Mick Brown's Top Five Deadbaiting Tips

Pike angling legend, Mick Brown has kindly written UKPA his top five tips for successful deadbaiting on stillwaters and rivers.

There’s rarely any need to use large baits. 6 to 8 inches is perfect and this allows mounting them for an efficient and reliable strike. They will be much easier to cast too. Two size 6 trebles set 3 inches apart is perfect.
When legering, especially when the water is very cold, set up for minimal resistance or you may suffer dropped runs. Use a paternoster style of weight link which will not pull the bait down into weed and debris.
Float fishing is the more sensitive method if you use the correct float. An unloaded pencil is best, offering very delicate bite indication. Set the rod on rests and tighten down until the float stands up. It will lay flat as soon as a pike dislodges the bait.
For best results you need to consider the scent trail coming from your deadbait. Use the freshest baits possible. If they are on the stale side, enhance them by puncturing, nipping off the heads or lacing them with a liquid attractor.
Although it’s a deadbait, movement in it can provoke a strike from a passing pike. Try moving the bait a few feet every now and again to encourage the pike to inspect it, it often works.

Beware of casting your deadbait into a snag – rivers are notorious for them. Test the swim first of all with just a lead on the rig and feel for snags like sunken tree branches.
You will often need extra weight on your rigs to hold them still in the current but don’t overdo it and cause unnecessary resistance, especially when float legering. Have a range of weights with you rather than using the same one every time.
Where river swims are few and far between, as often happens on fast shallow rivers, try feeding the swims with a few chopped fish and fish them in rotation, baiting each time you leave them. It often draws pike to them from the faster surrounding water.
Wobbling deadbaits tends to work very well in shallow rivers with a little pace. A slim fish like a small dace works well but slim sea baits like smelts and small herrings can work too.
Its well worth trotting deadbaits in moving water. You get to show the bait to more pike and also learn about the contours of the swims. Aim to get the bait close to the bottom in cold weather through trial and error, being careful not to snag up.

Mick Brown is sponsored by Shimano and Dynamite Baits