Teach me how to catch Pike...1 Tip?

[stelmon]

My dad is taking me to this lake with lot's of pike. What is your best tip for pike so I could have a chance at catching one?

[Alex]

The best way to catch pike is with live bait on a slip bobber. But if your not a huge fan of messing with bait like me a variety of lures will work. For pike I usually use obnoxious colors, bright oranges, greens, and yellows. These are my favorites and will bag a good number of pike.

- 3/4oz yellow rattle trap. The bigger/brighter the better. This will catch pike in any lake and is usually the first thing I try. Great over grass/weed beds.
- Firetiger husky jerk - good for fishing weedeges and trolling.
- Chartruese spinnerbait - another good weedbed/weededge bait
- 3/4oz Yellow hair jig tipped with pork rind - This is a deep water jig. In the heat of the summer big pike go deep. This bait will find them, but it is slow.
- Spoons are always a classic lure as well.

Depends on when and where your going, but I would start in weedbeds 8ft deep and move deeper or slower depending on the water temp/time of year.

[stelmon]

Thanks alex

[Sailor]

Alex gave you very good advice! But the very best way to catch them is in the winter- Yooper Style!
1) Chop a hole in the ice.
2) Open a can of peas(Freshlike works best).
3)Sprinkle the peas around the hole.
4)When the Pike comes up to take a pea-kick him in the ice hole!

[tubejig]

Stelmon, what time of the year??
and where (MI, Canada)?????



tubejig

[DEERSLAYER]

A 1 oz. 5 of diamonds Dardevel spoon {yellow with 5 red diamonds on it}. Best fishing often dosen't start untill between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Big Rapala's are good and some people swear by spinner baits, but my 5 of diamons has never failed me. Hope this helps stelmon.

[skinne]

ive always had good luck with johnson silver minnows tipped with a white mister twister but i would have to say it depends on the lake and the day and all the baits listed above work well also good luck and let us know how you did.

[ESOX]

When and where are you going, Stel?

[Hunt4Ever]

For Pike I like live bait. The bigger the better for me. It is important to get bait that is lively and wants to swim. It can get expensive because you will find that even a "hammer handle" pile will take a sucker as big as he is.

If you want to throw harware, I like almost anything with flash. I prefer BIG Mepps spinners with big silver blades. Big blades means 2-3 inches. Fish them slow, fast, stop them, fish deep then right on the top. When a pike grabs it, you will know. It is a great feeling. You will want to run a good swivel to prevent line twist. I have never been a big fan of steel leaders, I just use 8lb test and cast away.

Post your pics!

[rookie1]

I am going to try to get in to some pike this year also, I caught one once before by accident. I was wondering if there is a time of day or weather conditions that will make these fish more likely to bite?

[ESOX]

Rookie, it is all a matter of water temps and time of year. If you are looking for HOGS in the summer, find the coolest water you can. Coldwater feeder creek mouths, or the depths are the way to go. In the spring, any patches of emerging weeds are a good bet. In the fall, inside turns in weedbeds are excellent, especially in 6-9'. Small Pike are found shallower and warmer than the brutes, and will take just about anything that comes within reach.
The key to consistently catching Pike is to use a big enough lure, they generally aren't going to chase down a 3" Rapala, you'd have to put it right in the fishes nose to get a hit.

[ESOX]

Splitshot, I have to agree with you there, Smelt and Suckers work like a charm.

[robin]

As a kid I lived near Mill Creek in Lapeer County. That little creek was full of pike. I didn't know that until one day I when I was watching a couple of field workers fishing in a hole that I only thought held bullheads, carp, and rock bass. These guys had a package of cleaned smelt and rigged each behind a spinner. It was working for them. I found that I could throw just about anything at them to induce a strike.
I also fished quite a bit each summer in Lake City. The lake was full of pike back then, although I heard that you'll now find more walleye and smallmouth. Anyway, the lure that always topped all was a red eye daredevil ( silver with two red beads toward the front- the 3" size if I remember correctly). Any time I'm on a lake that I think may hold a pike, I always give it a cast or two.

[stelmon]

Were going to a place called dead stream swamp.

[discdrag]

live bait, live bait, live bait. ive found that they like suckers and shiners equally, but suckers always last longer-some even live through two or three pike, my second choice would be a spinnerbait or big crankbait fished deep with a wide wobble