Flag no Fish

[poorfisherman]

Last year I started using  quick strike rigs and they worked way better than the swede hooks I had been raised with.  This season I have had not iced one fish on a tip up argh.  We can only use dead bait and mainly fish pike and walleye on tip ups. I put one hook thru the eyes and the other thru the tail I use a variety of sized trebles and all I end up with is missing bait.  Mostly use 6" smelts. Any ideas if I m just having a poor start or rigging wrong?

[mayfield]

use a stinger

[akdube]

Something I have been trying with great results is having the dead bait head stright down off the hooks one just behind the dorsel and one in the tail.  the reasoning is the pike will take it head first and the hooks are in the best hook set direction already. I have tried this a couple times this year and had great results. We can not use live bait up here either so we use hooligan about 8 inchs long.. Just a sea run smelt really..

[Wiener]

I would start with different hook placement.

The "main" treble hook should be hooked in the cheek of the minnow, with the hooks pointing toward the tail of the bait.
Because pike eat a bait head first.

The second hook should be hooked lightly through the skin somewhere near the dorsal fin.

you should test your rig, until you get proficient at hooking the bait.  To test give the leader a quick shake.

The hooks should pull out, and the bait should fall to the ground.
If it doesn't , you have the bait hooked too deeply, and should make adjustments.

Remember, when Pike want to swallow a bait, they do it head first.
With all those long teeth, they can make sure the bait doesn't move very much.
This is why your rig needs to be able to pull free of the bait to get good hooks in a fish.


Hope this helps,


Wiener

[poorfisherman]

I like what you say about hooking bait to deep.  I always burry one barb of the treble. We are heading back out on boxing day I will give that a try thanks.