Big river Pike fishing : Search for a river monster

[@danielheenan2112]

I've been watching your vids for a few years now mate and absolutely love your honesty, you have given singles a damn good shot and you've caught some amazing fish on them, but like you have previously said its probably better using a mixture of hooks dependent on bait size location etc.. keep going mate! Look forward to the next vid 😀

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

Thank you, really appreciate you watching and taking the time to comment

[@ryandoherty6174]

Your honesty and reflection of the tactics are helping myself and others on the bank! You could film landed fish only and let us find out difficulties the hard way, best way of learning of course! But I'll take the advice early! Onwards and up Mark. Keep up the great videos, I learn something new with each one, thank you!

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

Thank you, we've always got to keep learning or we stand still

[@petermason4228]

Mark I gave up on the circle hooks as pike are so hard to come by in the fens near me that u can't afford to miss any runs 😮 I do admire you sticking with it for so long ! Tight lines !

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

It's been a long enough trail and there are some benefits with the smaller baits so a mixture of the two going forward

[@carpypete]

Hi Mark, how about split the difference? Try something like the Vic Bellars doubles, or Partridge Ryder hooks, and twist the bait holder hook out, like the VB hooks. I've come to the same conclusion, circle hooks are great with small baits on the paternoster, but big deadbaits are size 4 or 6 trebles. Keep at it mate. There's a beast out there with your name on it!

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

Yeah been looking at all those options this week,trip to the tackle shop beckons

[@markpoyser4075]

Great video Mark. Love your honesty. Since watching your videos, I have changed my tactics. Small suspended baits I fish on a large single (not circle) and larger sea baits I have stuck with a treble, but only one which I hook into the head of the bait. The thinking is that the Pike swallow head first, so a decent chance of it being in the pikes mouth. I had that 15 that I put up on your FB page with a single treble in the mouth of a 7 inch mackerel. The other thing I’m going to try is single treble half way up the body of the bait and then bind the trace to the tail with an elastic band or something.

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

keep experimenting Mark if we are not learning we are standing still

[@Pikehunter62]

Mark i watch all your vids and also use circle everybody to their own choice, keep going best of luck

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

I will just be more adaptive to each session and use more variety in my hook/rig choices

[@LynEdwards-tk2fs]

unlucky mark one of them days big decision to make, but which ever way you go mark i am sure you will still carry on catching pike and making good videos its been good to see both sides of using circle and treble hooks, cheers bud stay safe

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

Cheers mate, a mix of the two going forward I think. singles for the small baits and trebles for the big sea deads 👍🎣

[@grahamrobinson6455]

Unlucky Mark though day mate. I did try circle hooks a after watching some of your videos but lost fish did not take long to go back to treble hooks. No shame in going back to the old and trusted way lol. Try mixing it up stay with your single hook for your paternoster rigs, a treble and single hook for midium size baits, two trebles for large baits. Its a bit like footy for over a hundred years we never needed VAR and i personally would get rid of it tomorrow lol. 😂. Like you say we don't get many chances to get on the bank because of work and just lately the weather and family commitments . keep the videos coming mate tight lines .......

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

you're spot on! I'll be going singles on the small baits and trebles on the big baits

[@simondearden286]

Tough day mate but you you gotta give yourself a fighting chance to land that big girl but as they say why try and fix something that ain't broke semi barbless for the win

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

Cheers mate, when you're right you're right👍🎣

[@3kean]

I feel your pain mate, I have given up with circle hooks when dead bait fishing unfortunately just had to many lost fish on tough waters that hold very large pike. I just can't handle punching myself any more after losing fish😂😂😂

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

they do put us through the wringer 🤣

[@Dp3.16]

In some case's the singles do more harm than trebles 👍🎣

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

In 3 years have not seen any evidence of that

[@v.rudeboy9829]

my thoughts on trebles is they stick in the net.. I've used Partridge VB's since the mid 80's..

[@Zanderrrrrrrrrr]

Partridge best hooks !!!! For pike always single hook

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

That is the one thing that always annoyed me never liked the fish and the treble stuck half way up a net

[@stever9583]

VB’s would be a very good compromise Mark but you will come to the right decision that suits you. The thing is, if there were loads of runs every time you went out you could experiment to your heart’s content but unfortunately it’s not the case nowadays is it. Tight lines mate! Keep on keeping on. 👍💪👊

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

Cheers mate, a mix of the two going forward I think. singles for the small baits and trebles for the big sea deads 👍🎣

[@borderlands6606]

Singles are fine on small sardines and little roach, but a gamble on bigger baits. I had a similar experience on Saturday, missing my only run.

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

Very true

[@paulblissett1674]

Totally understand why you're fishing with circle hooks...personally though I'd maybe keep one rod doing that and go back to semi barbless or barbless trebles on the other rods/rod...I have a local stretch which is full of pike but most under 10lb or low doubles at best (caught 5 today and 7 last week in 3-4 hours) and another 3-6 per session were hooked and came off with 2 treble snap tackle ...only had one out of 30 Pike in 6 weeks that had a hook in the back of her throat and was easy to remove still. Love the videos but will be frustrating to keep losing so many...if the success rate drops below 40% of those hooked it's time for a change mate I'd say 🙏👌

[@Edge-of-Reason]

If you don't try you won't know. Personally I'm on the double j hook. One in the tail root one in the flank (that one barbless). Changed 4 years ago and haven't looked back. Fair play for the thorough effort and remember the presentation is a lit better without trebles. Whose to say you would have even had those runs?

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

Had some great fish on the singles in the last 3 years so won't be ditching them, mix n match from now on small baits singles large doubles or trebles

[@jamesb99]

Hi Mark tough day 3 runs and blank does hurt. I caught a double today 10lb 10oz that ended a run of 5 blanks. I only use a single semi barbed treble hook and even then fish drop the bait now and then. I think with only one barbed on the treble gives the fish a good chance, but you still have to cut the hook sometimes though. Tight lines next time.

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

I told you your run of blanks would end🎣👍

[@jamesb99]

Cheers Mark

[@peterfitzpatrick7032]

I've resisted following the fashion of using Circles though I may try them for autumn when pike engulf baits due to their higher metabolism at that time of the year and stick with the semi-barbed trebles for winter.... Piking is hard enough without needlessly stacking the odds against yourself... I've watched you throughout this experiment, you made every effort to make it work.. but its costing you too many fish... I know you always strike quickly and handle your catches with great care before releasing them... for me, you are doing enough "fish-care" already... I'm just home from another blank on a lake that never seems to give up jacks... the runs are very few and far between but when you get a run it invariably is a mid double at the minimum... At 66y.o. , I can't afford to stack the odds against myself by fishing Circles... anyways, the pike stocks here in Ireland have been decimated, not by competent and careful anglers like us, they've been removed by ANY means for eating... you know the crowd... the UK has had the same disgusting behaviour from these people... I'd return to the trebles if I were you, enjoy your fishing and ignore any naysayers, you've earned it, mate !... Tight Lines !! 😎👍☘️🍻

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

Cheers my friend always great to hear from you

[@peterfitzpatrick7032]

@Fishing4Pleasure 😎👍☘️🍻

[@alansmith9084]

A hard one sir but I would hate to see you miss out on a potential pb

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

Cor it would have to be close to 40 for a PB

[@condelaneycd]

Had a bad weekend lost a big pike id say more den 30 pounds could not control it on circle hook dam con from Ireland 🇮🇪

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

Ouch that's gotta hurt Con

[@KimSawyer1957]

Keep going Mark. A single and a treble. Watch the latest video from the Ginger Fisherman. His rig is good.

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

Thanks, will do!

[@raybatchelor6601]

That was frustrating for you Mark .Your normally very upbeat. Do what you thinks best for the big deads .Get that smile back on your face and KTF

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

Tough day but I was all ok again by the time I got home KTF

[@jsa2257]

Iam surprised you’ve stuck with the singles so long ,you still miss runs with trebles I remember that big one you lost last season and thought that the singles had cost you big time

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

No guarantees with trebles but with them big sea deads they are far superior

[@bricky5862]

I can’t believe there’s still so much negativity and no confidence in single hooks when they’re just not being used right, mate I love your channel but single circles or other singles will always be big risk on big baits exactly as you’re saying, I’ve been using them 3 years ironically like yourself but with nothing over 4" long and every bait lip hooked, i promise there’s nothing in it for me to say this and lie but my hook up rate is unbelievably good, I just believe the big baits big fish theory is absolutely bonkers as I’ve had too many big fish on small baits to ever believe that old myth, I also abandoned the wind down slowly allowing the pressure to build gradually technique too as I was losing fish with that, I went back to winding all the slack line fast and lifting high into the fish and everything changed for the better! Obviously I still lose the odd fish but at the very least it’s no worse than when I used trebles, lip hooked small baits, circle or eagle wave will both hook up brilliantly

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

Thanks for the input, will try the faster winding down technique

[@ascot1049]

You ain't catching owt sat at home ,that's for sure .

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

True and wise words 👍🎣

[@SussexCarSales]

Single hooks are a nightmare, youve lost so many last few videos go back to trebels mate. Dont fix something that isnt broken.

[@Fishing4Pleasure]

You're spot on mate 🎣👍

[@Bigpikeuk]

Single hooks for pike fishing is embarrassing to watch , no idea how single hooks even become a thing for some pike anglers and made it into there tackle box is baffling but putting them in the bin is correct and now get back to proper piking an put some pike on bank