Dead bait in new york

[bigmattyp]

Hey Guys, I have never really used dead bait for Pike other than some emerald shiners that were salted (did not really work...).  I was wondering what folks used and where you can get it.  I need to try something different as I have been striking out this year, I have tried changing depths, changing locations, changing features that are fished, and have not had what I would consider a great day.  It is odd, as I started ice fishing about 5 years ago (definitely still a newbie) and had 3 great years off the bat, but this year has been tough.

[adkRoy]

Have you tried big suckers? Live suckers are very enticing to a big pike.

[HybridHunter]

Shoot me a PM. I'm happy to help. And btw, its been a tough year. But things should pick up

[bigmattyp]

Haven't tried real big suckers.  Tried 4 to 6 inch suckers once this year.  It is hard to find the real big ones around  here.

[prchslyr]

Buy your bait and shove a knife in his gut= Dead bait. Lol
I'm not afraid to ask my local shop what they're doing with todays floaters either. I always make sure a lil guts are hanging when I run dead bait for pike too. I'm not sure if it's actually helping or not, but I do better with dead than alive for pike.

[big_guy_13021]

Myself i was on owasco lake one day a few yrs ago had my tip ups out for pike .2 dead 3 live shiners got both my pike on dead bait.soooo needlesss to say my live bait was turned into dead bait i had a blast..

[prchslyr]

Myself i was on owasco lake one day a few yrs ago had my tip ups out for pike .2 dead 3 live shiners got both my pike on dead bait.soooo needlesss to say my live bait was turned into dead bait i had a blast..

Took a few trips for me to convert fully, but I have finally.
I buy a bucket of bait and throw it right in a ziplock now. It weighs a heck of a lot less and I'm catching more fish too!

To avoid me totally hijacking. I noticed a lot more "Hit and spits" when I'm trying to fish cisco live. A lake trout will take a cisco that's over 1/2 it's length. I can't exactly explain why, but that hit and spit is FAR less frequent when I slice the gut 1st.

[HybridHunter]

Took a few trips for me to convert fully, but I have finally.
I buy a bucket of bait and throw it right in a ziplock now. It weighs a heck of a lot less and I'm catching more fish too!

To avoid me totally hijacking. I noticed a lot more "Hit and spits" when I'm trying to fish cisco live. A lake trout will take a cisco that's over 1/2 it's length. I can't exactly explain why, but that hit and spit is FAR less frequent when I slice the gut 1st.

The weight savings in itself and the room you gain from leaving a big bait bucket at home is awesome! Up until this year, I always had one or two dead baits out, but now I almost always run ONLY dead bait. There have only been a couple days I've been out fished. At times, if its slow, a simple adjustment raising or lowering a bait is all that's needed. In very stained water, I like my baits belly touching bottom as I believe the pike hold to the contours very close. In fairly clear water, I have my baits all over the water column. Usually the furthest down being 3-4' off bottom. Once I figure out a pattern for that particular day, I adjust accordingly.

[big_guy_13021]

Thats true to and another thing u dont have to worry about is your bait staying alive..u

[prchslyr]

The weight savings in itself and the room you gain from leaving a big bait bucket at home is awesome! Up until this year, I always had one or two dead baits out, but now I almost always run ONLY dead bait. There have only been a couple days I've been out fished. At times, if its slow, a simple adjustment raising or lowering a bait is all that's needed. In very stained water, I like my baits belly touching bottom as I believe the pike hold to the contours very close. In fairly clear water, I have my baits all over the water column. Usually the furthest down being 3-4' off bottom. Once I figure out a pattern for that particular day, I adjust accordingly.

Official hijack coming. Haha.
It's funny you mention laying your baits belly on the bottom. I have people scoff at me for that claiming I should suspend for pike and/or trout.
It may work for others to suspend, but my best pike and trout days are when I send my tipups right to the bottom without trying to sound or check depth with a flasher.

[ejp419]

I have some frozen Herring from last Striper season. Anybody ever sink one for Lakers? They gotta work...

[HybridHunter]

Official hijack coming. Haha.
It's funny you mention laying your baits belly on the bottom. I have people scoff at me for that claiming I should suspend for pike and/or trout.
It may work for others to suspend, but my best pike and trout days are when I send my tipups right to the bottom without trying to sound or check depth with a flasher.

I need to rephrase my last post. When I lay my baits on bottom, I always use my flasher. This allows me to make sure the bait is above the weeds, rocks, etc to be seen. So long story short, most days I have my baits for pike skimming their bellies on the top of whatever structure sticks up the highest in the water column in that particular spot. Now, if we get into other toothy fish species, the whole setup changes.

[big_guy_13021]

U can get tiger muskys on dead bait also.prolly get everything on deadbait its cold fish are lathargic if its dead its easy pickens

[bigmattyp]

Awesome information, here is another question.  When you buy the bait do you let it freeze or keep it warm enough that it is not frozen.

[prchslyr]

Awesome information, here is another question.  When you buy the bait do you let it freeze or keep it warm enough that it is not frozen.

You don't want it to freeze. Frozen water floats and that bait is full of it.
I've had to lay bait in the hole and wait for it to thaw enough to sink. Big pain in the butt.

[northernnyice]

Awesome information, here is another question.  When you buy the bait do you let it freeze or keep it warm enough that it is not frozen.

Depends on what the bait is. You wont get a big frozen sucker to sink. Big sardines on the other hand, even frozen, seem to sink like a rock.

[lowaccord66]

Depends on what the bait is. You wont get a big frozen sucker to sink. Big sardines on the other hand, even frozen, seem to sink like a rock.

I disagree.  I sink giant frozen suckers and sea herring no problem.  Suckers get their stomachs cut.

[northernnyice]

I disagree.  I sink giant frozen suckers and sea herring no problem.  Suckers get their stomachs cut.

I can get an already used sucker that has had its air popped to sink frozen. But for me, if it is frozen and hasnt been cut yet, I have a hard time getting it to sink.

[prchslyr]

I did learn a lil something fishing with a CT crew a couple years back. Hope I'm not spilling some top secret beans.
Of course, this is only done with legal bait bought or caught in the water we fish! We've got bait regs to deal with here in NY.
Anywho, Small splitshots on the fins and a perfectly placed hook in the back can get a dead bait to hang perpendicular perfectly without a hassle trying to sink them too.
I've done that with some success, but had just as much success slicing the gut of a bait and sending it. Then started questioning the work of trying to put splitshots on fins of perch and big shiners I jig up. Really isn't worth the hassle to me, but it may be to some.   

[Prchmike]

If you can find them whole dead smelt are the best northern bait I've ever used. The only thing better and even harder to find are whole anchovies. They are the size of smelt and twice as oily. Ice-fishing I suspended them with a couple split shots below tip-ups. In open water cast them out with an egg sinker and just let them lay on bottom. The pike will  find them. Big dead creekchubs are another good option. Fish them the same way but make sure you kill them as you use them. They need to be fresh. The smelt and anchovies can be bought frozen and thawed but must have the heads on. In the midwest these tactics are deadly. Good luck.

[lowaccord66]

I traded some emails with one of in-fishermens long time field editors and he said the pro's overseas hang them vertically.  He mentioned having worked to hang them perfectly horizontal for years before trying that and now he hangs them vertically as well.

As for the smelt....I agree!

[HybridHunter]

I traded some emails with one of in-fishermens long time field editors and he said the pro's overseas hang them vertically.  He mentioned having worked to hang them perfectly horizontal for years before trying that and now he hangs them vertically as well.

As for the smelt....I agree!

Its funny you mention that. I'm curious, head up or down? I've been hanging my baits so the head is somewhat tipped down and have seen some improvements.

[lowaccord66]

Head down is what I was told, make it look like they are rooting for food off the bottom. 

[prchslyr]

Great! Something else to try now. 
I like it enough to try it!

[HybridHunter]

Well what a coincidence. My thinking was when a fish is underneath a bait that's hung nose down and looking up at it waiting for the right time, it will help entice that fish to eat it head first right away, leaving me with fewer missed fish as I set the hook right away.

[Captain1978]

I have read about this many times. Once in a while (usually when I'm low on live bait) I'll throw a dead one on. One time I did I actually caught a LM Bass...... I just can't get myself to rig all my tip ups with dead bait. Or hot dogs...

[prchslyr]

I have read about this many times. Once in a while 9usualkly when I'm low on live bait) I'll throw a dead one on. One time I did I actually caught a LM Bass...... I just can't get myself to rig all my tip ups with dead bait. Or hot dogs...

Start with it little by little. When you see 1 tipup keep catching. The next trip you'll run 2 dead baits and so on. That's how it happened with me.
Just drop those dead ones down a little lower. Where a dead fish is most likely to be anyway.

[Captain1978]

Start with it little by little. When you see 1 tipup keep catching. The next trip you'll run 2 dead baits and so on. That's how it happened with me.
Just drop those dead ones down a little lower. Where a dead fish is most likely to be anyway.

Now most of what I have read is to put the dead bait higher up towards the ice because that is where it would be naturally. My opinion they are all over. Short story... I was throwing lures. Caught a small sucker on a worm I had out. Already had a rod rigged for live bait. A treble hook, liter and some splitshots so it would be on bottom. Threw it on. It died. I threw it back out. Caught one of my bigger Pike....if not one of my biggest. And this was in summer. The structure was rocky in current.

[HybridHunter]

Now most of what I have read is to put the dead bait higher up towards the ice because that is where it would be naturally. My opinion they are all over. Short story... I was throwing lures. Caught a small sucker on a worm I had out. Already had a rod rigged for live bait. A treble hook, liter and some splitshots so it would be on bottom. Threw it on. It died. I threw it back out. Caught one of my bigger Pike....if not one of my biggest. And this was in summer. The structure was rocky in current.

Right now, after weeks if frigid temps, I believe its pushed these fish lower in the water column. I also think that when these fish are suspended in the upper half or just cruising around, they are negative and not feeding. I think the more active fish are in the lower half of the water column, and with these temps, is where I would concentrate mostly. In a couple weeks, that could, and most likely, will all change. I'm a firm believer in big bait.

[Captain1978]

See I am not a believer in big bait big fish. I have caught a couple of my  biggest Pike on smaller suckers and shiners. And some big Pike on bigger ones as well. And same for Walleye.... I have also had some very small Pike eat big bait. I think it matters sometimes though. For instance a couple weeks ago we were slamming them with the big shiners and suckers. Ran out of bait and put some small suckers on I had left over. They wanted nothing to do with them......I should mention I put some small suckers on while the bite was still hot....