no baitfish allowed - either dead or alive..

[binoit616]

It's been 2 season i try to target pike, without any succes from now. In my part of the world, we are not allowed to use any baitfish, either dead or alive, i've tried jigging rap, spoon, soft bait, presenting within 2 to 20 feet bottom, i am now turning to the community, what would you try, and in what kind of structure ? I don't have the map of the part of the lake i am fishing for pike, but it will come soon,i have acces to weedline, shore ambush, rock bottom, sand bottom, drop from 5 to 20-25 feet and a cliff from the shore down to 35 feet and a tributary ( really small stream in the summer, almost nothing in the winter) , Please help me ! haha

[Ole Polanski]

Hello Friend..... Don't know a thing about pikes...I'm a trout/salmon guy!  You didn't say how you are fishin thhem but How about those good lookin GULP Alive baits   or  Big jiggin flies???    Good luck..... O.P.   

[upnortfishing]

If you cant use fish for bait I would use some other kind of meat, worms, grubs, chicken liver Ive heard stories from old timers about using hot dogs even. Otherwise some kind of soft plastic with scent such as Gulp Alive as Ole mentioned or other similar offerings. Although I have caught a handful of pike with bare jigging raps most often they want some meat.

My best advice would be to sit shallow near weed edge and sight fish if you have a shanty, it could lead to more frustration as you go through various offerings with no success but if you keep it up you'll find something that makes one bite.

[binoit616]

Sight fishing is actually a really cool idea, i was thinking about doing it for perch, but for pike it would be the best for sure , thanks for the advice !

[jthod]

I've had pretty good luck using Rapala Rippin Raps. 

[UFCreel]

can you use fish like bluegill or crappie. Out of the lake you are fishing for bait? Have used both over the years around these parts with very good success. You could also try smelt, mackerel, or sardines.

[legend]

where might your part of the world be ?....update your area

[Legend Boats]

It is always a little difficult to entice tough biters when you can only use artificial bait. From the sounds of it you are working the proper areas and depths. My two suggestions for you would be to use scents/attractants on your lures as well as modify your presentation styles. As mentioned above, some products such as "Gulp" mimic your lake's baitfish incredibly well and are soaked in scent to help entice those finicky bites. Also, vary and adjust your presentation speeds and styles when ripping jigs and spoons etc. to see if that makes any difference! If I was in your situation, I would be targeting deeper weedlines close to potential ambush points for bait fish.
Cheers Becky - Legend Boats