Just caught my first pike on fly!

Went out on the Cam this morning - not really expecting anything, just playing with the new tackle, and got hit on the third cast. 7lb and much more powerful than expected. Great fun.

But! Discovered that my disgorger and forceps were woefully inadequate - had to get help from a coarse guy to get the hook out.

So - 2 questions:

1. Why on earth do you BLEED so much when you get nicked by a pike? I tbought I'd severed an artery until I washed off.

2. What are the best tools and methods to use for unhooking?

All advice very much appreciated,

Matt

I think they have anticoagulant in their saliva or on their teeth.
I dont know the facts but i have heard that mentioned before.

Munro

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Hi Matt

Well the reason your cut will keep on bleeding is because the Pike's teeth are covered in anticoagulant which basically stops the blood clotting, hence it bleeds for a lot longer than it would normally.

The best tip i can give you when unhooking a Pike is place the fish on the mat turn it on its back so its eyes are covered basically, then carefully slide you fingers under the gill plate up to its chin and then ease its jaw open, to safely unhook your fish you should be using some long handled forceps or a proper Pike disgorger.

A towel or dish cloth over the eyes of the fish can also be used to calm down a lively Jack.

hope this helps ;-)

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Thanks folks.

Anticoagulant makes sense. What a mess! I wonder why they have that?

Matt

Yes, anticoagulent. A lot of predators have that - means wounded prey keeps bleeding, so can be picked off at leisure later if not killed at first.

Tools: carry long nose forceps, or better still long nose pliers which will give you more grip with bigger hooks or if using trebles. Use barbless/crushed barbed hooks too, to make it even easier. The other essential "tool" is a glove - I use one of those red rubber coated gardening/industrial type gloves, on my left hand (being right handed), also ideally an un-hooking mat, which should be wetted before lying the pike on it. Failing that, use the wet net, soft wet grass etc.

Method (for right handers): If lip hooked, just flip hook out with forceps/pliers. If more deeply hooked, lie pike on side or back, head pointing to your left. Or alternatively lie pike longways and "straddle" it. Allow time for it to calm down if its still lively, insert gloved left finger gently under pike's left gill cover up under chin and lift its head/mouth up towards you. By gently pulling its lower jaw towards you you'll find its mouth will then open naturally allowing easy unhooking access. If it does flap, don't panic and pull your hand away, stay calm and it will calm down. Despite looking scary, pike are actually quite fragile so need careful handling. Allow it time to recover in the water to check its strong enough before releasing.

Congrats on your first capture, river pike are lovely specimens

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Thanks Jeff - extremely useful.

I did have forceps, but they weren't nearly long enough!

And yes - it was magnificent. Can't wait to get out again (better equipped this time...).

Have to say it was very gratifying to catch on fly just upstream from a couple guys with all the heavy course gear - up until the point where they had to come help me unhook. Though they were extremely friendly - seemed genuinely amazed that anyone would be trying on fly. Apparently they'd been there for 5 hours and not had a sniff...

yes your other members are correct in there replies but 1 thing you not mention is leather gloves with pike gag and long forceps. welders type cut short stops getting nicked by the pikes teeth. hence no bleeding. try this. regards gordon

Actually Matt, dare I admit it, you're one up on me on the fly-caught front! I've done a fair bit of bait and lure fishing for pike, but suitable pike fly fishing venues near me are a bit limited so my few attempts at fly fishing for them so far have been adject failures and I abandoned the fly rod efforts and went back to spinning I do have a couple of other rivers in mind for a go though this year though, plus one big double figure pike I have caught before on spinning gear from a small local river whom i will now be throwing a fly at, now you've got me thinking about it again!

---------- Post added at 04:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:46 PM ----------

I mentioned an unhooking glove, although I use a rubberised one (if its good enough for John Wilson.....!) but avoid gags! (a) you don't need one at all if you use the glove/chin method, (b) they can damage the fish. You won't see any modern day pike anglers using gags.

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I think a glove is going to be key...

I was meant to be at work this morning, and my fiancee will be wondering where all the bloody gashes on my knuckles came from...

Any good cover stories out there?!

Im sure i read somewhere that "gags" are to be banned, as for unhooking, just do as the rest of the guys have said and watch you dont damage the gill rakers when inscerting your fingers . B