Wire Traces for Pike

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

A wire trace is the length of wire between your mainline and your hooks or lure. You need one because even a small pike has teeth that cut nylon.

The Pike Anglers’ Club’s current leaflet gives the headline numbers: a pike trace for bait fishing should be at least 30lb breaking strain and 18 in (45 cm) or longer.

Older club sheets and some magazine guides quote lower figures, so this guide tells you which to follow. The steps below take you from choosing wire to a finished deadbait trace and a lure trace, with the checks that keep pike safe.

Step 1: Check the PAC Minimums for Length and Strength

The Pike Anglers’ Club’s own documents disagree. Its 2004 fact sheet said there was no need to go below 20lb, while its current leaflet sets 30lb as the minimum for bait fishing.

Source	Length	Breaking strain	Notes
PAC leaflet (2024)	18 in (45 cm) or more for bait	30lb minimum for bait	Shorter acceptable for lures
PAC Fact Sheet 1 (2004)	At least 18 in for bait or lure	20lb	Uptrace 24 in (60 cm) or more
Angling Times guide (updated January 2025)	Usually 30 to 40 cm	28lb or more	Shorter than PAC’s 45 cm

Build to the 2024 leaflet. If you follow the magazine method, cut the wire long enough for the finished trace to reach 45 cm. PAC’s reasoning is that a longer trace makes a swallowed bait less likely to be fatal.

PAC does not endorse mono or fluorocarbon traces. Your two numbers: 30lb and at least 45 cm.

Step 2: Choose Your Trace Wire

Strand counts and coatings fill the packet, but breaking strain matters most. For bait traces, buy 30lb or more (Step 1). Two ready-made traces show the range of construction:

Seven-strand wire: a ready-made lure trace sold with a PAC seal of approval uses 45lb seven-strand wire with crimped swivels.
49-strand nylon-coated wire: a tube fly stinger trace from one UK maker uses 60cm of 26lb coated wire with heat-welded loops.

The stinger is a fly-fishing trace at 26lb, below the 30lb bait minimum, so it is not a deadbait trace. Wire sold for pike does not automatically meet PAC guidance, so check any ready-made trace against Step 1.

If you are starting out, buy one spool of 30lb or stronger trace wire and make your own. You will know exactly what is on the end of your line.

Step 3: Pick Pike-Safe Hooks, Swivels and Snap Links

Why would PAC tell you to avoid stainless steel hooks, the ones that never rust? Because a hook left in a pike should be able to corrode away.

Hooks. Use barbless, semi-barbless or crushed-barb trebles for bait fishing. Size advice varies by source:

PAC Fact Sheet 1 rigs two trebles in size 10, 8 or 6.
The current PAC leaflet suggests sizes 4 to 6.
Angling Times uses sizes 6, 8 or 10.

Size 6 is the only size in all three lists, and size 8 appears in two. Start with a 6 or 8 and go bigger for bigger baits.

Swivels. Choose quality swivels with a stated breaking strain. PAC warns against swivels with twisted-wire eyes.

Snap links. PAC advises against safety-pin and hook-and-eye snap links for attaching traces or lures. Use a locking type instead, such as the cross-lok snaps on the ready-made lure trace in Step 2.

Keep long forceps (10 in minimum) and long-reach cutters with your trace kit. Our guide to unhooking a pike covers using them.

Step 4: Form the Joins: Twist or Crimp

A twisted join needs only a lighter and a pair of forceps. A crimped join needs sleeves and pliers.

For the annealed twist:

Thread the wire through the eye of the treble and tie a simple overhand knot.
Heat the wire just above the knot with a lighter for a few seconds. The heat softens the wire so the twist stays put. Don’t overcook it.
Twist the tag end around the main wire with a twiddling stick or forceps, then trim the tag neatly.

For a crimp, feed the wire through a crimp sleeve, through the eye, and back through the sleeve. Close it with crimping pliers. Sleeve sizes and crimp counts vary by maker, so match the sleeve to your wire diameter and follow the maker’s instructions.

Join	Tools	Seen in	Watch out for
Twist	Lighter, forceps or twiddling stick	Angling Times’ deadbait method	Overheating, loose wraps
Crimp	Sleeves, crimping pliers	Ready-made seven-strand lure traces	Wrong sleeve size

Test each join with a firm pull. By now one end of your wire trace should be secure, ready for Step 5.

Step 5: Finish the Deadbait Trace

Angling Times spaces its two trebles about three inches apart: one for the tail, one for the flank.

Measure and cut the wire so the finished trace is at least 18 in (45 cm).
Add the second treble about three inches (roughly 7.5 cm) from the first, using the Step 4 join. Angling Times keeps one barbed hook to hold the bait and the rest semi-barbless.
Attach the swivel at the top end the same way.
Mount the bait with one treble in the root of the tail and one in the flank. See the best deadbaits for pike.

Deadbaiting on Windermere, I’ve found it pays to check both trebles sit cleanly before every cast. A treble folded back into the bait is unlikely to hook a fish.

Some waters limit hooks or ban live baits. Check the fishery rules and, in England, Environment Agency byelaws.

Best for: static and float-fished deadbaits. Skip if: you are lure fishing (see Step 6).

Step 6: Make a Lure Trace for Braid

If PAC accepts shorter traces for lures, how short is too short? The current leaflet gives no length or strength, though the 2004 sheet asked for 18 in for lures too. Wire is always required. For strength, the 45lb seven-strand trace from Step 2 is a sensible reference.

To build one, crimp (Step 4) a swivel at one end and a locking snap link (Step 3) at the other.

PAC’s Safe Pike Rigs sheet gives 50lb braid as the minimum for lure fishing, while the current leaflet gives 65lb braid (about 0.41mm) all-round. Go with the current leaflet’s 65lb.

Tie the braid to the trace swivel, or use an Albright knot to join braid straight to wire or a leader.

Trolling on Windermere, I’ve found lure traces wear quickly, so check them often and match them to the pike lures you use.

The verdict: a lure trace can be shorter than a bait trace, but it must be wire and finished with a locking link.

Step 7: Add an Uptrace and Check the Trace Before Every Session

PAC treats any rig left unattended, or fished without good bite indication, as a potential death rig, not just fixed-lead set-ups.

Uptrace. When bait fishing, add a length of wire above the lead or float. If the bait tangles up the line, the uptrace stops a pike biting through the mainline. The current leaflet calls it good practice; the 2004 sheet set 24 in (60 cm) or more. Full set-ups are on our pike rigs page, part of our fishing rigs guides.

Weak link. When paternostering, attach the bomb with 6 to 8lb nylon. Never use tethered or fixed-lead rigs.

Before you cast, check:

the wire for kinks or fraying, and replace the trace if you find either
swivels for rust or damage
snap links that open too easily
hooks that are blunt or damaged

PAC also advises against pike fishing when the water is 18°C or warmer.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a wire trace for pike?

Yes. Pike teeth cut nylon, and the Pike Anglers' Club does not endorse mono or fluorocarbon traces. PAC says to use wire for lure fishing as well as bait fishing. Without it, a bitten-through line can leave a pike swimming off with hooks or a lure in its mouth.

How long should a pike trace be?

At least 18in (45cm) for bait fishing, according to the current PAC leaflet. Shorter traces are acceptable for lures. Some magazine guides suggest 30 to 40cm, which falls below PAC advice for bait, so cut your wire longer if you follow them.

What breaking strain should a wire trace be?

30lb minimum for bait fishing, according to the 2024 PAC leaflet. The older 2004 fact sheet said 20lb, so follow the newer figure. The current leaflet gives no minimum for lure traces; a ready-made 45lb seven-strand lure trace is a sensible reference.

How do you make a pike trace without crimps?

Use the annealed twist. Tie the wire to the hook eye with an overhand knot, heat it briefly with a lighter, twist the tag end around the main wire and trim it. It needs only a lighter and forceps or a twiddling stick. Test each join with a firm pull before you cast.