Fishing for large pike is a hot topic these days, because who doesn’t want to catch a big fish! That’s what this article is about: some of the ins and outs of fishing itself, and of course, the equipment used, in this case, swimbaits, and how best to rig them.
Many swimbaits come pre-rigged from the factory as standard. There’s nothing wrong with that in itself, but when it comes to consistently catching big fish, equipment failure due to wire fatigue is not an option. I’m not saying that most swimbaits, and in particular the terminal tackle attached to them, are of poor quality; quite the contrary.
Don’t you just love these? The Original Savage Gear Linethru Trouts are just something else…
For me, only 200% is good enough, which is why I have been modifying my own rigs for ten years. In the beginning, it was fairly primitive, mainly using downrigger cable and equally strong sleeves, but nowadays we are fortunate to have a richly stocked arsenal of perfectly matching products available on the market that we as pike anglers can use.
Unlimited options, such as on this Pulse Tail Trout!
I have been using the AFW Shark Leader Cable since 2016, and although it is very difficult to obtain at the moment, it is not impossible. For me, this 49-strand is the main thing when it comes to flexible rigging of inline swimbaits, especially the well-known Line-Thru series from Savage Gear. I have caught a tremendous number of large fish with a rig like this, where you never have to worry about whether the leader, which was built into the swim bait, would hold.
For Line-Thru Trout, Roach, or others, I used to use my own rig as standard, but that is no longer necessary because the inner tubes through which the steel wire passes have been made wider, so you can happily swap rigs and don’t need a completely pre-rigged arsenal of swimbaits. I can now fish with three different colors, so to speak, with one rig, which is much more practical and gives greater flexibility.
Heavy-duty rigs, on the 30 & 40cm Savage gear Line Thru Touts!
For this, I use a combination of different products, namely the aforementioned 49-Strand Shark Leader Cable from American Fishing Wire, as well as solid rings (99kg) from BKK, and a custom-made stainless steel swivel system from Pikecraft Fishing. With the treble hooks, also from BKK, I have the perfect rig system ready for various large swimbaits. I adjust the size of the treble hooks to match the width of the swimbaits. For example, for a 40 cm Line-Thru Trout, I use 2x BKK Spear-21SS in 5/0. This comes standard from the factory with 3 treble hooks. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I want to fish with a different system.
Many rigging options are available on the Savage Gear Whitefish Shad!
When trolling large swimbaits, which also have a wide body, the treble hooks must protrude slightly beyond the body. If this is not the case, you are bound to miss bites. Now I can hear the complaints in the background about the use of large treble hooks and how they can damage a pike’s mouth, but with the line of a thicker treble hook, and the Spear-21SS in 5/0 is really not that thick, a fish suffers much less than with a thinner line, for example. The weight of the fish is distributed more evenly and is also adjusted to the size of the swimbait mentioned above. A larger treble hook is immediately secure and will not wiggle or twist during the drill, which is exactly what you want.
It’s a BIG Bite, the 40cm Line Thru Trout, but the right rig makes the deal!
I adjust my treble hooks according to the size of the swimbaits. If it is in the 40-35 cm range, for example, then it is either 2x 5/0 or 5/0 in front and 4/0 behind. If I go smaller, and we end up in the 30-25 cm range, then it is 4/0 in front, or if necessary, also 4/0 behind. If we go even smaller, below 25 cm, we end up with 3/0, etc. So I always try to adjust the size of the treble hooks to the profile of the swimbaits.
This works the same when fishing with softbaits. By perfectly matching the hook choice, you not only get better action, but the hooking is also drastically improved. I do this for myself as well.
The right rig perfectly matches these Line Thru Roach in 32cm!
I often spend long days on the water, where in summer, but also in autumn, for example, days of 10-15 hours are no exception. In this case, I often ‘gamble’ on a single bite, at least that is the aim. More is always a bonus, but as a rule, getting a bite and then keeping it is the first requirement. The last thing I want during this type of fishing is to have to worry about whether the lure is okay or whether I should have given it an extra touch at home.
By perfectly balancing the terminal tackle under my swimbaits and equipping them with quality gear, I know that even with a weak bite, I will catch 90% of the fish. We must also remember that in this type of fishing, which consists exclusively of catching really big pike, a fish of, for example, 115+ or even 120+ (4ft) or larger will have no problem with, for example, inhaling a 5/0 treble hook setup. The mouth opens, and the whole bait disappears. If you want to be able to hold such a large piece of artificial bait gripped in the fish’s mouth, without the fish using it as a lever to wriggle free, then your equipment must be optimally matched!
Big 5/0 hooks, to match the body profile of the biggest Line Thru softbaits!
In addition, fishing with swimbaits takes place in deep water, and in any case, deeper than 3.5m. The fish often come from far away, and the bites are rock hard. When you fish above the transition zones from deep water to very deep water, looking for the strike zones, a fish can easily make a shot from, for example, a depth of 12 m (location) to the hunting zone 3 m below the surface. This happens at considerable speed, and it often happens that the fish overshoots, so if you don’t have the bottom of your swimbaits in order, you literally won’t hook anything. That’s another reason to focus as much as possible on careful rigging.
The edge where trolling big swimbaits might be able to do their ”magic” on Navionics Relief Shading!
I hope you have learned something new from this article, or perhaps gained a different perspective on how things can be done. I am not suggesting that you should now fish this way, but perfecting certain aspects will certainly help and offer many advantages. I also consciously choose to connect the part that runs through the Line-Thru swimbaits with the Shark Leader cable. Firstly, because this always runs through the pike’s mouth, and secondly, fluorocarbon or something else can of course also be used, but I don’t want any stretch in this part. Fluorocarbon has no stretch, but it is flexible in that it has a harmonica effect when there is a hard bite from behind, creating a momentary slack in the leader connection!
Big Pike heads!
All in all, a lot of information about a fairly simple subject, where it is precisely the simple things that can make a big difference. The magic of the swimbait underwater does the rest, namely attracting big fish to the steep, and when everything comes together, you know you’re in the right place!
Good luck on the water,
Christian Drost
