BEST WAYS TO HOOK DEADBAITS FOR PIKE & OTHER PREDATORY FISH

WHATEVER method you decide to use when using deadbaits, it is important to know where to place the hooks into deadbaits to get more pike on the bank.
On each treble it is worth adding a red flag which shows where the barbed prong is and they also help to brighten up the deadbait.

1 Coarse baits are ideal for sink and draw method.  When coarse baits are frozen they pop-up very effectively. Set up your hooks as pictured, so you are working the deadbait head first.

2 Sardines are a good oily bait. This hooking arrangement, one hook in the backbone and the other in the flank, gives you the best hooking potential. It’s best to cast these baits when they are still frozen to avoid the bait flying off on the cast.

3 The paternoster and drifting method, on the other hand, requires your deadbait to be thawed out. Set your hooks so the bait looks alive by putting one hook in the dorsal fin and the other in the pectoral fin.