Support Iceshanty... Get some great gear and forum goodies... Join The Iceshanty Hardwater Militia
Every technique posted thus far has a time and place to be used. I am not deep enough into logging pike trips to have come up with any solid pattern. What I do know is the feeding should start to increase dramatically soon!
I never buy bait once lake george freezes, then if I have ciscoes I set them dead on tipups if I don't have them I don't set tipups.
You are really missing out then.
On what you think shiners or suckers work better some places, on lake george if you have them you will out fish anything else by a mile.
I hear that but I can usually get some and if not I'll just jig perch no big deal.
I know that I will be trying some of these techniques this weekend. It will be interesting as one of the guys I am fishing with is firmly against dead bait, but I feel like I need to change something as I am about to go insane with not catching fish for so many times in a row this year!
Ok so with the bait regs in New York are we only talking about bait within the certified 10 day period? I've seen guys stomp on the bait then rig it up. I would really like the idea of hauling less weight but I don't want to keep the dead bait longer if it would set a bad example for the kiddos! I.e.tickets
i like 8-12'' for dead. No need for me to go any bigger for me, Ive had good results. Hopefully I will be able to lay a big one on the ice this weekend. Good luck to everyone else out there lettin 'er buck for Team Deadbait.
Gotta put in my 2 cents: Dead bait: 1) YES! Biggest suckers you can find. Or, jigged up perch. Semi gutted, on the bottom. Three trebles, one in the mouth, one in the back, one in the tail.2) Med. shiners, Hunts, hooked in the tail, suspended all over the water column and on the bottom.Live bait: Med. shiners / Hunts, hooked in the tail, on a worm harness. Two baits, one on each hook. Pop their eyes out. 3-4 feet off of the bottom. Popping the eyes causes panic & two baits struggeling gets a pikes attention pretty quick.If you are in the Capital Region, Wiggley Worm has BIG suckers. However, they are $5.00 each (well worth it!).And I am a very big believer in GULP! Spray it on all baits.Fish weed lines when possible. All of this has been very productive for me, this year so far. Caught a monster on the dead bait hooked in the tail, about three feet under the ice, with a hole cover. However, DUMMY had let his reel freeze and I lost the fish at the hole. He broke the 10 lb. leader because he couldn't run. Lesson learned. CHECK EQUIPMENT FREQUENTLY! Oh, and use #12 red trebles.Get a Bigg'in!
Read the regs. You can keep dead bait for as long as you want, bring it wherever you want, trap it, buy it, as long as it is dead. The only catch is, by law you must preserve it some way other then freezing, (salting, brining, ect.)
Unless I'm missing something, you, need to read the regs.Use of Dead Fish as BaitAny dead fish, or parts thereof excluding eggs, that are legal to possess and are not prohibited for use as bait (see above) that have been packaged for commercial sale and have been preserved by methods other than by freezing only (e.q., salted minnows) can be used in any water body where it is legal to use fish as bait and do not require a receipt. Each package of dead bait fish must be individually labeled, identifying the name of the packager/processor, the name of the species, the quantity of fish contained, and the means of preservation.
wow- 2X THAT,BUT i put blades on for flash RAT
Good catch Sherlock Holmes. You got me lol.
Not really. I just formed "jon's natural baits, inc" a quick incorporation from legal zoom, a federal tax id, ect, and next thing you know im bagging goldens in kosher salt and using them where ever I want. Meeting every requirement of the posted regs....
