Fish-Hawk.Net

I've been burning the big baits since late May on the Ottawa river. I have hooked douzens of smaller pike, 24 to 28 range, some lil fatties.... My biggest was 35 inches and a measly 7lbs...Why couldn't that one be a fatty? I catch and release them all with great care...I love my toothy critters.

Fished all winter with live bait and caught two small pike and countless walleye... I guess I shouldn't complain about that...

Anything over 30 inch impresses me now. When I talk to some of my friends who have guided in Western Ontario, they say they have douzens of 40 inch pike under their belt...The water is warmer here and the Ottawa river east of Ottawa is a huge waterbody with all the feed pike and muskies could ask for. Where oh where are the big pike?

I can't wait to see the documentary of the Ottawa River by Jacques Cousteau's neice I think it is...

Can you guys encourage me and tell me your story of a 40 inch plus pike in the Ottawa river east of the city...

The biggest pike I've caught out of the Ottawa was 33 inches and i catch a bunch every year, i'm sure there's the odd 40 incher somewhere in there but the Ottawa river is an amazing musky factory, i like targeting pike for the action on a good day you can catch dozens but if i'm looking for a 40+ incher i'd be going after musky. My buddy caught a 51 incher a few years ago and if you know John Anderson you know there's lots in there.

I would suggest you to fish deeper, it's too late now to find large pike shallow this time of the year.

Big pike are in the ottawa bud, you just got to keep trying. I have caught a couple in the high 30s and close to 40, and in a couple of different spots no less! They have all come when we had late springs and the water was still very cold. In a river at this time you can find almost any fish in a current break or obstruction like a wingdam or a island. Also look for the warmest water and you should hook up into bigger ones. In the summer time you better have a boat cuz they are deep in the boulder fields or hanging at the bases of big weedlines.

I had a conversation with a guide out of Rockland who said worthy pike are scarce in the Ottawa and he's a walleye phenom... I have learned not to doupt what this guy says by experience... I hooked another 30 plus this morning. I was sure it was a musky. It took line off my corvalus tightened for 10 inch jerkbaits.... Still no 40 inches...Maybe I should stop complaining and just enjoy the fight!!!

If you'll keep fishing shoreline, this is what you can expect this time of the year.
Move deeper, you will get less action but bigger fish.

If they exist I guess people don't catch them...I've trolled for pike in spring, I've fished them with live bait under ice, very late ice....It's sad to say but I think I am more likely to catch a musky by mistake under the ice than catch a 40 inch pike in the Ottawa river east of Ottawa.

Remember Pike (especially big ones) like Cold water... fishing the shallow and warm water will get you small pike and musky.

I caught a couple last year in 8 feet of water just at the weed edge of a small bay. A storm was coming in and they turned on. The spot I caught them could have easily been hit from shore with a bomb cast so they're in there. Saw a pic of a monster pike caught near Petrie the other day (from a boat) and I caught 3 Monday night in the 30" range there as well.

Hope you get what your after sooner than later.

I'd love to see that Petrie picture if you can track it down! There are great pike in the 30-36 inch range. And I have also found that some days, they are just on. 30 inch fish jumping clean out of the water to hit a giant jerkbait or topwater...

To find 40 inch Pike you'll need to go up river where I wouldn't say they are common but many are caught every spring. They are sadly a rarity in the stretches around the city.

RJ

Well I usually don't post spots but your a good fisherman rex and seems like your working hard so here it goes. I have caught one and seen 2 other BIG pike underneath the jacques-cartier bridge on the quebec side. The really big brutes will be directly under the bridge, they dig big ditches when they build these bridges, and the water is deeper here than most places. To catch them I have had most of my luck with bass baits, ie. zara spooks on top and twister tails on heavy jigheads and wire leaders during the day. You can try to upsize your baits, but alot of people who fish there do that so try to be different and you will up your hooking percentages. This spot is good year around, your best chance at larger fish comes in the fall time when they move up shallower. Hope you try it out its a great spot, post your results and let us know how you fare,
good luck

tbone1088 wrote:Well I usually don't post spots but your a good fisherman rex and seems like your working hard so here it goes. I have caught one and seen 2 other BIG pike underneath the jacques-cartier bridge on the quebec side. The really big brutes will be directly under the bridge, they dig big ditches when they build these bridges, and the water is deeper here than most places. To catch them I have had most of my luck with bass baits, ie. zara spooks on top and twister tails on heavy jigheads and wire leaders during the day. You can try to upsize your baits, but alot of people who fish there do that so try to be different and you will up your hooking percentages. This spot is good year around, your best chance at larger fish comes in the fall time when they move up shallower. Hope you try it out its a great spot, post your results and let us know how you fare,
good luck

I will definitely put a few days in there to see what happens... Thanks, expect a thorough report...

@tbone1088
If you mean the bridge that is under repair right now the depth in that area is 7ft even on the back side of the first piling so no way you can fish there without boat and get any deeper

ildogg wrote:

PIKE 44inches.jpg

That's one of the biggest pike I've seen out of the Ottawa, amazing catch bud! Imagine catching her through the ice