Ice Pike Artificals???

[lvrider]

Anyone catch pike on artificals through the ice? Seems like every ice pike come on a flag soaking bait. Maybe I dont drink enough but waiting for flags is boring.... Id like to get a nice pike on the rod and reel. I am sure no one really wants to talk about their lures just curious if it can be done without waterdogs or suckers. I might have to try run and gunning with a big donkey tube at the mile n see what happens. Ive got a few big lakers now its time for some pike. I would whack someone else with a club before id whack a big fish with one. I need some tail shots of pike going back in the water to put on exploiter for all the meatheads who wonder why theres no big fish left! Ive already done it with the lakers!







Altough I could ask you guys and all that would end up happening is my damn gf catching the biggest one of the trip.

[Mountain Maggot]

Really nice macks.  You should do well on pike.  Try west of Stoll Mtn point over the weed beds.  Tight lines

[Bigassbassman]

Of course you can catch pike on the jig stick.  You can find them all over the Mile more than willing to hit Kasty's and break you off.  Right Slayer?     I've had luck using a silver Kasty with orange stripe early in the morning.  But if you're actually targeting them on purpose, make sure to use a heavy leader.  I use a 60lb fluoro leader and a rod with some back bone.  You don't want to loose a trophy if you hook into one.  There are plenty of other lures/jigs pike will hit - try anything that mimics a wounded baitfish.  Experiment and have fun.  Check out the "Pike" board on Ice Shanty for a ton of information.  http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?board=39.0

They sure can be fun to fight on the jig stick!  Good luck--- oh, and if you land a trophy and plan to release it for your friends on the other website, try not to stick your hands in its gills.  Just a bit of friendly advice. 

[NeFiShNeTiMe]

Big pimples do the trick

[lvrider]

I gill plate grip the Lakers so I don't drop them on their head. Although I'd rather drop em on their head than hold them by the gills. I like to remain super calm for the landing part so I don't screw anything up. My gf and I didn't get the calm part down and lost a colorado pb bobo. That was when we were icing solo without a clue. My laker buddy has schooled me I'm the ways of laker landing. I feel like lakers close their gills when ypu stick your finger in for the gill plate grip. If i do feel fuzzy gills ill i wont grip unless its just boney gill plate. Would it be better to wear a glove to grab em like a bass? I had a 3lb dead one lock on my finger after curiosity got the best of me. I've read the gill plates are still sharp as hell. All my lakers ice have been hooked in the mouth since they bite light. I was figure pike might do the same in ice so a super heavy leader might not be needed?. People make ice pike sound super lazy. I've seen my buddies get chewed off by hammer handles sucking the bait in their mouth completely on the boat. I'm kind of excited to give the laker jig stick  a try at the mile for pike.

[Crazy Tom]

60 lbs leader didn't now we had fresh water sharks 

[Eyefisher]

I have had luck with a 3 1/2 white or green tube jig. Similar to laker fishing just a lot shallower ! I use 20# fluorocarbon for a leader!

[stinkyfingers]

A big tube in a motor oil color that imitates a crawdad can be effective. Also the Giant Chubby Darter in a Real Perch can be very effective with a slow jig. I use 40# fluoro for the jig rod and 60# fluoro for a deadstick. I would agree with you on the virtue of releasing the trophies back unharmed but you may want to guard against appearing self righteous. I practice selective harvest and make no apologies.

[SLAYERFISH]

Yah Ive caught a lot of pike on kastys there.  Tubes also. Brown often works. I dont target them but Ive got up to 15 lbs on my 6lb mono. If they dont bite it off, Ill land them.

We were fishing up by the inlet in the weeds and I bet I had 12 bite-offs in one day.  All on some kind of metal.  After awhile, I started jigging the old, beat up stuff that I didnt care much for. Fed them to the pikeys.

Gotta have confidence in whatever you are gonna jig, though!

[lvrider]

I will take all tips and put em to use. Then show yall a link of the exploiter guys drooling I believe in pretty much everything you guys said especially Slayer on his confidence. Confidence is how i caught two big lakers back to back. i didnt have the release photo of the big laker in my photobucket so that release photo is actually a smaller laker. I was so pumped from the first one i almost was gonna just call it a day. I knew his gf was lurking below so i was back at and stuck her 10 minutes later. 2 trophy lakers in one day was one hell of a bday present. Those mondo chubby darters look pretty sexy as well. i think the lakers will gobble em up as well. i might need a bigger rod to work that 3.5 oz bait though. my laker rod is the laker rod that came out last year everyone has. the one where the eyelets twist for the big bend big fish put on it. its a bait caster. since the baitshops are like going to the strip club for my pocket im going to try just using 20lb for leader floro that i have. i think my bait caster has 10lb braid on it. i think ill take the advice that i read on the pike side of this site and try to let them wear themselves out. i went to spinney a few times open water casting and got broke off/straighten hooks trying to pimp some bobos on 10lb leader. so i had to learn to let em run there.  i like to pimp the fish in best i can so i can release them green as possible but thats my laker ways. i dont like having to soak my arm in the hole riving fish. I have a few bait casters. one i tried using for a swim bait reel that has 50 pound braid so i wouldnt loose any $$$ baits. but it doesnt have a 100 feet of line on it since that ropes so thick. might throw all that ish out and put some 30lb braid on. or would i be good with the 10lb braid for main line?

do pike like rattle baits or are they like lakers and that can depend on their mood?

[derek_buck]

When I jig rattle baits like a lindy darter I usually mark a lot of pike.  They usually don't hit it, but at the very least I am bringing them in, and they might hit my tipup on their way out.

[Bigassbassman]

60 lbs leader didn't now we had fresh water sharks 

Yep, fresh water sharks sounds like a good description.  Back East, I saw a big pike use one head shake to bite through a 20 lb fluoro leader like it was butter.  For me, it's either go big or go home.  With the choice between steel and heavy fluoro, I did an experiment and found I got more hits using fluoro.  Even the big stuff is virtually invisible in the water.  I'd rather not loose a trophy down the hole because I went too light on the leader.   

I practice selective harvest and make no apologies.

Agreed, Stinky -- keep em and eat em if you want.  I keep plenty of fish too.  But if you're planning to release em, the hands-in-gills thing isn't the best idea.  For lvrider, I use a gripper to grab the pike and pull them out of the hole.  It works well, if you can get them to open up and smile.  Many use gaffs, but I don't.

[Bigassbassman]

I use one like this:

[SLAYERFISH]

10 lb main line is plenty. Thats why reels have drags.

[stinkyfingers]

I have a few bait casters. one i tried using for a swim bait reel that has 50 pound braid so i wouldnt loose any $$$ baits. but it doesnt have a 100 feet of line on it since that ropes so thick. might throw all that ish out and put some 30lb braid on. or would i be good with the 10lb braid for main line?

Really it's the leader that needs to be so heavy just to give you a chance against those teeth. I've got 20# PowerPro main line on mine but that just what I had. Ten pound ought to work fine. Fifty pound feels more like a catfish rig, probably like wire when frozen. Both Cabelas and Bass Pro have a saltwater catalog online that can furnish the heavier fluoro components. I like Seaguar leader but the main thing is crimps and knowing how to install them correctly. The double barrel crimps work best for me and I spent a little more money and bought a $35 crimper that does a better job than the crap I used to put out trying to do it with pliers. I wish I had one of those laker rods with the spiral guides. If anyone wants to start a collection it would make a great gift idea for an old man in need.

[Crazy Tom]

Yep, fresh water sharks sounds like a good description.  Back East, I saw a big pike use one head shake to bite through a 20 lb fluoro leader like it was butter.  For me, it's either go big or go home.  With the choice between steel and heavy fluoro, I did an experiment and found I got more hits using fluoro.  Even the big stuff is virtually invisible in the water.  I'd rather not loose a trophy down the hole because I went too light on the leader.   
Agreed, Stinky -- keep em and eat em if you want.  I keep plenty of fish too.  But if you're planning to release em, the hands-in-gills thing isn't the best idea.  For lvrider, I use a gripper to grab the pike and pull them out of the hole.  It works well, if you can get them to open up and smile.  Many use gaffs, but I don't.

I'm not much a pike fisherman, my only experience fishing toothy critters is saltwater fish  and 30 lbs leader was the norm for most everything. Can't imagine pike doing more damage then mackerol, kings, snappers etc.  guess I need to catch a few big ones and make my own opinion if cable is necessary as a leader. 

[stinkyfingers]

I'm not much a pike fisherman, my only experience fishing toothy critters is saltwater fish  and 30 lbs leader was the norm for most everything. Can't imagine pike doing more damage then mackerol, kings, snappers etc.  guess I need to catch a few big ones and make my own opinion if cable is necessary as a leader. 

Tom, I've also taken my share of Sierra, Jacks and Dorado but surprisingly these Pike have just exceptionally sharp teeth. It comes down to either wire or heavy fluoro for leader. Like BigAss says, even the heavy fluoro disappears in the water so why not give yourself a chance if Big Sally comes swimming by.

[Crazy Tom]

I did say I wasn't much of a pike fisherman  and for good reason because I don't know what the hell im doing 

[lvrider]

Went fishing yesterday with a guy from exploiter. Think he actually took my cpr on trophies into consideration.  The logic of can a fish ever be too big kinda worked on him . He really wants to put a big pike on the wall. I tried telling him pike skin mounts are the worst of all fish to skin mount since they are the greasiest. I also explained the head and fins are all fake and they end up painting the skin anyways. Replica mounts last way longer etc. .


That being said we didn't run and gun at all. Being a Saturday it was packed like antero. So I guess run and gunning wouldn't have been  very productive.

He had a shiner on a tip up but had a steel leader and a big ass snap swivel to the hook. Plus I looked down the hole and I think the shiner was buried in a forest of weeds. We also weren't right on shore which is where pike guys seem to go. I also only used one lure most the day. It wasn't Really recommended but it was something I'm sure they don't see everyday. Got bored of going for pike and watching stupid bobos play with my lure. Exploiter dude already iced one so I couldn't let him beat me. Also didn't want the first bnw kitty from icing 11 mile. So I tied on a mini pink rainbow kasty to my dink trout rod. I was pretty much embracing the skunk since it was going for 2. So i was jigging like a crack head and got a fish in less than 30 seconds. It was even a pike! Finally got my first ice pike and it was bigger than dudes bobo. I wanna go out solo in my flip hut so I can actually double fist jigging rods. Dude didn't get that we both need two holes in the hut to fish for bobos the way I like to.

All in all it was a fun trip. We parked at cross creek and forgot to buy a pass so he ran back to buy one. Luckily just in time as the ranger was 2 cars down. He parked at suckers. So that was a little hike back with 2 sleds of ish. If I'm hiking far I would have preferred to go somewhere and back you can't park by. Although he was thinking we'd work our way to suckers looking for fish. Since we had the pop up that never happened. Next time we plan to bring the flip hut.

If I'm pike jigging should I be banging rocks near shore? We were a ways from shore. I'm also open to pms since I know there's already alot of info here.