Mastering Deadbaiting: The Best Pike Rigs for Lakes

Dead baiting for pike is a time-honoured technique that continues to yield impressive results for anglers looking to target pike. Unlike live bait fishing, dead baiting offers anglers the advantage of presenting larger baits with minimal effort, making it an enticing option for targeting big pike lurking in the depths of lakes.

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To maximise your dead-baiting success, it’s essential to employ the right rigs tailored specifically for lake conditions. In this article, we explore the best pike rigs for lakes and how they’re designed to entice and hook these formidable predators in lake environments.

Standard Float Rig

Using a standard float fishing set-up for pike is an excellent way to explore a lake or venue with dead baits. This setup provides minimal resistance to the pike once it takes your dead bait. As a result, once a bite develops, there is little standing in the way of a hooked fish.

We usually prefer to use this approach in shallow areas of lakes or rivers, but with a stop knot and a sliding pike float, you can fish at any desired depth targeting pike that are sat in the deep or up in the water. Similar to the float paternoster rig, when a bite develops, you’ll notice activity on the float, beginning with a few bobs and progressing to a savage disappearance of the float.

What you’ll need to fish a Standard Float Rig

How to set up a Standard Float Rig

Start by threading a float stop onto your mainline.
Then add a bead onto the mainline followed by a pike float of your choosing.
Take a QC (quick change) weight and thread this onto your mainline after the float. Make sure the sleeve end points towards the end of your mainline.
Tie the QC swivel onto the end of your mainline.
Pull the tied-on QC swivel into the QC weight sleeve.
Finally, you can attach the trace to the QC swivel.

Running Ledger Rig

One of the easiest and most effective methods for catching pike in gravel pits is the running ledger rig. All you need to do is attach a dead bait to the components listed below, cast it to your desired location, sink the line, and attach the rod to a bite alarm with an indicator. Once you’ve set the rod down, it’s essential to keep the bail arm open to allow the pike to take the bait and run with it.

Because the running ledger rig employs a lead attached to the line via a ledger stem, the pike feels minimal resistance, resulting in a lower chance of the dead bait being dropped. With a tight line, your alarms and bite indicators will alert you to any bait activity. When a bite occurs, it’s critical to strike quickly to avoid deep hooking.

What you’ll need to fish a Running Ledger Rig

How to set up a Running Ledger Rig

Take your ledger stem and thread it onto your mainline.
Next, take a buffer bead and thread this onto your mainline too.
Tie the QC swivel onto the end of your mainline.
Slide the buffer bead down so that the QC swivel sits within the buffer bead neatly.
You can now add your trace to the QC swivel.
Finally, add a lead weight to the ledger stem and you’re ready to go!

Pike Drifter Float

Drifter Float Rig: The Best Pike Rigs for Lakes

The drifter float setup is quite similar to the standard float setup described earlier. However, the key difference is that the float used in this presentation is specifically designed to catch the wind. Additionally, with an open bail arm, it allows you to ‘drift’ dead baits across a wider area of the lake instead of one specific location.

The advantages of this approach are apparent – instead of waiting for the pike to come to you, you can take the bait to the pike. This technique is particularly useful for quickly scanning potential pike spots in new venues. It’s vital to use a floating mainline with this setup to keep the line above the water and prevent it from sinking below the surface.

What you’ll need to fish a Pike Drifter Float Rig

How to set up a Pike Drifter Float Rig

Take your float stops and bead, thread a float stop onto your floating mainline followed by a bead.
Then, take your drifter float and thread your floating mainline through it, starting at the buoyant end first.
Next, take a length of 60cm wire trace and crimp on a QC link using crimping pliers. This is your up-trace.
Slide a QC weight onto the up-trace so that the QC swivel pulls into the sleeve end of the QC weight.
Using the same method above, crimp on a swivel to the other end of the up-trace.
Now tie your mainline to the other end of the swivel.
Finally, add your bait trace to the QC swivel and you’re ready to fish.

To Conclude

Each of these dead baiting rigs for pike fishing is highly effective when targeting pike on lakes and are the best pike rigs for lakes. Each rig offers unique benefits, so it’s up to you to figure out which presentation works best on any given day. Our typical approach is to fish with three rods when dead baiting for pike.

We use two floating setups to explore the venue quickly and easily, while the third rod is on a running ledger rig, targeting a pike that might be resting at the bottom of the lake.

Our advice is to come prepared for all scenarios, allowing you to make the most of your time on the lake and adapt to any situation. Don’t forget to bring a good selection of frozen dead baits, and you’ll be all set to go!