Anybody not use live bait for pike on tip-ups?

[rosencra38]

Just wondering if anybody has ever tried anything other than live baits on their tip-ups for pike? I'm growing tired of putting a minnow on my hook and freezing my hands in the process.

[sea nympho]

The In-Fish crew rarely uses live bait for pike, instead using large deadbaits on 'quick-strike'(tandem treble) rigs,as it works much better with their highly-mobile approach to ice fishing. No bait buckets, etc..., just frozen dead suckers in ziploc bags.

I've tried several times w/ limited success versus livebait fished simultaneously, and as scientifically as possible. Livebait works better according to my tests;).

[wartfroggy]

I use alot of dead bait, depending on the lake. Dirty water and rivermouth lakes such as PM, Manistee, Muskegon, ect, seem to be good lakes for dead bait. I use mostly smelt, sometimes alwives that I either catch or pick up off the beach. Alwives and smelt are nice because they are alot cheaper than live bait, easier to transport, and you don't have to try to keep them alive! Dead shiners or suckers work too. Other guys I know have used frozen herring and done well. It is like anything else, sometimes it works better, other times live bait is better. I use mostly large swedish hooks but quick strike rigs work well too.

[FISH21]

I use frozen dead suckers on my tipups and have pretty good luck with them. The other day the hole with the dead sucker was gettin all the flags and the one with the live sucker didn't get any.

[house]

Nice football Fish.

[PoleHolder]

dead smelt plus quick strike rig works well for me, especially later season.

[William H Bonney]

I've used smelt that I bought in the grocery store before,,, cleaned and every thing. They were just chunks of meat,, no scales, no heads or tails. I couldn't keep that thing in the water,,, the pike and bass were smackin' that thing before I even set it down.

[roger23]

dead smelt plus quick strike rig works well for me, especially later season.

Me too :)

[Radar420]

For the people who use dead smelt, how do you keep them from floating up or does the quick-strike rig prevent that? I've used frozen smelt and they're awesome but they always seem to float back up a little until they thaw out a bit. I know the swedish hook would prevent this but I don't want to use one.

[PoleHolder]

I have jammed split shot in the gullet when frozen, but I try to thaw several in the microwave or on the heater in the truck on the way to the ice. Once thawed, ziplocked and kept in a pocket works well.

[FISH21]

To make them sink u need to pop the air bladder. I just stab the sucker 3 or 4 times with a knife...plus it helps release scent into the water which attracts more pike:)

[sweetblu]

I use alot of dead bait, depending on the lake. Dirty water and rivermouth lakes such as PM, Manistee, Muskegon, ect, seem to be good lakes for dead bait. I use mostly smelt, sometimes alwives that I either catch or pick up off the beach. Alwives and smelt are nice because they are alot cheaper than live bait, easier to transport, and you don't have to try to keep them alive! Dead shiners or suckers work too. Other guys I know have used frozen herring and done well. It is like anything else, sometimes it works better, other times live bait is better. I use mostly large swedish hooks but quick strike rigs work well too.
i could be wrong but with all this bs about baiting and minnow use is it still legal to pick up dead fish say from lake michigan and use them on inland lakes?

[icefishermanmark]

To make them sink u need to pop the air bladder. I just stab the sucker 3 or 4 times with a knife...plus it helps release scent into the water which attracts more pike:)

Bingo. Or you can just squeeze them and the air should come out.

[A_Outdoorsman]

minnows from Lake Huron aren't aloud in other lakes including inland.

[shadow]

minnows from Lake Huron aren't aloud in other lakes including inland.
especially dead :rant: look up VHS, thats the whole reason minnows are so expensive right now

[TUCKER]

is too find a big heavy nail, cut off the head of the nail, and ram it inside the belly of the dead minnow letting it lay along the belly. This usually makes them sit perfect in the water. I swore I would never tell anyone of my secret but it is Christmas time and I am feeling generous;)

[TrekJeff]

Cool, I do a simular thing...the flexable lead/pencil I use when steelhead fishing

[wartfroggy]

For the people who use dead smelt, how do you keep them from floating up or does the quick-strike rig prevent that? I've used frozen smelt and they're awesome but they always seem to float back up a little until they thaw out a bit. I know the swedish hook would prevent this but I don't want to use one.

I also use nails, even with swedish hooks a big smelt will ride head high. You want them to sit level in the water. I don't bother cutting the head off the nail or any of that, just slide one in the mouth or inside the gill plate. Helps get them to sink and sit level.

[wartfroggy]

especially dead :rant: look up VHS, thats the whole reason minnows are so expensive right now


yeah, well that wasn't a big concern 10 years ago when we used to have alwives to pick up on the beach. They aren't around anymore, so I don't do it now. If a big school comes in, I may thrownet some out of the channel for the freezer. And as far as an inland lake, PM lake may be inland but is connected to Lake Mich though the channel (where I net the alwives) so I am pretty sure I am not introducing anything. I see where you are going, but no need for your :rant:.

[bentrod]

What about using a dead perch, easy enough to get? How about sucker, carp, or dogfish strips from summer caught fish, or even a pike belly caught recently? Are smelt caught on, say Crystal Lake, legal?

bentrod