fav. pike lure

[TheOriginalFishaholic]

My best two baits for pike have always been...

1. Johnson Silver Minnow, 3/4 oz. with a 6" white worm trailer; and,

2. Bettencourt Baits Slop Rodent

The first bait works in just about any situation you can run into; the second one is an awesome topwater bait for working fish out of heavy slop (being a river backwater/slough fisherman this situation presents itself quite often).

Of course, if you're fishing a wilderness lake/flowage in Canada any bait in your box will take pike. ;D

[VolFan]

7" Super Flukes are easy to find usually.  Also, Sluggos used to be made in  10' version I thought,but I'm having trouble finding them.  Big hooks, 6/0

[VolFan]

10' might be a little big.  You can get the 9" and/or 12" from their website.  The 9" would be agood compromise of action and size.

[J Francho]

I've caught hammer handles on 10" Double Cowgirls.... A 10" fluke or Slug-O isn't too big.  Some of the largest pike in a population subsist on smaller pike in the 12-20" size.

[VolFan]

I didn't say it was too big, I was just saying if he's going for action and size, the 9 might be a good compromise. If he wants size, by all means use the 12 or something even bigger from saltwater. It's hard to get too big for pike/musky, the limiting factor is usually being able to cast the big baits all day.

[VolFan]

If you do use the big baits, make sure you're heart is up to the exertion and the strikes, and get a BIG net.  You'll basically be trying to land something the size of a very unhappy small human being...with sharp teeth.

[J Francho]

you don't need a net, a Boga or Fishgrip, and set of 12" pliers.

[VolFan]

Or you could use a cradle, but with a guy that's new to pike/musky, I thought a net migt be a little easier, more familiar and more secure. But to each his/her own.  I guess the point is, be ready to handle a big fish, with teeth, at the boat/shore.

[J Francho]

Cradles area pain, too. The FishGrip is the most accessible, at $12.  The negative is that it does not have twisting grippers like a Boga.  Net is fine for little guys, but you really want to get control of a big fish with a face full of 5/0 trebles. Speaking of trebles, replace the with Owner frog hooks.  Remove all hooks BEFORE bringing the fish in the boat.  When you grab them, you hold a smaller fish from the top of its head, just behind the gills.  Be sure to support the belly on larger fish.  You can use the gill cover as a handle as well, but use the outside of the closest gill, not inside where the sharp gill rakers are.  This is where most people get cut.  When releasing, just set them upright in the water, and support them under the pectoral fins, and give them a few moments to replace the lactic acid in their blood with oxygen.  No rocking, or swishing needed.  They'll simply slither away, and maybe give you a splash with their tail.

[J Francho]

Some illustrations:

Landing with a FishGrip:

Good hold technique:

Fishgrip keeps your fingers away from hooks

Here's a fail, get the hooks out 1st!

Pike LOVE expensive crankbaits:

They also love cheap spinnerbaits.  Use T-1 if you want them to last more than one fish, LOL.

[Tin]

My biggest pike always come when I'm bass fishing. It seems like fast moving reaction baits are what they love. We have one lake that is 1000 acres and is a big puddle, the deepest it gets is about 7' and it is all reeds and lily pads. Those things love frogs and buzzbaits. I have caught a few around 10 pounds out of there and every tourney someone is bound to get one between 15-20 pounds. If you go there with flukes or slug-go's, you can bang out 20-30 pike in a day generally in the 4-8 pound range.

[VolFan]

Great illustrative pics J. Especially on the fail. ANd I certainly agree with you about the accesibility of the Fishgrip at $12.

[J Francho]

Crazy Germans!

http://www.bigcatchtv.de/video/vu0_hechtangeln-als-k-der-dient-eine-digicam-mp4

Note at the end, "How not to hold a pike!"

[Rich Tehan]

I know how to land a pike.  Just wondering how to better target them.  I will try some big soft jerkbaits.  Anyone ever use these jointed soft jerkbaits that I've seen.  Some are weighted internally and others come with a big jighead.  One was called "the super shad" I believe. Can't remember the companies' names, but I saw Larry Dalberg fish a bait like this

[J Francho]

Find cooler water and weeds.  They spawn in creeks at ice out.  Season up here opens May 1.

[Hooligan]

Not to hijack this thread but I suppose this is related: I've caught pike on quite a few baits, but usually when I'm fishing for bass. I've been watching the Hunt For Big Fish a lot lately and I'm getting Essox hungry. I've learned that they react well to baits with the right SOUNDS. But what about ACTION? I was intending to throw some swimbaits for Pike and Muskie next season because of their lifelike action, but should I be throwing the right SOUNDING baits like spinnerbaits or buzzbaits?

Swim baits have a sound underwater.  Some of the biggest fish we've caught in years past are on big rubber.  I love Suzie Suckers, for instance.  Hard Swim Baits are excellent, too.  They're becoming more and more popular because they are so effective.