How do I handle the head-shake without losing the fish?
The pike head-shake — including the airborne, gill-flaring "death rattle" at boat-side — is engineered to throw hooks: a huge flat head whipping side to side multiplies leverage on every hook point. Counter with geometry and pressure: keep the rod loaded and low, sweep it sideways opposite each run, and never give slack in the pause after a shake — that microsecond of loose line is when lures come flying back. At the boat, resist lifting the head clear of the water; a big pike's most violent shakes come the moment its head breaks surface, so lead it into a deep net or cradle while it is still submerged.
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This answer is one piece of a longer lesson — setups, diagrams and the reasoning behind it.
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