The best description of pressured fish I hv ever heard!! I watched this 3x 2 mk sure it sank in...lol. I'm an American n we hv very Lil access to pike but n our small rivers...n alot of people hv taken up fishing as a hobby since covid. N our presence alone has changed the way we fish w/ lures n the last few years. Excellent info!! U hv MY vote sir!
Great tips Thom so informative as always .Sharing your knowledge. Nice to see you posting up a video hope you and your family are well look forward to next one tight lines
Funny thing about this video. I watched it a while back and i was talking to a family member about it when i was out fishing with him a few days ago. The venue we fish is _'heavily pressured'_ when it comes to carp so I did totally the opposite by targeting the pike and perch. Hardly anyone fishes for the pike or perch at this venue to the point where the pike are so neglected that they are being caught with luncheon meat and boilies rigged on a hair rig while fishing for carp, But I digress... Small lures.... I rigged up a 9g spintail lure barely the size of my thumb - I catch a lot of fish with it which is great, but i hate using it because even the smallest perch can hit it and unhooking a perch the size of a fishfinger with trebles in its mouth can lead to a bit of an adventure when unhooking so i keep it in the box for the extremely hard days when ive tried everything and not had no luck. Anyway, It was a hard day so i rigged up the spintail for some perch. had a few casts with it and i hook into a pike that was a hair under 15lb. --- To put it into context, Ive been to this venue 3 or 4 times with heavier spinning gear and throwing bigger lures to catch the pike and it didnt matter what lures (and i've tried just about everything!) i was using, I always blanked. Ive seen big pike being caught on tiny spikey shads all over youtube but i never thought that i would ever encounter a similar situation but it absolutely got my heart beating when i saw it wasnt a log that i had 'snagged' but a big pike that had decided to have a go at it!
Awesome I love your story 👌👌👌 That’s the great thing with lure fishing…. Constantly change until you understand what they respond to. It might be they are pressured, it might be that they only feed on small fish diet, or it might be something about the vibrations of a spinner they really like. Keep trying to figure it out and your results will get better and better. Great catch by the way a 15lb pike on perch gear is a great fish
Nice 1 thom im liking the hollow teez definitely gunna give it ago also I fish my local canal atm its crystal clear and im struggling to locate or even find anything is it because the water temperature as dropped or just clarity or even both any tips great stuff hope you win BTW 👍
Yep when temps drop and water goes clear, they will definitely shoal up. Probably get miles of empty water and 1 big shoal. When you find 1 you’ll have a great day!
Another great informative video. Good luck with the Lure Angler of the Year!! Tried to vote but the link is not working. You touched upon scents, any chance of a dedicated video on adding scent to lures…curious to see when/where it can give an advantage…keep up the good work👍🏻🎣
Hi Thom That is nice video as always. I Like Your energy 👌 Pity You didn’t answer any of my comments/questions but of course I know how busy life has become. Luckily You live off fishing ! I will keep on watching anyway ! All the best Maciek
@@Thomhuntfishing Hello! No worries got it. Have You ever fished for pike when whitefish spawning late autumn? That is one interesting subject for me but not too many info around the web. Apart from that You are doing great job and all the subjects are worth listening.
Any advice for a section of water that has been poached a lot? I find lines tied with rope all over the place, the cut down now tho but its been hammered and i think its still getting hammered There is still big perch about because iv seen them come out on different methods. Iv fished the place 5 times short sessions and only caught a pike. It's like a big basin of canal with a inflow then it stretches off up the canal. The basin with the running water entering was always a hotspot but its been hammered. Any advice welcome. I'm thinking head on up the canal more now.
I nearly always start on a ‘feeding’ style bait as I’m an optimist! I want to hope they will be feeding that day! However a few scenarios spring to mind to fish a reaction bait. Mostly it’s when the fishing is tough and they are inactive. It’s then possible to get a ‘reaction’ out of them when a standard bait won’t. I’ve literally seen big perch in clear water just slowly mooching about and spent 30-40 minutes throwing shads, creature baits and drop shot at them with ZERO interest. No follows, no twitching to even look at the bait. Just swimming around like my bait was invisible. I’ve then put on bright green/yellow crankbaits and had a fish 2nd cast. A reaction bite bypasses their ‘thinking’ brain and goes straight to their ‘instinct’ brain. However another scenario would be (ironically) when they are actively feeding and soooo tuned in to a bait source (tunnel vision) that they won’t look at anything else. They’re feeding on Roach fry….. even the best Roach imitator lure still doesn’t produce a response….. that’s the time something totally different MAY just get their attention. But again, there has to be a big trigger…. Speed, bright colours, big flashes…. Something that creates an instinct response where they just lash out. As a general rule…. Start on a feeding bait, if no luck and you KNOW you’re covering fish, try a reaction style bait 👍🏻
Yep… always remember, a feeding bite will be way better for a days fishing compared to a reaction bite. A reaction bite is generally trying to force a response from an inactive fish, and most fish will ignore it and stay inactive. However a few will bite but never loads, so you have to stick with it and expect only a few bites, but more than you’d get if you stuck to a normal bait
Thanks for the reply! Loving the videos by the way. Very detailed and extremely insightful. Plus it's coming from one of the best in the world. Unmatched
The best description of pressured fish I hv ever heard!! I watched this 3x 2 mk sure it sank in...lol. I'm an American n we hv very Lil access to pike but n our small rivers...n alot of people hv taken up fishing as a hobby since covid. N our presence alone has changed the way we fish w/ lures n the last few years. Excellent info!! U hv MY vote sir!
Thanks man I appreciate the positive comment. Glad it came across clearly and hope these principles help you catch more fish
I've been doing really well fishing a 4cm creature bait for pike on pressured waters so what your saying is spot on about negative experiences
Superb explanation Thom 👍👍👍
Great advice and knowledge Thom ,thanks mate.
Great tips Thom so informative as always .Sharing your knowledge. Nice to see you posting up a video hope you and your family are well look forward to next one tight lines
Another great video! Congratulations on your award, it is well deserved.
congrats on the baby! thanks for the video i ve learnt new things again. i just cant comprehend that depths of your knowledge, its mindblowing.
Quality advice as per Thom. Thank you!
Thanks Kenny 👍🏻
Can you do a video going through what sized hooks and types of hook you'd use with different sized and shaped soft plastics, cheers 🤙
Hi Tom, yep this has been asked before actually so I should make one on that subject soon!
Funny thing about this video.
I watched it a while back and i was talking to a family member about it when i was out fishing with him a few days ago. The venue we fish is _'heavily pressured'_ when it comes to carp so I did totally the opposite by targeting the pike and perch.
Hardly anyone fishes for the pike or perch at this venue to the point where the pike are so neglected that they are being caught with luncheon meat and boilies rigged on a hair rig while fishing for carp, But I digress...
Small lures....
I rigged up a 9g spintail lure barely the size of my thumb - I catch a lot of fish with it which is great, but i hate using it because even the smallest perch can hit it and unhooking a perch the size of a fishfinger with trebles in its mouth can lead to a bit of an adventure when unhooking so i keep it in the box for the extremely hard days when ive tried everything and not had no luck.
Anyway, It was a hard day so i rigged up the spintail for some perch. had a few casts with it and i hook into a pike that was a hair under 15lb.
---
To put it into context, Ive been to this venue 3 or 4 times with heavier spinning gear and throwing bigger lures to catch the pike and it didnt matter what lures (and i've tried just about everything!) i was using, I always blanked. Ive seen big pike being caught on tiny spikey shads all over youtube but i never thought that i would ever encounter a similar situation but it absolutely got my heart beating when i saw it wasnt a log that i had 'snagged' but a big pike that had decided to have a go at it!
Awesome I love your story 👌👌👌 That’s the great thing with lure fishing…. Constantly change until you understand what they respond to. It might be they are pressured, it might be that they only feed on small fish diet, or it might be something about the vibrations of a spinner they really like. Keep trying to figure it out and your results will get better and better. Great catch by the way a 15lb pike on perch gear is a great fish
Thanks for these great advices. Honestly I think your channel is not known enough (likes/subscribers) comparing with the value/quality of the content.
Nice 1 thom im liking the hollow teez definitely gunna give it ago also I fish my local canal atm its crystal clear and im struggling to locate or even find anything is it because the water temperature as dropped or just clarity or even both any tips great stuff hope you win BTW 👍
Yep when temps drop and water goes clear, they will definitely shoal up. Probably get miles of empty water and 1 big shoal. When you find 1 you’ll have a great day!
Another great informative video. Good luck with the Lure Angler of the Year!! Tried to vote but the link is not working. You touched upon scents, any chance of a dedicated video on adding scent to lures…curious to see when/where it can give an advantage…keep up the good work👍🏻🎣
Thanks Micheal, yes I think the voting stopped a few days after I posted this but good news…. I did win Lure Angler Angler of the Year 🎉🍾🤩
Great video Thom ;)
Hi Thom
That is nice video as always. I Like Your energy 👌
Pity You didn’t answer any of my comments/questions but of course I know how busy life has become. Luckily You live off fishing !
I will keep on watching anyway !
All the best
Maciek
Hi Maciek, sorry if I missed it your question. Let me know again here what it is and I’ll put it on my list 👍🏻
@@Thomhuntfishing Hello! No worries got it. Have You ever fished for pike when whitefish spawning late autumn? That is one interesting subject for me but not too many info around the web. Apart from that You are doing great job and all the subjects are worth listening.
Hi, I’ve fished in Denmark before in lakes with whitefish but never when they are spawning. What country are you based in Maciek?
@@Thomhuntfishing Based in Poland 🇵🇱
Great advice Thom, I tried giving you my vote but the link wasn’t working when you posted. I reckon you will smash it anyway 👊🏻
Any advice for a section of water that has been poached a lot? I find lines tied with rope all over the place, the cut down now tho but its been hammered and i think its still getting hammered There is still big perch about because iv seen them come out on different methods. Iv fished the place 5 times short sessions and only caught a pike. It's like a big basin of canal with a inflow then it stretches off up the canal. The basin with the running water entering was always a hotspot but its been hammered. Any advice welcome. I'm thinking head on up the canal more now.
When do use big big lures in UK waters? Time of year, certain conditions?
Hi Lee, don’t worry already got your question on my list will make a vid ASAP for you 👍🏻
Hello Thom, the link doesn't work. maybe it's because i'm outside the UK.....
Hi Wes, seems my timing wasn’t great and I think the voting has stopped now. Thanks for trying though I appreciate it
When would you fish a reaction bite over a feeding bite and visa versac
I nearly always start on a ‘feeding’ style bait as I’m an optimist! I want to hope they will be feeding that day! However a few scenarios spring to mind to fish a reaction bait. Mostly it’s when the fishing is tough and they are inactive. It’s then possible to get a ‘reaction’ out of them when a standard bait won’t. I’ve literally seen big perch in clear water just slowly mooching about and spent 30-40 minutes throwing shads, creature baits and drop shot at them with ZERO interest. No follows, no twitching to even look at the bait. Just swimming around like my bait was invisible. I’ve then put on bright green/yellow crankbaits and had a fish 2nd cast. A reaction bite bypasses their ‘thinking’ brain and goes straight to their ‘instinct’ brain. However another scenario would be (ironically) when they are actively feeding and soooo tuned in to a bait source (tunnel vision) that they won’t look at anything else. They’re feeding on Roach fry….. even the best Roach imitator lure still doesn’t produce a response….. that’s the time something totally different MAY just get their attention. But again, there has to be a big trigger…. Speed, bright colours, big flashes…. Something that creates an instinct response where they just lash out. As a general rule…. Start on a feeding bait, if no luck and you KNOW you’re covering fish, try a reaction style bait 👍🏻
@@Thomhuntfishing okay gotcha, so start by jigging if you find fish obviously finesse, otherwise chatterbait, spinnerbait, lemon tiger sorta stuff
Yep… always remember, a feeding bite will be way better for a days fishing compared to a reaction bite. A reaction bite is generally trying to force a response from an inactive fish, and most fish will ignore it and stay inactive. However a few will bite but never loads, so you have to stick with it and expect only a few bites, but more than you’d get if you stuck to a normal bait
@@Thomhuntfishing okay brill
Hey! Is that a Piscifun Alijoz baitcaster on the heavy setup behind you?
Not sure but I think it might be…. A friend gave it to me
Thanks for the reply! Loving the videos by the way. Very detailed and extremely insightful. Plus it's coming from one of the best in the world. Unmatched
Wow thanks for the kind words Noel I really appreciate it 🙏
It would be dumb not to vote for you…
Thanks Louie, yes about 2 weeks after I posted this video I was crowned Lure Angler of the Year! Thanks for your support
Great advice Thom, I tried giving you my vote but the link wasn’t working when you posted. I reckon you will smash it anyway 👊🏻
Hi John, many thanks and yes I managed to win 🙏🙏🙏