Avoiding Teeth

[Rick Howard]

This is latest into the fall as I have ever fished. Despite the occasional hook up I am struggling to find the bass. I am however, finding pike with frequency. Large ones at that. I've lost enough tackle already... Buzz baits, spinner baits, crank baits, swim jigs, flipping jigs. Any tricks on avoiding these toothy monsters? The pike like the same areas as bass. Ive tried all the fall bass techniques I've read about. Finding the bait. Fishing wood and rocks in the cold morning. Finding green weeds. Still pike lol.

I assume when a monster pike makes a home it negatively effects that area for bass. I have caught bass then a northern just a yards from that bass but I have never caught a bass within shouting distance of an area after catching a large northern. Anyway I'm sure there are folks that target northern and get sick of catching bass lol.

[Catch and Grease]

I've went bank fishing for a few hours at the same lake 4 days in a row and all I have caught was one small bowfin...

[bigbill]

I enjoy what ever strikes and fights. Bass or chain pickerel it's all good.

A big 32" pickerel actually ripped off my first successful spinnerbait. I need to use steel leaders.

[A-Jay]

I know exactly how you feel.   I deal with the same thing here.

 

 The early fall is tough.  Big pike will move right into prime spots and the bass that were there will move right out and the only way to know is to fish it & find out. 

The Common response here is that bass don't hang with big pike and I'd agree that this is more or less correct.  But what is not mentioned is that these spots WERE GREAT bass spots Until the Pike moved in.

 

Bass usually move to the next best available ambush spot and take up a post there.  It's a skill to recognize one from the other.  Especially when the "New" bass spots are often Very Non-descript. 

 

 I hate losing tackle so I rig with tie able wire.  American Surflon Micro Supreme 7 x 7, Toothy Kritter & Not2Kinky all work. 

 

A-Jay

 

 

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/162396-fat-rage-blade-pike-video/

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[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Pike started biting off my lure regularly about 3 weeks ago. After about 6 loses I finally tied on my wire leaders and have caught 3 pike since no bite-offs. Get a leader of some sort wire,fluoro, tieable wire. Im only using 5" wire leader cause pike arent very big that Im catching 25" or so.

[Basspro3106]

I've lost more money on lures in one month than two years worth of fishing. I've stopped throwing cranks and spinners and started doing more finesse fishing that way I only lose less than a dollar when I get broken off.

[bigbill]

I use Mann's spinnerbaits with the eyelet. I tie on the steel leader with the locking snap swivel.

[WIGuide]

Around here, you find both northerns as bass mixed in together. Musky's usually tend to move bass off their spots, but northerns don't seem to. Like I said that's around here so it could be different elsewhere. Steel leaders are crap and not worth it. I've lost more fish using those than line alone. If you're really careful and basically throw them out after every use you might be ok, but I don't bother anymore. The tie-able wire works though, but I have snapped that too. I could have a bad batch though. They make really heavy fluoro leaders that can work, but I think they might kill the action of most bass baits. You other option would be to simply learn how they fight. Most of the time you can tell as pike don't shake as much and just take off in a specific direction. If you feel that, DO NOT horse them. Play them very lightly until you can get a hold of the fish, or get it in the net. Also, get used to the fact that you will lose some baits. There's a reason I don't buy many high dollar baits unless I get them on some sort of super sale. 

[RHuff]

A local lake I fish a lot has just gotten quite a few Musky in the last few years. I had one hit a Rapala Shadow Rap in stained water about 4 feet from the boat. Thing absolutely came up out of nowhere.  It made me flinch when it struck. It struck and jerked its head side to side and got off. I don't see how something like that doesn't get hooked. It scratched the paint off the wooden bait. Craziest thing I've ever seen. I'm not afraid of any type of fish species but that thing absolutely freaked me out. I wouldn't know how to hold one if I actually did catch one. 

[bassguytom]

When pike are around I use a 30 lb. flouro leader tired to my braid. It's a pain but I don't lose as many lures and still catch bass.

[Rick Howard]

I was unaware that tie able wire was available. I will get some.

My wife is a true city girl. Has no idea what a pike is. So last night I brought one one for her to see. 34-36" roughly. I didn't bother to measure, I just wanted to get him back in the water.

Chain Pickerel.... Never saw them here till a few years ago. Now... You can't go a day without hooking at least one. I'm not sure what happened but the last few years they have exploded here. We've always had a healthy northern pike population though. Every now and again some one catches a musky too.

[Rick Howard]

I had a pike cut my 40ld braid recently. If I hook them in the side of the mouth it's fine and I can manage to keep them from getting the line crossed their teeth. But some of the fish are big enough to fit the entire lure in their mouth... In which case... It's over before I have a chance.

That fish got in the boat using a 6'6" fenwick eagle and a pflueger president spinning gear with 10ld Pline. Ate my swim jig. Hooked the corner of its mouth. I instantly knew what I had on the line. Lucky for me I kept his head from crossing the line. I had to walk around the boat a few times lol.

[Catch 22]

I was unaware that tie able wire was available. I will get some.

My wife is a true city girl. Has no idea what a pike is. So last night I brought one one for her to see. 34-36" roughly. I didn't bother to measure, I just wanted to get him back in the water.

Chain Pickerel.... Never saw them here till a few years ago. Now... You can't go a day without hooking at least one. I'm not sure what happened but the last few years they have exploded here. We've always had a healthy northern pike population though. Every now and again some one catches a musky too.

 

I noticed that too. I was surprised to see so many in Ontario  and ST Lawrence

[MidwestF1sh]

A local lake I fish a lot has just gotten quite a few Musky in the last few years. I had one hit a Rapala Shadow Rap in stained water about 4 feet from the boat. Thing absolutely came up out of nowhere.  It made me flinch when it struck. It struck and jerked its head side to side and got off. I don't see how something like that doesn't get hooked. It scratched the paint off the wooden bait. Craziest thing I've ever seen. I'm not afraid of any type of fish species but that thing absolutely freaked me out. I wouldn't know how to hold one if I actually did catch one.

"Flinch" = scream and jump like a little girl! Its happened to me a few times. They're hard to hold but just get them by the gill plate and hold on tight!

[Rick Howard]

Yeah be careful your fingers don't go up through he gill and into its teeth. I used a rope for this one. I've been cut enough times when the flop. Ordinarily I would just toss the fish back using the net and would not shove a rope in there but under the circumstance this one got roped.

I've had pike species off all take the lure right at the boat. Like a streak of lighting from nowhere. Had a chain pickerel jump right out the water after a spinner bait as it dangled above the water Post retrieve. Darn near landed himself in my boat for me. Every time it happens it still makes me flinch. They are interesting fish. Clearly built for a purpose. Toothy torpedoes.

[Yumf2]

ive always kind of noticed in central wisconsin where i live they are almost always mixed in. it doesnt seem to affect were the bass hang out, its just that they are sharing the same food source. it sucks but ive gotten used to catching hammer handle northerns when i bass fish. they have stolen more money in frogs than i care to count. Thats probably why my grandpa used to give them "less than gentile releases"

[WRB]

Certainly not an expert on pike although caught a lot them musky and walleye fishing while visiting my in laws over the years. Never used braid or wire leaders, 25 lb Big Game is all I use back then for musky and 8 lb P-Line CXX for smallmouth and walleyes. I remember being bite off 1 time when a big pike missed a Suick jerk bait by 3' in front of the lure, getting wrapped in the line and cutting off at the gill plate.

Musky and big pike have round jaw teeth the line tends to fit in between, the sharp cutting teeth are way inside the mouth, most lures never come in contact with those teeth, unless you are using live bait.

Caught 46" / 26 lb and 52" / 37 lb musky on my smallmouth tackle using jigs and 8 lb P-Line, both fish hooked in the upper jaw.

I would suggest using 25 lb Big Game and don't worry about being bite off. Never caught a pickerel!

Tom

[RoLo]

I assume when a monster pike makes a home it negatively effects that area for bass.

 

You're right about that.

 

Between pike & bass, the northern pike is the dominant predator.

While a bass has to swallow a pike whole, a pike can chomp down on any size bass  (Dentures reign supreme)

When 'gator pike' infiltrate a holding site in fall, the fishing for snot rockets & bass will take a conspicuous nosedive.

Not to worry, when you're done fishing for the toothed gators that patrol the 8 to 16 ft deep cabbage beds,

move up to a waist-deep vegetated flat where bigmouth bass aggregate to hold down their tooth-free zone ;-)

 

Roger