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Pike in Weirpools

Alan Tomkins

As for many anglers, weirpools have always held a great fascination for me. They always look as if they must contain enormous fish of all species, and undoubtedly they do. Catching these fish however is not so easy, as they tend to live in very specific areas. I have fished Thames weirs for pike for some years now, and have caught many pike from them. Whilst it would seem that in the main, the average size of the fish is not all that high, this is made up for by their fighting power. I have had 3lb jacks from a weir put up more fight than stillwater doubles. If you are only interested in big fish, then perhaps these weirs are not for you, as you will probably have to wade through many scrappy single figure fish before you take a big one. But if you want plenty of action, to a variety of methods, or some relief from sitting over two deadbaits somewhere out in the pit, then consider these weirs. How do you go about fishing these pools? No doubt other anglers will have different ideas to mine. I shall describe the methods that have caught me many pike over the years, and given me a great deal of enjoyment. I should at this point say that all I am about to write applies to winter fishing, as I rarely fish these pools for pike in summer.

Firstly then, location. Vitally important, as in all angling. And with the constant changing of currents in the weirs, the fish are not always in the same place. I get the impression that they move around in packs, as often I have had 3 or 4 fish in 15 or 20 minutes, then nothing for perhaps an hour, then as quickly, 2 or 3 more. It is of course far easier to locate pike than many other fish, as you can fish a moving bait until you catch something, and then fish static baits in that spot. What I do is to put a deadbait out in a likely spot, then fish a moving sprat on the other rod. If the pike are feeding they are soon found. They can be anywhere, in fast or slow water, but where they virtually always are in winter is on the bottom. And if I had to plump for a certain spot, it would be a slack adjacent to fast water.I have also found the nature of the bottom to have some relevance, picking up far more fish where the bottom is stony then where it comprises of silt or mud. This may sound like a contradiction, as you would expect the slacks to have silty bottoms. But remember the ever changing nature of the weir-pool. What is a slack one day can become a raging torrent the next. So, find your fish by spinning, in one form or another, then fish that area hard. I leave a static deadbait out all day, and fish a "spun" sprat on the other rod. Takes to each are normally about equal.

Secondly, conditions. The main factor which will affect your fishing is the state of the water. Height and speed do not seem to matter too much, so long as you have access to some sheltered areas. What will put the pike off the feed is coloured water. I have yet to have a good day when the river is coming down like cocoa, and in such conditions I head for the nearest pit! In my experience, the clearer the water, the better the prospects. Weather conditions are not so important except where they may affect the water. I prefer traditional piking weather, a good hard frost, particularly as this usually means the river will be running clear. Heavy rainy weather will often mean a dirty river, thus limiting your chances.

So, we have our perfect day, a frosty morning, followed by a dry but not too bright day. The river is running clear, and at normal height. How do we go about catching these pike? I have never fished livebait in a weir-pool. To be honest, I can't imagine them being any better than deadbaits. On some days the action to two deadbaits is as much as one can cope with! I should imagine any method of live-baiting would work. Try it. One of the most enjoyable ways of fishing a weir is to trot a bait down beneath a small float, especially if, like me, you are the possessor of an old Allcocks aerial centrepin. I try not to use a sliding float, as this results in the bait rising to the surface when being held back, and when being retrieved. A small pilot float with a stick pushed through it is sufficient to support a sprat or other small fish, though you may need a bigger float and some lead down the line to get the bait down in strong flows. The float should be set so that the bait is close to the bottom, and then trotted down paying particular attention to overhanging and submerged trees, especially if growing from banks which are not usually fished. You can hook the sprat in several ways. The two I use are both straightforward, and both have advantages and disadvantages. The first is simply to use a single treble, size 6 or 8, and put one or two points through the back by the dorsal fin, so that the bait hangs in the water at a natural angle. Obviously you won't get many takes when retrieving the bait, and perhaps not so many when holding back when using this method of mounting. But it does seem the best for straightforward trotting, particularly in slacks and eddies, where you can let the bait move slowly around for long periods. The other method is to use a treble, again size 6 or 8, and a single mounted about one and a half inches up the trace. Put the single, a size 4 is ideal, through the eye sockets, and push one or two points of the treble into the flank of the bait. It will now fish hanging tail down on the trot, but when held back or retrieved looks much better than the sprat mounted amidships. While producing generally less takes on the trot, this method will be more effective when held back or retrieved. Try both - each has it's day.

So much for trotting. Another deadly method is the static deadbait. It doesn't seem to matter what you use for bait. Sardines and sprats have both worked well, as have trout. The method you use to present the deadbait will be dictated by the current between your bank and the area you are fishing. Normal leger tactics with two small (8 or 10) trebles in the bait are the most useful. VB doubles are excellent in small soft baits, though you may have to tie them on with cotton to prevent the bait coming off when you reel in. Bite indication can be tricky. It is often impractical to use a float with a legered bait, though where possible, the overdepth slider probably provides the best indication of all. The current may preclude the use of a bobbin, but where conditions allow, bobbins or drop off indicators can be used. At times the current may be so strong that all you can do is to prop the rod up beachcaster style, and watch the tip. Fortuneately, these weir pike don't seem as fussy about resistance as some of their stillwater brethen, and this rather primitive method of bite indication works well enough. Last, but definitely not least is "spinning". I use the word spinning loosely, to cover the use of both artificial and natural lures. Artificials catch plenty of fish and on some days will outscore other methods. However they do not figure greatly in my winter fishing. Pike in winter usually want a bait very close to the bottom. Weir pools can be very snaggy, and to fish an artificial properly you could end up snagged on every other cast! There are ways around this, such as weedless spinners, or floating plugs pulled slowly around on leger gear. You can try this if you wish. Personally I have far more confidence in natural baits, the humble sprat being excellent. You will of course still get snagged, but if you put two points of the treble into the bait, then you can cut this down to a minimum. I mount the sprat in the tail down manner as previously mentionned for trotting. It is best to use lead to get the bait down, and this can be in the form of either swan shot, or a sliding bomb. It is essential that you retrieve slowly, and that you feel the lead dragging the bottom. When a pike takes you will feel the line go "heavy", and you may feel the pike shaking it's head. Wind down and tighten with a lowish sweep, and keep everything very tight for several seconds. If you start pumping too soon, the slack line may enable the pike to spit out both bait and hooks. Lastly, let me describe the rig I use for fishing the retrieved sprat. I have the wire trace in two seperate pieces, as I feel this gives the bait more natural and attractive movement. The reel line is tied to a 12 inch trace with a normal swivel at one end, and a link swivel at the other. The other part of the trace, the business end, is made up as follows. Using only a 3 or 4 inch les.

The next things I looked at were the baits I was using, and the presentation of them. Herring and sprat had produced a few fish, and some good ones, but didn't seem very consistent. Mackerel has never been a very successful bait for me, though I have to be honest and say it has been largely neglected due to the success of my favourite three deadbaits - sardine, trout and eel section. These were firmly established before the smelt cial, you need only unclip the short trace and clip on the lure in it's place. There are several alternative methods of fixing the single hook (see diagrams), and all work equally well. It can also be fixed lightly so that it is free to slide on the trace if you prefer that. I don't consider it neccessary to remove the barbs on the treble, as you will be tightening into the fish immediately it takes, thereby hooking it in the mouth. A couple of final points. If you do use the trace described above, never be tempted to use it without the 12 inch plain trace above it as this will inevitably result in lost fish swimming around unable to feed because of your hooks stuck in them. And the bigger the fish the more likely you are to lose it! And don't fish fine - there is absolutely no advantage in doing so. All you will do is leave baited traces lying on the bottom for pike to pick up after your line has broken on a snag. There is an advantage here in using soft baits. If you do become irretrievably snagged, then your efforts to free your tackle usually result in a soft bait falling off the hooks - providing you are using line strong enough to enable you to give it a good tug! I unashamedly recommend 15lb b.s. There is no merit in being broken by a pike.

Enjoy your fishing and treat the pike with respect. Most weir pool pike may be on the small side but they will give you plenty to do until the big one comes along. And if you do manage to hook one of the very big fish, which are undoubtedly there, then you really will have a battle to remember.