Catching pike!!

[Ksam1234]

So for the past month I have been targeting pike on local lake. I use a 7 ft 1 mojo bass baitcaster MH fast action rod. With abu Garcia inshore reel .. using 30# braid. My problem is I have hooked up to several pike but can never land any!! Anytime they get near my canoe I loose them and they throw the hook! Or give one last hard jerk under water and gone... any suggestions on how to stop this? Lost about 7 now

[Scott F]

Sharpen your hooks.

[Ksam1234]

2 minutes ago, Scott F said:

Sharpen your hooks.

They are super sharp. Brand new gammies treble hooks.  And the others are mustad treble. 

[Scott F]

If the hook is buried past the barb, they shouldn't come off. If the hooks are sharp, then your hooksets may not be good enough. Your braided line should make it easier to get good hook sets. What lures are you throwing?

[MassBass]

Your probably pulling hooks because you have no give in your set up. Loosen up your drag so the fish can take line. Another idea is use mono or a softer rod. 

[UPSmallie]

Not sure if using a net or not but it would greatly help increase your landing percentage.  Not much else I can think of

[Ksam1234]

5 hours ago, Scott F said:

If the hook is buried past the barb, they shouldn't come off. If the hooks are sharp, then your hooksets may not be good enough. Your braided line should make it easier to get good hook sets. What lures are you throwing?

I have been getting them on top water actually the 130 medium size whopper plopper. And got one on a crank bait rat l trap 

4 hours ago, MassBass said:

Your probably pulling hooks because you have no give in your set up. Loosen up your drag so the fish can take line. Another idea is use mono or a softer rod. 

Ok I'll loosen up my drag and try that. I have my drag set pretty hard Bc I usually just go bassin and into thick weeds and just reel the bass straight in fast. I'll try and get a better hook set then lower he drag to not yank it out

[Scott F]

It was only two. Sometimes they just don't get hooks in them, sometimes, they just shake the bait loose and throw it. It happens. If it happened 6 times in a row, it might be different. Go back and get some more, keep steady pressure but don't horse them in. You'll land them.

[Further North]

Set the hooks like you mean it and keep your line tight.

 

I land bunches of pike every year on de-barbed hooks.  I loose a few too...but it's almost always something I did, like fluffing the hookset, assuming they hooked themselves, or letting them get slack in the line.

[Crestliner2008]

An instant of slack line between you and the fish and I can guarantee he's gone. I know it can be tough in a canoe, but focusing on this one technique will land you fish almost all the time. Pike literally "kill" a bait. A hard hook set usually means a landed pike. But that one half second of slack and he's gone.

[Choporoz]

I fully recognize that this isn't any help to you, whatsoever....but for me...if a pike appears to be less than 30"....well, I usually try real hard to lose them before I gotta get slimy....and, they aren't easy to shake off....even when slacking them....if the barb is buried....losing a hammer handle is no loss

[J Francho]

1 hour ago, Crestliner2008 said:

An instant of slack line between you and the fish and I can guarantee he's gone. I know it can be tough in a canoe, but focusing on this one technique will land you fish almost all the time. Pike literally "kill" a bait. A hard hook set usually means a landed pike. But that one half second of slack and he's gone.

 

Pretty much this.  I've caught my fair share of northerns from a kayak.  In fact, one of my best spots is only accessible by kayak or canoe.  Fish Grips help.  I never use a net, I get all tangle up in them.  Here's some shots of landing pike:

 

 

 

[Doelman]

Make sure your hooks aren't bent out.  I catch a lot of pike from a canoe with barbless hooks and I never have a problem landing them, getting the hooks out of a big one next to a canoe is a whole other story though.  If your hooks are good, you just have to keep that line tight when they thrash. 

[Ksam1234]

4 hours ago, Crestliner2008 said:

An instant of slack line between you and the fish and I can guarantee he's gone. I know it can be tough in a canoe, but focusing on this one technique will land you fish almost all the time. Pike literally "kill" a bait. A hard hook set usually means a landed pike. But that one half second of slack and he's gone.

Thanks everyone I'm going out tomorrow again! Lets

hope I can land it this time. 90% of the time I get the strike on my whopper plopper 130 and the hooks on that are sticky as can be. Lets

hope I can land one this time! 

1 hour ago, Doelman said:

Make sure your hooks aren't bent out.  I catch a lot of pike from a canoe with barbless hooks and I never have a problem landing them, getting the hooks out of a big one next to a canoe is a whole other story though.  If your hooks are good, you just have to keep that line tight when they thrash. 

I have very good hooks , usually gammies or mustad.  So I'll try everyone's advice and see what happens

[J Francho]

Also, don't unrealistic with your expectations.  I'd say I may lose one in five northerns on a topwater.  This is one case where I let them take the bait underwater before setting the hooks.  It goes against my usual advice for bass, but sometime pike just snap at the bait, then move it in their mouth to swallow.  For me, that hookset is reel tight to the fish, and giving a couple tugs to drive the hooks deep.  It's not exactly the same process as with bass, where I just pop them.

[Doelman]

Even good hooks can bend out, always good to check them.  It is not normal to lose so many fish at the boat when your lure has 2-3 treble hooks, either there is some sort of tackle/technique issue or you have the worst luck in the world.

[Ksam1234]

3 hours ago, Doelman said:

Even good hooks can bend out, always good to check them.  It is not normal to lose so many fish at the boat when your lure has 2-3 treble hooks, either there is some sort of tackle/technique issue or you have the worst luck in the world.

I checked the hooks and there still sharp and sturdy. You can ask my wife..I have the worst luck in the entire world. It must be technique then.  I try to fish it like a bass and I think I'm setting the hook like a bass.. I haven't really set it "hard " like everyone is saying

4 hours ago, J Francho said:

Also, don't unrealistic with your expectations.  I'd say I may lose one in five northerns on a topwater.  This is one case where I let them take the bait underwater before setting the hooks.  It goes against my usual advice for bass, but sometime pike just snap at the bait, then move it in their mouth to swallow.  For me, that hookset is reel tight to the fish, and giving a couple tugs to drive the hooks deep.  It's not exactly the same process as with bass, where I just pop them.

Yeah usually I just kinda pop the hookset instead of really driving it.. usually I don't know it's a pike that took it untill after the hookset. Couple times the pike barely took the bait it was a little splash then boom! Reel starts screaming. So I'll try and pay attention and when I feel that huge tug I'll drive the hooks in 

[Further North]

9 hours ago, Choporoz said:

I fully recognize that this isn't any help to you, whatsoever....but for me...if a pike appears to be less than 30"....well, I usually try real hard to lose them before I gotta get slimy....and, they aren't easy to shake off....even when slacking them....if the barb is buried....losing a hammer handle is no loss

Made me laugh out loud...

 

Keeping in mind that pike are my favorite fish, and by a pretty good margin...I agree with you 100%.

 

I've been known to bring them to boat-side, horse their heads above the water and then drop the rod tip to hopefully give them enough slack to get off.

[J Francho]

On 7/28/2017 at 7:54 PM, Further North said:

I've been known to bring them to boat-side, horse their heads above the water and then drop the rod tip to hopefully give them enough slack to get off.

 

Same here.

[Neil McCauley]

What lures/baits are you using? Treble hooked lures can be nightmares to get OUT of pike so I'm surprised anyone has the opposite problem. 

 

Sometimes hook throwing is a problem with the rod and line. I think the basic idea is you want some amount of flex somewhere in the chain between you and the fish so headshakes and jumps don't make the line too tight or too loose. If the fish yanks stiff line too tight, it tears bigger openings for the hooks to come out of. Then when they move back the other way and release tension the line, it goes slack and hooks move around. The heavy/fast rod and braid line you're using is probably the issue. 

[Ksam1234]

5 minutes ago, Neil McCauley said:

What lures/baits are you using? Treble hooked lures can be nightmares to get OUT of pike so I'm surprised anyone has the opposite problem. 

 

Sometimes hook throwing is a problem with the rod and line. I think the basic idea is you want some amount of flex somewhere in the chain between you and the fish so headshakes and jumps don't make the line too tight or too loose. If the fish yanks stiff line too tight, it tears bigger openings for the hooks to come out of. Then when they move back the other way and release tension the line, it goes slack and hooks move around. The heavy/fast rod and braid line you're using is probably the issue. 

I have been using topwater baits actually. Early in the morning I throw the mid size 130 whopper plopper and they seem to go crazy for it. I was thinking maybe there not actually taking it but just hitting it or splashing at it. Or maybe the pole na braid like you said is actually to strong