Deadbaiting for Pike

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

Plenty of older pike advice tells you to wait for the second run before you strike. The Pike Anglers’ Club now says the opposite: hit every run straight away.

That one change sums up modern deadbaiting for pike. You present a dead fish, usually a frozen sea bait such as mackerel, herring, sardine or sprat, on a wire trace with two semi-barbless trebles. You fish it on a float leger or straight leger, and you strike the moment a pike picks it up.

Deadbaiting is one of the methods I use for pike on Windermere, and I’ve found it keeps producing through the cold months. It is only fair on the fish, though, if the rig is safe and the strike is fast.

The eight steps below follow a session in order: water and rules, bait, a safe rig, placing the bait, bite indication, working the bait, the strike and unhooking. For the wider picture, start with our complete pike fishing guide.

Step 1: Check the Water Temperature and the Rules

Fish a warm lake for pike and you can do more harm than good, so check the water temperature and the rules before you tackle up.

Water temperature. The Pike Anglers’ Club (PAC) says not to fish for pike when the water is at or above 18°C, based on welfare research. Carry a thermometer. On shallow waters this can rule out much of high summer.

Rod licence. England and Wales need a rod licence: the standard coarse licence covers up to 2 rods, and a 12-month 3-rod licence is available. Check the current price on GOV.UK and see our fishing licence guide. Scotland needs only the landowner’s or club’s permission (no licence outside the Border Esk region). Northern Ireland has its own licensing, so check the rules there before you fish.

National rules in England (GOV.UK freshwater rod fishing rules):

Never leave a rod unattended or without sufficient control.
Keep the outermost rod butts no more than 3m apart.
Lead weights must be 0.06g or less, or more than 28.35g (1oz), so use a bomb heavier than 1oz.
The river coarse close season runs 15 March to 15 June; most stillwaters and canals are open all year (see fishing seasons).
The daily limit from rivers is 1 pike up to 65cm, and local byelaws can change it.

Welsh rules (Natural Resources Wales) may differ, so check them.

Fishery rules. Pike waters can also set their own rod limits, insist on barbless hooks, ban livebait or restrict deadbait. Check with the fishery before you travel.

By now you know the water is under 18°C and what the venue allows.

Step 2: Choose the Best Deadbait for Pike

Picking a pike deadbait is easier than the tackle-shop freezer makes it look. Oily sea baits are the default, coarse baits are a legal special case, and the choice mostly comes down to how far you need to cast.

The PAC names mackerel, herring, sardine and sprats as good pike baits. Tackle shops sell them frozen, and sea fish from supermarkets and fishmongers can be used too.

Bait	Why pike take it	Watch out for
Mackerel	Oily, tough skin, casts well half or whole	Big whole baits need a firm cast and larger hooks
Herring	Very oily, strong scent trail	Soft, so it can fly off on a big cast
Sardine	Strong scent	Very soft; best on short casts or fished frozen
Sprat	Small and cheap	Light, so it won’t reach distance on its own
Smelt	Distinctive smell that many pike anglers rate	Its reputation rests on anglers’ opinion, not proof
Roach, rudd or perch	Natural on coarse waters	Legal limits, see below
Eel section	A recognised pike bait	Only from licensed trappers or suppliers, never rod-caught (PAC)

The legal catch with coarse baits: in England and Wales you may only use a fish you have taken as bait on the same water where you caught it (GOV.UK). Otherwise, buy frozen. Some fisheries ban coarse deadbaits or any bait brought from elsewhere, so ask first.

Keep baits frozen in a cool bag until you need them. A half bait releases more scent than a whole one, and a frozen bait survives a longer cast and thaws on the bottom.

Best for: mackerel and herring as your all-round pike deadbait; sardine for short-range scent. Skip if: your fishery bans the bait, or you can’t legally source coarse fish from that water.

There’s more on every bait in our guide to pike deadbaits.

Step 3: Build a Simple, Safe Dead Bait Rig for Pike

Fixed leads and bolt rigs still turn up in pike rig diagrams online, and either can leave a pike towing a lead if the line breaks.

The PAC is blunt: losing a baited rig is likely to mean a dead pike, and any rig becomes a death rig if left unattended. This simple dead bait rig for pike follows the PAC’s rig fact sheets and current leaflet.

Main line: at least 18lb mono or 65lb braid, the leaflet’s all-round minimum.
Float: a sliding float with a stop knot and bead for a float leger; none for a straight leger.
Up-trace: at least 24in (60cm) of 20lb-plus wire, so a pike that swallows past the hook trace can’t bite through the line.
Lead: free running on a large-eye run ring, attached by a weak nylon link of lower breaking strain than the main line. The fact sheet suggests 6 to 8lb nylon weakened with overhand knots. Use a lead over 1oz (the GOV.UK lead rule); PAC diagrams go up to 2 to 3oz.
Hook trace: at least 18in (45cm) of 20lb-plus wire with two semi-barbless or crushed-barb trebles. Size 10 to 6 by bait size, going larger for a big whole bait.

Rig diagram, top to bottom: main line, stop knot, bead, sliding float (float leger only), run ring with weak nylon link and lead, wire up-trace, swivel, wire hook trace, two semi-barbless trebles.

Never use:

Fixed leads, bolt rigs or any lead that can’t come off if the trace breaks (PAC calls these tether or death rigs)
Snap links clipped straight onto a bomb
Stainless steel hooks, which never rust out of a fish
Swivels with twisted-wire eyes, or safety-pin style snaps
Mono or fluorocarbon traces, which the PAC does not endorse

By now you have a rig that sheds its lead if the line parts. The float version gets more depth in float fishing for pike.

Float leger or straight leger? The float leger shows drop-backs clearly and suits shallow or snaggy swims. The straight leger wins for distance or in a strong wind.

Step 4: Hook the Bait and Put It Where Pike Patrol

A deadbait in open, featureless water can sit untouched all day. Where it lands, and whether it’s still on the hooks when it gets there, decides most sessions.

Hooking the bait. Set one treble near the root of the tail and the other along the flank towards the head, so a pike meets a hook whichever way it grips. With a half bait, put one treble near the cut end and one towards the tail. Cast soft baits such as sardine and herring while still frozen, or with a smooth lob rather than a punch.

Stillwaters. Look for drop-offs, margins, weed beds dying back in autumn and sheltered bays. On Windermere I fish deadbaits along the drop-offs, and in autumn I troll them too. In my experience, the drop-offs are the place to start on a big lake.

Rivers. Target slacks, crease lines, the inside of bends and deep winter holes. Never freeline a deadbait for pike: the PAC warns that poor bite indication leads to deep hooking. Use a float leger or a leger heavy enough to hold bottom, and remember the river close season runs from 15 March to 15 June.

There’s more on reading swims in our guide to pike fishing from the bank.

By now your bait is out on a feature, with the line tightened to the indicator. Fish the features first and leave open water until the edges have had their chance.

Step 5: Set Up Bite Indication and Stay With Your Rods

A run you spot late is a pike that has had time to swallow the bait. When deadbaiting for pike, bite indication is a welfare tool first.

The PAC recommends a float or float leger with a rear drop-off indicator, plus an electronic alarm, and says to stay within hearing range of it. A drop-off indicator clips to the line behind the reel and falls when a pike takes line, or when it swims towards you and the line goes slack.

Watch for one trap the PAC highlights: line skip. With the bail arm open, a roller-wheel front alarm may not sound once the bobbin has dropped. Keep your eyes on the drop-off, or use a free-spool reel (the baitrunner type) with the bail closed so the alarm keeps registering line.

The law backs this up. Rods must never be left unattended, and the outermost butts must be no more than 3m apart (GOV.UK). If you can’t reach a rod in seconds, you risk a deep-hooked pike as well as a breach of the rules.

By now your indicator should show drop-backs as well as runs.

The verdict: a drop-off indicator plus an alarm, with you sat beside the rods, is the minimum for safe deadbaiting for pike.

Step 6: Move the Bait When Static Isn’t Working: Twitching, Popping Up and Wobbling

Hours behind silent rods don’t always mean there are no pike in front of you. Sometimes a bait on the bottom just isn’t being found.

Twitching and recasting. Every so often, draw the bait back a short way. It covers new ground and lays a fresh scent trail, and the movement can tempt a pike that has been ignoring it.

Popping up. Push a foam insert into the bait, or add a foam stick to the trace, to lift it above bottom weed. Keep the same PAC wire trace and weak-link lead from Step 3.

Wobbled deadbait. Cast a small, firm bait such as a sprat, or a small coarse bait where it’s legal, on a wire trace with trebles, then retrieve it. Vary the speed and pause now and then so it flutters and dips. Keep the rod in your hand so you can strike instantly. Because you’re fishing actively, there’s no unattended-rod risk either.

Wobbling sits halfway between static deadbaiting and pike lure fishing. Static baits often hold their own when the water is very cold and pike are sluggish, so don’t abandon them.

Best for: weedy swims, roaming pike and covering water in a short session. Skip if: the water is very cold and pike are barely moving, or your fishery restricts the methods you can use.

Step 7: Strike Every Run Straight Away

Of everything in this guide, this step costs nothing and does the most to prevent deep hooking: strike sooner.

The PAC’s current leaflet says to hit all runs immediately. Wind down until you feel the fish, then sweep the rod back firmly over your shoulder. You’ll miss the odd run, but the pike will still be there next time. Wait, and you risk a gut-hooked fish.

That contradicts the older habit of counting 10 to 15 seconds or waiting for a second run before striking. The delay gives a pike time to turn the bait and swallow it, the same deep-hooking risk the PAC links to freelining.

An immediate strike only works if you see the run immediately. That is why the drop-off and alarm from Step 5 matter, and why you stay within reach of the rods.

Treat drop-backs as runs too. If the bobbin falls towards the rod and the line goes slack, the pike is swimming towards you with the bait. Wind down fast until the line tightens, then strike.

By now you should be hooking pike in the mouth, not the throat.

Step 8: Land and Unhook the Pike Safely

Get your kit ready before the first cast and unhooking a big pike becomes routine rather than a panic.

Lay out a large landing net, an unhooking mat, long forceps and wire cutters within reach of the rods.

The PAC’s hand technique:

Lay the pike on its back on the mat.
Slide your fingers inside the gill cover to hold the lower jaw, keeping clear of the gill rakers.
Remove the hooks with long forceps.

Never use a gag, and never use Boga grips to hold or unhook a pike (PAC). In England and Wales, gaffs and tailers are banned by law (GOV.UK).

Weigh in a sling or combi mat, never on a balance hook under the chin. Don’t keep pike in carp sacks; use a sling, pike tube or net only briefly, to let the fish recover or to set up a photo.

If the hooks are out of sight down the throat, the fish is deep-hooked. Read how to unhook a pike before your first session, and get help from an experienced pike angler if you’re unsure.

The verdict: mat, forceps and the hand technique, with the pike back in the water quickly, is all a well-hooked fish needs.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best deadbait for pike?

Mackerel, herring, sardine and sprat are all named by the PAC as good pike baits, and many pike anglers rate smelt too. Pick a tough bait such as mackerel for long casts, and a soft, oily one like sardine for short range. See Step 2 above for the full comparison.

When should you strike a pike on deadbait?

Straight away, on every run and every drop-back. The PAC advises winding down until you feel the fish, then striking firmly. Waiting for a second run gives the pike time to swallow the bait and risks deep hooking.

Can you use fish you've caught as pike bait?

In England and Wales, only on the same water where you caught them. Rod-caught eels can never be used, and some fisheries ban coarse deadbaits altogether. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, check local and fishery rules before you fish.

What trace do you need for pike deadbaiting?

A wire hook trace of at least 18in (45cm) and 20lb breaking strain, plus a 24in (60cm) wire up-trace on leger rigs. The PAC does not endorse mono or fluorocarbon traces for pike. See Step 3 above for the full rig.

Can you deadbait for pike in summer?

Not when the water is 18°C or above, which the PAC sets as its welfare limit. Take a thermometer and check, because deep, cool waters may stay below it while shallow lakes warm up quickly.