First on the line goes a run ring. Then a rubber tulip bead, followed either by a Gemini clip or a Gemini clip swivel attached to the braid by an eight-turn uni knot.
Tie a mono link to the run ring. You need the lead on a link, as opposed to just sliding on the line for a couple of reasons. One, less tangles as it sinks. With a heavy lead fishing straight off the main line, it can tangle with the trace as the rig sinks.
Fishing drains and rivers, you often need to let the rig sink on a slack line so the bait stays tight to the far bank shelf, that sexy bed of Norfolk reed or some other feature.
Two, you can cast a lot further with the lead on the link if the lead's either the same weight as the bait, or - if you want to get max distance - a bit heavier. For max distance, try baits like a six-inch lamprey section rigged head-up.
Make sure your baits lie straight in the freezer, because if you get a bend in one it'll spin on the cast reducing distance or worse-still, causing a tangle if it turns around the main line on the way out.
I generally fix the link slightly shorter than the trace when I'm fishing the bait on the bottom. When I'm popping it up, I use a longer link.
Either way, I use clear 15lbs Amnesia for tying up links. I doubt the pike can see it, but it's a seriously-robust mono. If I think I'll need to change leads, I tie one of the smaller Gemini clips at the end. If not, I just tie the lead on.
Tighten down to it, as you put the rod in the rests to - hopefully - await some action and you're tight to the bait and the run ring. It might look crude, but it's quite sensitive when you think about it.
Some people use leger stems. But when you think about it, the stem doesn't do what it says on the tin once you tighten up to the rig, because the stem lies over.
Basic stuff, compared to some of the rigs you see these days for fishing for carp or other species. I doubt there's a better way of legering for pike.
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