The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

On contemplating a return to pike fishing after a gap of many years, it seems that getting hold of a supply of suitable baits has become very much more difficult than it used to be.

Independent fishmongers? Gone nearly extinct, at least round here. Supermarket fish counters seem to have taken over their role, but what they have on offer locally (Surrey) is a disappointment. Occcasionally one sees a few undersized and broken sprats, very, very rarely sardines. Herrings or mackerel sometimes, but very expensive and usually a bit too large.

Any ideas - what do you chaps do?

Hi Peter ,
The first ( but rather expensive) stop is the local tackle shop who will have a freezer stock of baits . The blast frozen ones by " Baitbox" and " Ammo" are really good . Lamprey is very good but in short supply so prices are high . Bluey ( a type of Garfish ) is excellent and again expensive . Smelt is great too but I prefer the slightly bigger ones which again seem expensive .
My local supermarkets have excellent fish stalls where you can buy Herring etc for a much better rate than the tackle shop . Sardines can also be bought off the slab or I order a frozen bag from the guys at the stall . Sardines are the business ! I use them frozen and wrap the trace with baiting elastic to make sure it stays on .
A lot of the Herring , Mackerel , and Bluey baits that I use are halved so you can get more for your money .
I must admit to not using Sprats . I dont know why ....maybe I should try them ?
Dont forget freshwater baits as well always worth a go especially wobbled .
Tight Lines

Many sea anglers swear by this company:
http://www.baitsrus.com
I have not used their services myself. Maybe worth a try. Good luck, Bobby

Morrisons are by far the best place for deadbaits.in my opinion.Herring are £4 a kilo,and FRESH,Tescos are £5 a kilo and about a year old,saying that Tescos have been selling mackerel,herring and sardines at half price for the last month or so,so I have been stocking up,Always have a few bags of sprats in the freezer,a handful in each bag only costs about 60p,take a bag with you just in case you have one of THEM days(all to rare these days)Also if you have got a Chinese warehouse near you go in there and have a look in their freezer.Never buy deadbaits in a tackle shop unless you are rich

I have never seen smelt, eel, lamprey, roach, & other non edible fish in Tesco or any other food supermarket!! The only things I buy from them are frozen sardines by the box and mackerel. The rest is from a tackle shop or mail order.

I have probably caught more pike on mackerel than any other bait. Smelt, eel & lamprey coming a good joint second.

As mentioned, Morrisons are the best supermarket for dead baits, sprats and sardines always available.

You used to be able to by a kilo bag of frozen sardines at the supermarket but I haven't been able to get them for ages.

I tend to prefer buying frozen as the 'fresh' are often far from it. I'll only buy mackerel that still have bright red gills rather than the dull purple ones often on offer. If you poke the fish and the dent remains or is slow to return to normal shape then go and buy a spinner, its not fit for humans to eat so a fish is likely to refuse it.

I do sometimes buy from a tackle shop as their blast frozen baits are reliably fresh. Smelt, sardines, joey mackerel, lamprey and small trout are my favourites.

Thanks, gentlemen for the many helpful (and very quick!) replies. I may have to seek out a Morrisons - not one of my most local supermarkets, which are all Sainsburys, but may be worth a special trip by the sound of it.

Useful too to hear views on the deadbait order of merit. In my long-past piking days I recall sardines were pretty good for static styles, but sprats were a good choice for wobbling as they stood up better to repeated casting. It was however always hard to get sprats of a big enough size. Herrings and mackerel were good too for static fishing. I've read the other thread here about trout deadbaits and there seems a consensus that they are less attractive to pike.

When I used to set Trammel nets on the beach my friend who loved Pike fishing had every Smelt I caught and swore by them as a supreme bait. If you visit the coastal towns the local tackle shops usually carry a range of frozen baits.