REELS
You will have a choice of reels in both fixed spool and multiplier form, however the best choice for anyone coming to pike fishing would be advised to consider choosing a good quality fixed spool reel over a multiplier for the ease of use they provide. Multipliers take some getting used to and often create more problems with over runs than will be experienced with a fixed spool reel.

Choose a reel with a 'free spool' or 'bait runner' facility to allow free passage of line on a take, opening the bail arm will provide this if you cannot afford these more complex reels. Always you have the clutch set to give line intially just in case you do hook a big pike and it decides to run off hard, you can always increase clutch drag as you play the pike, but beware of last minute runs and leave a little slip in the clutch!


The spools should be capable of holding 200 metres of 15lb BS monofilament line or 30 to 40lb BS braid to allow you to cast and work baits out on the various methods you will find in the rigs section of the site.

LINE
The line you choose should be the best quality you can afford and can be nylon monofilament or braid, either a sinking or floating variety. Use nylon in 15 to 18lb BS and in the braid 30 to 50lb BS will provide capacity for general and lure fishing, the stronger braids are required for jerkbait and various lure fishing methods which will probably break nylon lines. Always try and buy bulk type spools to ensure you can replace damaged lines economically! Floating braids or greased lines will be required for methods such as trolling or drifting.

HOOKS
The hooks you will need will come in sizes 6, 8, 10, these are the optimum range to suit the various bait sizes you will probably use. Strong patterns with a fairly thick wire offer strength in the bend to avoid the hook straightening and maintain a hook hold should you encounter a large fish early on (fine wire patterns should be avoided). The hooks should be a semi-barbless pattern, but barbed hooks with two of the three barbs being crushed flat will serve as a semi-barbed treble. Some hooks respond well to this treatment and actually create a nice little bump which may contribute to holding the hook in place, however some patterns by contrast either shatter and leave a coarse edge or even break through taking off the point, these having been hardened so much that they have become too brittle!

The barb to retain is the one on the back of the linked pair, the one that is brazed on, this allows the hook eyes to align and remain in a flat plane on the bait, this should be used to retain the bait, live or dead.

SWIVELS
Swivels vary in pattern, strength and size, all of which suit their various applications and uses. Probably the best known and respected are those made by Berkeley, although some others are gaining in acceptance. The Berkeley swivels have a nice round section to the eye, which is preferable over a diamond shaped eye, when looping mono filament or wire through the eye twice creates no trapping or cutting due to one of the two being forced under pressure to the centre beneath the other, resulting in a weakening of the lower as happens in the ‘v’ of the diamond eye swivel!

Whilst swivels are immediately associated with trace making they also serve to carry leads, paternoster links etc., for these purposes and for quick attachment and joining of hook traces to uptraces they can have a snap link attached, the best for this task is the Berkeley ‘Croslok’ pattern which gets more secure under pressure than some of the other types available, ask for them by name and accept no alternatives.

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