When it comes to landing pike, a large, knotless landing net with arms of at least 36 inches should be used. Ensure that the mesh of the net is well sunk before drawing the pike over it and lifting the net sufficiently to retain the pike.

Holding the net as shown in the photograph will take the strain from the frame of the net, and allow you to carry net, rod and fish safely together to the prearranged unhooking area. If necessary, gather up the mesh to raise the pike further from the ground.

If fishing with a friend you can keep the pike in the water in the landing net while they ready the unhooking equipment.

Never lay pike down on hard or rough surfaces, always use an area of soft grass or better still a well padded unhooking mat.

When lure fishing many experienced pike anglers prefer to land their pike by hand. This is a method best used on small fish, and only when hooks are clearly visible and avoided. At all other times a net is to be preferred.

With your pike safely in the net and carried ashore, place it on a large, padded unhooking mat. Look to see where your hooks are before proceeding to handle the fish. Insert one or two fingers under a gill plate, keeping them well away from any hooks. You might like to wear a gardening glove on the hand you do this with. Lift the pike's head carefully and its mouth will usually open. Maintain this hold while you use a pair of 10-12 inch artery forceps to grip and remove the hooks - top hook first, then the lower. It is now that you will appreciate the use of semi-barbed hooks. If the hooks are in deeper near the throat, insert the forceps through the gaps in the gills below your 'holding-hand'. Please do this with great care and preferably under instruction if for the first time.

When fishing with lures, which tend to have bigger and thicker-wired hooks fitted, you will benefit from the use of pliers as opposed to forceps. Always carry a strong pair of side-cutters in case you need to cut through the hooks to aid unhooking. 

If the hooks are difficult to get out, do not cut the trace, unclip it. Put the pike in the landing net and into the water. Then seek help from another pike angler, do not feel embarrassed, we have all been there. More information for dealing with this situation can also be found on the next page.

Despite your best efforts you might still occasionally hook a pike further back than you would like, you might find yourself fishing near someone who has deep hooked a pike and needs assistance, or you might land a pike which has someone else's lost trace down its throat. Even when hooks are out of sight the pike can generally be unhooked safely provided you take care and follow the guidelines outlined here.

On some occasions the act of pulling on the trace will result in the bait (which is almost always still attached to the hooks when a pike has swallowed the it) simply popping out of the pike's throat - hooks and all. This is not always the case, but in any event if you can see the bait it is always a good idea to grip it with a pair of strong forceps and try to pull it out before starting to remove the hooks. Getting the bait out of the way makes it much easier to see what you are doing when operating on the hooks.

When there are two of you one opens the pike's mouth as described on the previous page while the other pulls the trace using any line attached, or if necessary gripping the swivel with another pair of forceps. The pull should be firm and sustained until the pike's stomach starts to emerge into the throat. Once the first hook on the trace becomes visible - working with the forceps either down the throat, or very carefully through the gills - it can be inverted and un-hooked. If necessary, bits can be cut off the hook in order to remove it with minimum damage to the fish. Carry on using exactly the same approach with the second hook - assuming that it is a standard snap tackle. Once the hooks are removed the stomach will normally retract itself.

If the problem trace is not yours it is unlikely you'll have a clue where the hooks are if none are visible but you should still try the above procedure. If the trace has already been cut pull the cut end with forceps. If this is not possible, cut and remove as much of the hooks/trace as you can and release the fish. It is reasonable to conclude that hooks left in a pike will eventually disintegrate by a combination of digestion and rusting (assuming that stainless steel hooks have not been used and for this reason they should not be). Whenever possible attempts should be made to remove any and all hooks.

Should you be fishing alone, pull the line or braid with your teeth to raise the hooks up. If there is no line attached to the trace then a piece of leather, or a pad of other material, can be attached to the swivel by means of something resembling a paper clip and this again pulled using your teeth. Be ready for any sudden movement of the fish though!

Do not forget that you are dealing with a living creature and time is of the essence. It may even pay to interrupt proceedings by putting the pike in the margins to re-charge it's batteries before continuing. The fish should not be out of the water for longer than two or three minutes at a stretch.

To summarise, the best way to avoid deep hooking pike is to use good bite detection, to pay attention to it and to strike as soon as you can. Placing the hooks towards the rear of the bait will further reduce the chances of a pike swallowing them. The use of barbless or semi-barbless hooks will make unhooking much easier should this happen. However, barbless hooks should not be used as an excuse for leaving pike to swallow baits. You might also like to consider using double hooks rather than trebles, especially when fishing with deadbaits. Always carry adequate unhooking gear - two pairs of forceps and a pair of wire cutters. Try wherever possible to remove all hooks - but don't over stress the fish in the process.

It is important to ensure that pike are always returned to the water with the minimum amount of fuss and they should not be retained for any longer than necessary. For this reason it pays to be well organised by having unhooking and weighing equipment prepared in advance. Once a pike has been weighed it can usually be released immediately. Of course, if it is a big one you might want to photograph it and your photographic equipment should also be organised before you take the pike from the water.

If you are fishing with a companion this is not a problem as they can take the photographs for you. However, if you are fishing alone you might need a few minutes to set up your camera and the pike should not be kept out of the water while you do so.

Obviously the pike will need to be retained in the water, and 'pike tubes' are recommended in preference to 'carp sacks'. Sacks can cling to the gills of a pike, and get entangled in their teeth which will affect the fish's breathing. Pike tubes keep the soft material away from the pike and the fish seem much happier in them than they do in sacks.

Wet the tube before sliding the pike into it, stake the tube out horizontally in as deep water as you can. Make sure that the head of the pike faces into any flow or wave action as this will improve the flow of oxygen through the fish's gills and speed its recovery. Once a pike rolls on its back and is left unattended it will die, so check that the pike is the right way up at regular intervals if it is kept in the tube for more than just a few minutes. Never retain pike for prolonged periods, and overnight retention is strongly discouraged.

If boat fishing the tube can be secured to the gunwales, but if you have to move the boat with the tube over the side, you should do this as slowly as possible, and certainly not under motor power. Don't move a pike any distance out of the water, either when boat or bank fishing.

When removing a pike from a tube always hold both ends of the tube while you allow the water to drain away, lie it on a soft surface and slide the pike out head first.

A pike that has recovered its strength while in a tube will be more lively than when you first landed it! Take care not to lose control of it at this stage. Be firm with it until it quietens down sufficiently to be handled easily.