't quite get a hook out. By simply cutting a treble you can free a badly hooked fish and what might be a long complicated job turns in to a simple one. Remember the fish comes first!

I also carry around with me a pair of scissors for cutting my line and also for cutting up any line I find on my travels. (Why do people still leave yards and yards of the stuff on the bank?) You could also bring along a pair of split ring pliers for sorting your lures, though I tend to not bother and sort hooks, split rings and damaged lures at home. Time on the bank is for fishing not faffing!


The fish welfare kit
Of course the tools are a big part of fish welfare, but after that the important things to have are a good sized knotless landing net, 30 inches or more. I see too many people pike fishing with tiny landing nets which are no good at all, you need a big net for a big fish! When you get that giant on the end of the line a large net to scoop up your dream fish is what's needed. When you have the fish in the net compose yourself. Have a breath or two, let the fish have a breath or two and check your surroundings. Lift the net out of the water by scrunching up the net and lifting (do not lift by using the landing net handle as it will snap!). The pike will be safe in the net should it thrash around and won't be dropped from height on to it's head.

How to photo your prize capture

A must for pike (and most other fish) is an unhooking mat. Fish don't do well laid on concrete or stones. When they thrash around they cut up and also any course ground will wipe away the protective slime they have, leaving them vulnerable to disease. There's a massive selection of mats available thanks to carp fishing. Choose one to suit your needs but keep in mind a pike is a long fish, often 30 inches and more if you are lucky. When you have the pike in the net, lift it on to the unhooking mat which should already be wet. This will help protect the fish and not wipe away the slime. A dry mat would remove a massive amount of slime. Once your pike is on the mat then it's time to look out for those hooks and get them out of the way while you can.

Please note - I will not be telling you how to unhook a pike. If you are not confident then may I suggest you go out with someone who is, such as someone from your local PAC region who will be happy to help. Joining the PAC and attending teach in days and events will gain you a wealth of knowledge no blog entry can give you. Having a look at the task first hand and even being shown up close is the only way to start handling pike correctly. Again, your safety and that of the fish is important.

EDIT - I made a video to show how to unhook a pike

Do not use a boga grip for pike (or any other fish). If you are scared to handle a pike then do not fish for them. Here is a picture showing the damage a boga grip can cause to a pike which I am sure you will agree is not good at all.

The tackle
So you've spent a small fortune and not even got a line wet yet. Get over it, fishing costs a fortune. Seriously, please make sure you have the essentials before even digging out your old pike gear. But now we're on to it, here's the guide to rods, reels and what line to use. Not all answer are provided and this is only to try and give you an idea on things and why we make our choices. You will find that many pike anglers have multiple set ups and each person has their own preferences so what I will do is try to explain how each person comes up with his or her own solution.

Budget is key to deciding what tackle you'll have and how many set ups you will have, but nowadays you can pick up a decent rod and reel for £30-50 each. You don't have to spend more than that at all on a rod or reel. Some folk will most certainly spend more but even they will tell you they do it more for their own pleasure than for necessity.

Rod choice - Think about what venues you will be fishing. Think about the sizes of lures you expect to be throwing. Think about if you will just target pike or you might target perch, zander, chub or even trout too. Now you've just confused yourself even more, but don't worry even the serious lure freaks get ourselves in knots thinking about the right set up.

If you go have a look at a few lure rods you'll see that not only do they come in a few lengths they also have a few casting ratings. Rod length is up to you. Often when chucking larger lures a long rod is preferred where as chucking tiny lures in small streams a short rod is required. However those rules are not strict and it is in the end down to personnel preference. Casting weights is important. A small spinner and a large 35cm rubber lure are massively different and you would use two set ups. So if you will be throwing small spinners and small lures then you might be looking at casting weights of 2g-20g (2cm to 5cm approx). Standard sized pike lures might be 15-50g (3cm - 16cm approx) and large lures might be 50g-200g (15cm-35cm approx). That split of lures and brief guide is very basic and only to try to show how you might split lures, and rod set ups though once you get in to it serious you will have a different set up totally to that of your buddy due to how you fish. The idea is to pick a range of lure sizes and weights and get a rod to suit. A 2-12g casting weight rod won't cast a large 35cm bulldawg lure and a heavy 100g plus weighted casting rod won't cast a 2g spinner so have a look and a think before jumping in to buy a lure rod.

Other things to consider with a rod are line size. Kind of similar to the casting weights, a small rod isn't suited to heavy line and a large rod isn't suited to light line. You might also think about what reel you would be using. Most "casual" lure anglers use a standard fixed spool reel and so you would buy a rod to suit this. More serious lure anglers often choose a multiplier rod and reel set up.

For reel choice, again it is a size thing. You want to match a reel to the rod as per size, what line it will be carrying and how much. Retrieve speeds, gear ratios and lots of other complicated things can be considered. However, just try to match by size and you will be on the right track at least.

Once you have a rod and reel sorted then get it loaded up with line. Most lure anglers prefer to use braided line because you get so much more feel than the stretchy mono line. Honestly, you do and you can tell the difference between the lure banging the river bed and a small 4 inch perch nipping away at your lure. Line breaking strain is important. You want to have a bit of strength, especially in summer, so that you can get a pike out quickly rather than having to play it for half an hour on 6lb line. An exhausted pike is a dead pike. But another reason you want to have strong braid is because it will help you get your lure back from those snags. When you go look for some braid you'll often see it priced around £12-£15 for 150 yards. You may turn your nose up and turn to a cheaper mono but it will cost you much more in lost lures. The breaking strain of the braid wants to be a match for your set up. If you have a light rod, small reel and small lures then those lures will have small treble hooks with a thin gauge which can be bent out easier than a 12inch lure with massive treble hooks. Generally, you  are looking at something like 15-20lb braid for a light set up, 30-40lb for a medium and 50-80lb for a heavy set up. Don't think the same way you would when fishing on the pole, fishing for silvers or even bream, tench and chub where you might scale down to catch finicky fish. We're not using 80lb braid to get the pike in, we're doing it to get back our £20 lures. Another thing to think of with your choice of braid breaking strain is casting distance. Lighter will cast better than heavy, but you'll lose lures to snags with light braid. But with that in mind, don't have 10lb braid and a 100g lure as you will watch the lure disappear in to the distance on the first cast. The final decision must be down to you but keep in mind it needs to be a strong line as you also must not be snapped off by a pike as this could/most probably would result in a dead fish.

Wait, don't go fishing just yet. There's one really important thing you need before you are all set to fish. One important thing that many casual anglers often do not use. A wire trace is an absolute must when fishing for pike. A pikes teeth are very, very sharp and can cut straight through even strong line. A wire trace will prevent this, will prevent a dream fish being lost and prevent the dream fish dying later. Pike are not bothered in the slightest about a wire trace so don't let that put you off. You are not carp fishing, where a bait presented with the tinniest man made object visible will never be picked up by a carp. When lure fishing, the pike does not see the trace, it is too busy focussed on the flashing, vibrating, noisy, fast moving, slow moving easy picking you are presenting. Please try to stay clear of some of the cheap £1 wire traces from the tackle shops. They don't last long for a start and also aren't always the best made. There are plenty of on-line tackle dealers who can offer better options. Try here, or try here and for your heavy lure traces try here. You might notice one massive difference in a few of the traces and that is price. The ones at a couple of quid are made from thin wire which will eventually kink. Sometimes after twenty pike sometimes after one. A kinked trace has potential to break at a much weaker rating. The more expensive traces are made from titanium wire and are fantastic. They just don't kink at all and will last you a very long time. so if you can, go for a titanium trace or two or at least save up for them on your next purchase of pike gear if you opt for the cheaper ones to start with. A final note on the traces, match the trace to your line breaking strain. If you have 30lb line and an 80lb trace then you are going to lose an expensive trace (and lure) if you get snagged up. So for a light set up go for a cheaper trace, but match the breaking strain still, at least there or there about. You would opt for the titanium 80lb/100lb traces to go with your 80lb braid to hold on to your £20 lure that weighs 100g. 

Since writing this article I have since found a perfect example of a poor wire trace. Click here to read more.

bottom trace is far too short

Lures.
 
Where do you start? Everyone has their own favourites, everyone has a lure that catches fish. The truth is, in my opinion, that pretty much every lure will catch you a pike if you use it enough, if you use it where pike are and if you use it when a pike wants to eat something. Again, there's a size issue to think about. From tiny lures to huge lumps. You want to choose the lures to suit your set up, matching the size of lures to your casting rated rod. There's absolutely loads of on-line retailers and plenty of lure manufacturers such as Rapala, Salmo, Savage Gear, Daiwa, Abu and even home made lures from various people such as Mark Houghton and Matt Holmes and many more. So go check them out and have a browse and see which lure catches you!

Here is a selection of lures I use, just to try and give you an idea of what to look out for.

Tiny lures

Use with a light set up. 1000-2000 sized reel, 15-20lb line and a rod with casting weights 1-15g ideally. 15-20lb wire trace. Suitable for pike, perch, chub and trout. 

Lure IDs- (Left column from top) Rapala Shad rap 8cm, Mark Hughton crank 'n' shad, Savage Gear soft 4play 9cm, Silver Mepps Aglia size 3, (right column from top) Rapala jointed shad rap 6cm, Salmo, kopyto relax shad with 7g jig head, Mepps Aglia copper size 3.

Medium lures

Use with medium set up. 2000-3000 sized reel, 30-50lb line and rod casting weights of 10-40g. 30-50lb wire trace, possible titanium trace if matched to line. Suitable for pike but can pick up perch and chub too as a bonus. 

Lure IDs - (left column from top) Savage Gear real eel 20cm, Savage gear lip lure 13cm, Abu Jointed tormentor, Spro bronze eye frog,  (bottom) Ace hell tail, (right column from top) Savage Gear cannibal shad, Savage gear soft 4play 13cm with lipskull.

Large lures

Use with a heavy set up. Ideally a multiplier rod and reel combo is better in the opinion of most however a fixed spool set up is still usable. Minimum 50lb line but ideally 80lb to stand a chance of getting lures back. 80-100lb titanium wire trace. 

Lure IDs - (left column from top) Savage Gear real eel 30cm. Savage gear lip lure 19cm, Jointed depth raider, (right column from top) Salmo slider, Musky Mania Squirrely burt, Matt Holmes Jerk bait, Savage Gear soft 4play 19cm.

Below is a video I made with more about using big lures for pike. It's pretty long but worth a watch if you are new to lure fishing for pike and want to target them seriously.

Link to video

There's absolutely loads to have a look at there and absolutely all of it are a must (except lure choices that's up to you and part of the fun). Whether you are a serious or casual lure angler you still have to think about your safety and that of the fish. There are far too many people who are going after pike with just 6lb mono and a spinner tied straight to it. This simply is not good enough. If this is you and you simply did not realise, we all make mistakes but learning from them is key. If you have read all this and still wish to carry on with a poor set up, incorrect tools and the rest then you really should reconsider what you do with your spare time. Our fish are precious and we all need to do our bit to look after them the best way we can.

Care about your fishing?
And on that note, if you seriously do wish to look after the future of our fishing then why not consider joining the Angling Trust who are our voice and our action group in fishing. They are the people who are working to protect our fish and our fishing.


If you are passionate about pike, then go have a look at, and join up to the Pike Anglers Club of Great Britain. Helping to promote pike welfare and the voice of pike anglers, they also have a vast wealth of pike fishing knowledge among their ranks and for anyone who wants to get in to pike fishing they are a must.

Thanks for reading and thanks for taking any of the advice if you didn't already know about it. Feel free to ask questions and I'll do my best to answer them or point you at someone who can If I don't know the answer.If you're an experienced piker and see a mistake or want to add something then point it out to me, I will be more than happy of the help.

Fox easy twist trace wire - trace making PART 2

Watch the video for a better understanding of how to make a wire trace using Fox easy twist wire.

I was meant to do this some time ago but it slipped my mind. I previously chucked up a quick post to show you how to make wire traces, using Fox easy twist wire and crimps. However you can also make traces without the crimps. It's not called "easy twist" for no reason. Instead of a crimp you can use a twiddling stick to twist the wire. You can pick up a twiddling stick from Lumby here by the way.

So first job, get your gear sorted. Choose a suitable strength wire first to suit your liking. I'm using 30lb but I also know it comes in 20lb too if you prefer. Other makes might have heavier or lighter breaking strains also. Choose a suitable strong swivel according to size and choose your clip to your preference. Plenty of examples can be bought from Lumby and elsewhere, try a few out as each has their own benefits and you might like a different clip to the stay lok clip I'm using.

Make a loop in the wire and thread it through the eye of the swivel. Push the swivel back through the loop and pull tight. Try to keep this neat and tight for better presentation and finish.

Hook the twiddling stick into the eye of the swivel. While holding the wire tight, and the tail end of the wire out to virtually at right angle, begin to twist the twiddling stick. By keeping both the tail and main wire tight you will get a better, tighter finish.

Once you have made a start and now have a shorter tail it is time to think about finishing the job off. If you keep twiddling at this point, the tail becomes stiff to twist and will become frayed and won't be neat. However, by simply heating the last 1-2cm of wire under a flame (lighter) it will soften the wire enabling you to make a better finish and help prevent fraying, which is untidy and also will pick up more weed and debris. Keep twisting until the last bit of tail is nice and neat. Repeat for the clip at the other end and you are done. Your trace needs to be 12 inch minimum in length. If you catch jacks hooked in the scissors you will never have a problem but if you do drop on a big pike that hammers the lure right down it's throat your 18 inch trace will give you the protection you need to land a pb. Final job before your trace is finished is to test it. Get a small screw driver or something to help you get a grip on each end and then give it a good old tug. Keep in mind if you have 15lb wire you could snap it easily. Your trace and the twists won't budge but it is always good to give it a yank to make sure clips, swivels and your wire is strong. That's another tip to help you land that pb fish.

It really is as easy as that to make your own wire traces. I use these kind of traces for my light lure fishing and also as a back up for when perch fishing but know there are also pike around. The wire is not as tough as my titanium jerk bait traces, but these will do a good job. They are cheap to make and after a dozen or so pike they have done their fair share of work and often need to be scrapped. Bent and curled up wire is ok to use so long as your presentation isn't effected, but if you see a kink in that trace it's time to bin it and tie on a new one. Pike can make a mess of traces but all you have to do is cut your swivel and clip off and then make another fresh trace up, all you have lost is a few feet of wire. Knock up half a dozen of these and you'll be set for some time and it won't take you long at all.

PART 1 HERE

Fox easy twist trace wire - trace making PART 1

It's the worst thing you can do. Go in to a tackle shop when you didn't even need anything. Luckily I spent just less than fifty quid on crap I probably will never use. One thing I did buy though is some more trace making material. I always have a few of those cheap and nasty, one pound odd costing, ready made lure/spinning traces in my bag. It's good to have a variety of stuff and every now and again I do use these. They're not the best and won't stand up to the constant biting from the pike, but for a few fish at least they're not too bad and will get you out of a pickle. They're cheap enough to chuck away if they get too kinked up.

I wanted to make some lighter traces myself and also have the ability to quickly knock up one or two while on the bank so while in the tackle shop I grabbed some Fox easy twist wire and some extra crimps (you get about ten in the pack of wire). Today the river was slightly up, very coloured and full of debris, typically not the best conditions I've found to fish this bit of water. So I set about making some traces for when I'm chasing the perch or using smaller lures. Sometimes the tough, stiff titanium is just too tough and stiff for the lures to work correctly and a softer material is needed and 100 Ti traces aren't quite right for sticking a tiny Mepps spinner on!

It's pretty easy to make traces and will work out much much cheaper than buying ready made ones all the time. This Fox wire will cost you about £7.50 for a 25m role at 30lb breaking strain. Add to that £3 for some more crimps and you can knock up plenty of traces. I already had some swivels and clips at home in my little box of tricks that I'm slowly filling up with things I'll need on the bank. I noted that I needed some more clips of varying types so will have a scan of the web later. As I set about knocking a few up and then found I'd got something missing. Nothing too important, but you can make the job a bit tidier if you have some shrink tubing to cover your crimps and help prevent them catching and picking up weed. Of well, fifty knicker spent and still didn't get everything I needed.

I know many anglers will already make up their own traces, will have done so a million times more than me and will also have found better alternatives and combinations of tackle to use. So for you don't bother reading any further as you'll lose about three minutes of your life you'll not get back. But for those who have never done so or have no idea about making traces then here's a quick tutorial of what I did.

• Slide a crimp on to the wire.
• Slide a swivel or clip on to the the wire. EDIT - The clips in these pictures are rubbish, do not use, especially for pike fishing.
• Loop the wire back around and back through the clip (fig 1). Leave a bit of a loop so it is easy to manage in the next steps.

Fig 1

Fig 2

• Next, thread the wire back through the crimp one more time. Push the wire back until it just pokes out of the crimp.You now should have a bit of a figure of eight with your wire. (Fig 2)
• We now need to get rid of the loops and tighten up. The first one to get rid of is the bottom one in Fig 2. By pulling on the wire on the top loop, the bottom loop will close up. Pull the wire so the loop is gone but make sure not to pull the wire back through the crimp by pulling too hard.
• You'll now be looking something like Fig 3 below with the bottom loop gone and the top loop probably a lot bigger than before.
• Simply pull on the main length of wire to make the loop at the top smaller leaving just enough room for the swivel or clip to move around freely. (Fig 4)
• Using a decent set of crimping tools (not pliers) apply pressure to the crimp once you're happy with the tidiness and the size of the loop. Not too much pressure and not too little. If there is signs of damage to the crimp or wire then start again otherwise you risk losing a fish.
• Finally, and very importantly, test your trace! If it fails, it's your fault and you'll blame yourself for losing that biggie. Get a couple of small screw drivers or something and place them through the swivel and clip and simply stretch the trace to test your crimping. Don't forget if you are using lighter wire that you can easily break it so apply just enough force. When using heavier wire you might actually break a clip or swivel. You could use an old set of scales to give yourself an idea of how much force your trace is taking. Take note though, if that wire snaps you don't end up punching someone or stabbing yourself with the screwdriver. Use a bit of common sense (common sense not so common these days it seems).
  
  
  
  

  

  Fig 3

  

  Fig 4

  
  It's as simple as that, swivel at one end, clip of choice at the other and crimp them both securely in place. Make a loop with the wire through the crimp then back through one more time, tightening up the loops and then crimping up. You can add some heat shrink tubing to make the crimps and wires tidier and you can mix and match swivels and clips to suit plus you can make decent length traces too, because don't forget those big pike have big mouths. The best bit about this is that you can knock these up quickly and can do them on the bank when needed in no time. Here's another tip, if you want to be able to make traces up on the bank don't forget to take some terminal tackle with you, possibly in a small box or plastic zip lock bag. Plus the most important bit of kit, the crimping tool.
  
  You have a choice, make the traces at home and leave the gear at home only to find that when you are on the bank you need the tools and tackle or cart it all around with you and never ever use it! Whichever you choose will be wrong no doubt. Another final tip. Crimp a swivel to your roll of easy twist wire. It'll save time the next time you come to make a trace and it'll save you losing the end of the wire in the roll.

PART 2 HERE - No crimps needed!