Monday Top 5 - Deadbaiting Tips

This entry was posted on 4th December, 2017

Something for all you predator boys and girls. Deadbaiting is undoubtedly a hugely successful method; however, it’s not just a case of whacking out a bait as far as you can and watching your float or waiting for your alarm. On certain days you need to have a few weapons in your armoury to tempt those predators to bite. I hope a few of these tips will help you get even more from your dead baiting...

Pop up A great tip for weedy water or when pike/zander are very active and not necessarily feeding solely on the bottom. Simply attach a poly ball or deadbait floater stick to your trace, and alter the length of your ledger link to you lead to raise your deadbait up from the bottom. This can also be done with float fishing, using the same system, with a heavy free running weight fished on the bottom.



Colouring in Use food colouring and add it to your baits before you freeze them. Your deadbaits will take on the colour and stand out even more. Use red or other coloured bait flags on your trebles to give the pike an extra dose of colour to attack. A deadly tactic when sink and draw fishing, or when fishing clear waters.

Suspense Fish your deadbaits well off the bottom with either a drifter float or a large inline pike bung. Your bait will then be blown by the wind and cover much more water, hopefully locating those predators and their hiding places, all without the need for you to move.



Twitch When ledgering or float fishing, predators such as pike can sit near a bait without taking. Simply by twitching the bait with a turn of the reel or a pull of your line, you can prompt a take. This is massively effective in really cold water conditions where predators are more dormant

Inject some life The use of a bait syringe loaded with pure salmon oil or other concoctions (your imagination is the only limitation) can really increase the “life” of your deadbaits and make them irresistible to Mr Pike or Mrs Zander.

Have a go at experimenting using these deadbait tips and I’m sure it will keep those bites coming throughout the season.