For Pike - what's better, single hook or treble hook?? Any tips?

[polski]

Can anyone recommend the proper setup for me please?  Thanks.

[dmach83]

ask spanky

[spanky1]

I'm certainly no expert but always use trebles for pike.

Sometimes a single and sometimes a quickstrike rig (2 trebles) depending on bait size.

Here is a picture of a quick strike rig (not one of mine).



I also use 40lb floro or mono as a leader.

Hopefully this helped a bit.

[Jessox80]

I think small trebles work better than large ones (as long as they are quality. strong hooks). They seem to get swallowed less and come out relatively easily even if swallowed. Big trebles I've used tend to get stuck on weeds.

[Rotnik]

Agreed that if your going to use trebles the smaller the better. This year I've been crimping loops on the end of my leaders and I hang two 2/0 or 3/0 octopus hooks off of the loops. With big bait you could hang both hooks in the bait or you could hang one in the bait and let one free swing...I've had a very good hook up rate like this this season and its always in the corners of the mouth.

The quickstrikes work well also but I use all dead bait and I believe that the bait profile in the water if important. I.E. bait doesn't need to look pretty but I like it sitting horizontally in the water column. With the quickstrikes the bait tend to sit vertical, but I've caught fish like that so maybe it doesn't matter much.

[finlessbrown]

i use a single # 6 wide bend lazer sharp hook and hook pretty much every fish that takes my bait.i just give a gentle pull to set the hook and hook them in the corner of the mouth most of the time.

[pikePERSUADER1]

yeah #6 hooks are what i use too

[polski]

Thank you everyone for replying - I will follow all of your advice this weekend and report back!

[jigmaster22]

Hey polski I started using big tooth tackle rigs last year with big dead bait and have had good sucess.  The rigs allow your dead bait to hang horizontal in the water column

[Brookie442]

I use VMC SureSet hooks w/ 50lbs floro  2 to 3 feet long,   I have only had one bit off with a big fish (my fault pike fever )

[Jessox80]

For gigantic baits (like the dead mackerel pictured) I like to use one stationary treble at the end and a free, untied treble on the leader (2' or so), so that I can put one hook in the mack's skull and then loop the leader around the fish and put the 2nd hook through the fish's back AND hold the leader in place. I do this because dead mackerel are kind of mushy aside from the skull and I don't want to get bait-robbed. This rigging also suspends the fish more horizontally.

[polski]

I'm learning alot from this one question! I never thought to use mackerel as bait, if I do what size should I use?  Do I find that at a bait shop at the shore, or the grocery store seafood counter?

[spanky1]

Bait stores should have some...if you can find tinker mackerel they're pretty good!