POPPING UP PAYS

MY PATERNOSTER rig is very versatile – it can be fished with baits hard on the bottom or popped up. When casting over a clean, hard bottom I like to start with the bait there and then experiment if no runs are forthcoming by popping it up.

Popping up baits for pike allows you to present them over weed. Given that pike love to lie up in weed, this can make all the difference between a blank and a day to remember.

So how do you pop up a deadbait? Some coarse deadbaits float because the swimbladder is intact, but be aware that if they are still frozen the ice will increase the level of buoyancy and they will sink when they thaw out.

I use two methods to add buoyancy to baits – balsa wood sticks and foam poppers. Balsa sticks can be bought from craft shops, and I like to use sticks 5mm in diameter. A length of about 50mm can be pushed into the bait with forceps. With a little experimentation you will soon be able to judge how long a length is required to pop different-sized baits up.

Foam poppers are best attached by passing the bottom treble on the trace through a loop of nylon tied to the popper. Foam poppers are typically red, which adds a little visual attraction to the bait.

Once you have made your deadbait buoyant you need to decide how high you want to pop it up. By adding SSG shot to the trace you can choose how far the bait sits off the bottom. I like to test my baits in the margins before casting out to ensure I have added enough shot to just sink the bait.

By doing this you can ensure that the bait descends very slowly and will sit on top of any weed. In thick weed I tend to pop baits up the whole length of the trace, but if there’s little or no weed I like to experiment and vary the distance I attach the SSG shot. Sometimes pike will prefer baits with the tail almost touching the bottom, while on other occasions a bait well off the bottom is more successful. Foam poppers add buoyancy.