Hook traces
The previous traces were passive in that they had no direct influence on actually catching or securing a hold on a pike after the bait is taken. They obviously do contribute to the method in use as a whole though. Hook traces are the items that many pike anglers become obsessive about and rather than part cover them now and then get into greater detail later we will discuss them fully from this point on. We will be looking at how swivels are attached an various other elements and these hints and tips can apply to such items when used on the traces mentioned earlier so if you are making traces of any description the information on making them will follow below.
If you have been pike fishing for a while and feel ready to move on from using ready made traces to ones you make yourself then we hope that the information that follows will give the required information to make safe and strong traces of all descriptions. Making traces generates that extra excitement when you hook that first fish on ‘your’ tackle and it can also save you a little money into the bargain, but more important than both these, it allows you to make traces that fit your specific needs and this builds confidence in the way you fish!
The items you will need to achieve your goal are swivels, the best are those marketed by Berkeley, Fox, Drennan, Korda and have forged eyes and not twisted eyes. Size 8 or 10 are about right for general use with a breaking test of upwards of 60 lbs. Wire is available from Fox, Drennan, Ryobi and Middy and you should have two breaking strains, 30lbs BS for spinning and uptrace's, also for hook traces if certain situations and a minimum of 20 lbs BS for your hook traces, the slightly lighter wire allowing live baits a little more natural movement. Dead baits can be used with the heavier wire traces. Finally you will need a supply of treble hooks, you can use double hooks but their application is something you might find in the future, we will focus on trebles for this feature. The hooks are available from the usual manufacturers Fox, Drennan, Ryobi, and Mustad and you should have available sizes 6, 8 and 10 to cover the sizes of bait you will probably use. You may well find a use for hooks up to size 4 but by keeping the size matched to bait size you will be covered by these three sizes. Please make every effort to use semi barbless trebles either by purchasing them or by crushing two of the three barbs on any other trebles. Leave one small barb to hold the bait this should be the one brazed on to the back of the hook!
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