Question for the Pike Ice Guys?

Post by **trapperdirk** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 1:24 am

Biggest live minnow I can find and suckers are usually the victims that get pierced by a hook .I also catch herring on some of my lakes which I freeze and use or I even will buy them . Big bait for big pike and dead bait doesn't concern them and if anything they prefer it often . . I also jig for them with the other line using a big williams spoon or a white bucktail jig with a chunk of sucker belly . Both work well for lakers too .

TD

Post by **Fishhawk** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 8:38 am

Good thread guys,

I often wondered about the smelt in the supermarkets. To me, they look like fish and smell like fish and are the right size for the bigger predators that swim around, and the price is even right too if you are into pinching pennies.

Five or six years ago we were using smelt on our rigs when drifting for muskies. They were bought at the supermarket when there wasn't a sucker to be found in a bait shop in Eastern On.

We didn't have even one encounter. So naturally we thought there was something wrong with supermarket smelt as bait. I asked one of the most experienced anglers I knew at the time and he simply shook his head and said - don't bother - they don't work.

I says "Why? They have all the right ingredients!" And he suggested that the preservatives / additives were the reason why they never worked for him and probably why they never worked for me. I was crushed - I thought I had discovered a huge source of bait at the Independant.

I'm no expert on supermarket smelt and have no idea if what my friend said is true, I just know that we started catching large predators again when we had the large suckers and chubs (dead or alive) on our rigs. That was just our experience with them.

Maybe pike are less discriminating than muskies when it somes to additives? I'm sure when they have the feed bag on that they won't mind anything meaty thrown down the hole.

Post by **Pints** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 9:01 am

Has anyone tried frozen sardines? I know they come whole and are in the 4-6 inch range. I'm not sure of the price for a bag or how many are in it, but I do know that you can get them. I would think that the oil content of a sardine would act like an attractant. Maybe on my next ice fishing trip I will give them a try and let you know how they work.

Post by **Rob** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 9:36 am

Never tried the smelts, but the Portugeuse sardines that I have tried came with a mixed sucess rate, although I did find that I normally caught larger pike just not as many. I normally tend to use the larger dead bait towards late ice in the shallows.

Post by **BBRich** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 10:15 am

Small baits = more bites

Big baits = bigger fish

It's a compromise.. I find a good 4-5 inch shiner works best for the mid-range fish, and you never know when you might hook into a trophy fish.

I have used frozen sardines and smelt and had minimal success with quick strike rigs.

Interestingly this year I have found that the pike are only hitting a jig/minnow combo and not a simple minnow on a quick strike rig (like I used all of last year). Maybe that has something to do with the first/mid/last ice time period?

Post by **Shad** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 2:14 pm

I agree, excellent post!

My hardwater experience for Pike is nill but do alot of ice out open water Pike fishing and find the Pike would still be in certain area's during hardwater.

Does anyone prefer the chubb/large minnow to be alive or dead or inbetween maybe? Someone had a good tip about cutting the tail off!

WHen I concentrate on ice out early season Pike a trick is to get a large bait or actual chubb/large minnow to the bottom and just let it sit there. Pike, expecially larger ones I find prefer an easy meal and like dead fish laying at the bottom for them as they are an easy target. Does this apply to for hardwater or do you find lifting the chubb/minnow every so often works better?

Post by **Coyote** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 4:23 pm

I like using live minnows, but have had good results using dead ones also, someone told me that it doesn't matter as minnows play dead whenever any large fish come close

.Is there any truth to this??

Any other tips would be greatly appreiciated as i got skunked today Boo Woo, but there's always tomorrow.

Post by **Manny** » Sat Dec 31, 2005 12:00 am

I have found that jigging for pike gets more bites. To be honest, I can't remember when a nice spread of tip-ups caught more pike then an honest day of jigging. Not only can you cover a pile of water, jigging also entices more bites then a stationary set-up. Also, it's way more fun getting pike on a jigging rod. The strike is often hard and the fight is alot more entertaining then the dacron hand-bomb.

Whistler jigs with a 4" minnow or a no7 rap with a tiny minnow on the treble. Tried the no9 raps but the 7's just work better, IMHO.

Manny

Post by **duber** » Sat Dec 31, 2005 10:03 am

I like to put the largest shiner i can get on a dead sick or tip up and then jig in a hole about 6 feet away with a big shinny spoon .Most of the big ones are caught on the tip-up but i think the flash from the spoon is what gets them in the zone.I have never tried frozen smelts or sardines but i have used dead shiners with some sucess.

Post by **bottom feeder** » Sun Jan 01, 2006 4:47 pm

Thanks for the info. I have a new ice combo and will give the pannies a try on Wed. when I am off.Has the bait shop got the new license forms in yet?

Post by **bottom feeder** » Sun Jan 01, 2006 4:47 pm

Thanks for the info. I have a new ice combo and will give the pannies a try on Wed. when I am off.Has the bait shop got the new license forms in yet?

Post by **Big Bass 444** » Sun Jan 01, 2006 7:22 pm

Big Bass Rich wrote.....

Interestingly this year I have found that the pike are only hitting a jig/minnow combo and not a simple minnow on a quick strike rig (like I used all of last year). Maybe that has something to do with the first/mid/last ice time period?

I aggree 100% with him about the pike bite so far this year. I find this kind of strange though......since tommorrow will be my first real full day of fishing @ Mc laurin Bay I will be using a special approach that I call the box. This should should work well.

I use 4 windlass tip' ups in each corner with live minnows 5-7 inches long.
In the middle of the box I will be jigging a large spoon with a half a minnow on it. This should get pikes attention.
Each tip`ups will not be more than 20-25 feets apart. No more than 1 hour and 15 mins. will be spent at the same spot if the bite is slow.
I will be fishing in 9 to 15 feets. Minnows will be sitting from 1 to 2 feet off the bottom.

Want to join me sent me PM......I will be reporting with pics tomorrow night.

Post by **Jigs** » Sun Jan 01, 2006 9:37 pm

Big Bass Rich:

Always have found early in the ice season, jigging spoon (Williams half and half mostly) with or without a minnow catches lots of pike.

Last few years had really good luck with a Williams Dartee in blue and white, mid size......no minnows there either.

Jig up about a foot, let fall, let set for a bit, repeat. Mostly they hit when its just sitting.

My experience only. Others may vary. Don't care. Just MHO.

Regards: Jigs.

Post by **Coyote** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 3:22 pm

yes on the forms bottom feeder, i picked up my new license on saturday at petrie.