Select a 20 to 35 inch piece of wire or fluorocarbon, allowing a few inches for crimping. For wire, titanium or sevenstrand stainless steel wire will suffice in for most water conditions. Flourocarbon is much more abrasion resistance and has less stretch compared to monofilament which essentially means its fairly tooth resistant. In clear water situations, flourocarbon is necessary despite the sharp teeth pike possess. Personal preferences for leader material vary between wire and flourocarbon.
The quick-strike rigs presented here allow for a horizontal, natural deadbait presentation. Fixed hook positioning results in deadbaits held in an unnatural, upright position.
Popular baitfish to select for deadbait include herring, smelt, sardines, least ciscoes, whitefish, and longnose suckers.Ī variety of commercial manufacturers make quick-strike rigs that work for presenting deadbait, yet there is a problem as it pertains to the hook positioning. When selecting deadbait, choose oily baitfish that give off that putrid stench. Depending on the length of the bait, the distance in between both hooks should be 2 to 4 inches. To properly rig deadbait, the end hook is inserted slightly behind the dorsal fin of the baitfish with the upper hook inserted near the tail. Many ice anglers generally nose hook or dorsal fin hook bait, and the success rate of these single-hook rigs are exceptionally low. Hook positioning on quick-strike rigs is important because if not rigged properly the bait rides in unnatural position in the water column, thus resulting in low percentage hook-ups. One hook of the treble is impaled through the bait, leaving the remaining two exposed for hook-ups. The function of hooks on quick-strike rigs serves two purposes – to hold the bait and hook the pike. Two hooks or tandem-hook designs remain the ideal standard for quick-strike rigging. It was apparent that tandem-hook rigs maximized hooking efficiency for several reasons: (1) increased probability of hook-ups, (2) pike are hooked shallower in the mouth thereby making hook removal easier, and (3) angler can set the hook instantly, rather than letting the fish run – hence the term “quick-strike”. The study concluded that quick-strike rigs are effective presentations for minimizing catch-and-release mortality. Terry Margineau, a Wisconsin DNR (WIDNR) fisheries biologist published a study that demonstrated that large single-hook (#10/0) livebait rigs killed fish because anglers waited several minutes for fish to manipulate their prey thereby resulting in lacerations of the stomach cavity. This concept was demonstrated by the Wisconsin DNR on a population of muskies. Although an effective presentation, it otherwise proved detrimental to the survival of post-released fish. A typical northern pike bait rig consisted of a large single or treble hook attached to a wire or fluorocarbon leader with livebait or deadbait impaled on the hook. Although several variations in existence, these rigs shared a fundamental design: a hook attached to the end of a 15- to 20- inch section of wire with a second riding a few inches above. The introduction of quick-strike rigs came into play approximately 30 years ago, working off an elaborate European design. With catch-and-release angling becoming increasingly popular, quick-strike rigs have been successful in minimizing post-release mortality and increasing hooking efficiency. As a bonus, the putrid smell given off is transported through underwater currents which allow pike to use their olfactory senses to locate the bait. They represent a large, stationary profile to hungry fish, triggering instinctive strikes. Even though trophy sized northern pike have been caught on livebait, deadbait is still as equally effective. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) regulations state that the use of live bait is illegal and this is done as a conservatory method to prevent the introduction of invasive species to Alaska’s native fish populations. Compared to anglers targeting pike in lower 48 watersheds, there is an important difference as it applies to presenting bait on tip-ups in Alaska.
During the ice fishing season, hardwater anglers utilize a twofold combination of vertical jigging techniques and tip-ups presentations to catch them. Our unique approach enabled this PE firm to quickly restore their distressed portfolio company’s EBITDA performance to levels that attracted a buyer willing to pay a handsome price-one that nearly doubled the investment value at exit.Northern pike are one of the dominant piscivorous predators that roam Alaska’s freshwater lakes and river systems.