How do I rig dead baits properly for pike?

The modern standard is the quick-strike rig: two small hooks (trebles or singles) on a short wire trace, one nicked near the tail, one near the dorsal, so the bait is held horizontally and you can strike the instant a run starts instead of letting the fish swallow. That immediacy is the whole point — the old "let it run and count to sixty" school gut-hooks fish and belongs in the past. Fish the bait on or near bottom by spawning-bay mouths, weed edges, and drop-offs; oily fresh-dead baits (smelt, cisco, herring) out-plume everything else. Check local rules first: dead-bait species, rig types, and rod counts are regulated differently across jurisdictions.

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