I use a wire trace and two treble hooks, one hook through the lip and one nicked in his back next to the dorsal fin. I like a 6 to 8 inch steel leader from the hook in the lips. Smelt and herring and mackerel are perfectly legal. I think there are restrictions on using perch as a bait, but I'm not sure. I always just use mackeral and herring, because they smell good to the pike and stays on the hook well for casting. I like to make sure they are mostly frozen, or just slightly thawing. There are pike in Long Lake, but I'm not sure if the numbers are high enough to warrent deadbait fishing for them. There are also alot of pike in the lakes east of C'dA but they are probably frozen over still. I don't use a bobber, but lots of British Fisherman do. I get a hit, they run off line and then stop to turn the fish. I usually wait a couple seconds after that and reel in extra line and set the hook as soon as I feel the fish. Most of the time the pike is hooked in the mouth. I have a excellent pike fishing book with detail rig photos and techniques that your more than welcome to borrow.
