best depth for pike?

[Tightliness]

Can anyone tell me the best depth of water to set the tip ups in while fishing for pike. I usually fish in 15-20 feet of water

[mcarey97]

when i ice fish for pike, im usually shallow, 5-8 ft.  lot of weeds, so i keep the line just 1-2 ft under the ice.

[bgaffney]

Both

[thecreature]

I lke to set up in shallow (5-12ft) weedy areas with deep water near by. Big bait. Varied depths below the ice. If directly over weeds, I put the bait just above the weeds. If not over weeds, I try to put my holes close to the weed bed a couple ft off bottom.

[Captain1978]

I fish anywhere from 2" - 15".... set your bait above the weeds...

[deadsmelthead]

Ive caught them from 5 -15.. Depth can be irrelavent , what you are fishing over or around  is what you want to focus on.. Quick bends in the shoreline, abrupt gravel bars, weed edges.. Stuff like that..

[Zachery80]

Either 1-2 ft. below the ice or 1 ft. off the bottom of the weeds.

[adkRoy]

I set up some tip- ups in 5 fow just under the ice and I set some deeper out to 30 Fow at different depths. I find having very active bait works well.

[Uhazfish]

Go shallow... 12ft max.

[RIVERRAT2]

let the water you are fishing tell you,pike like cover,weeds, inlets,backwaters,and flash
donot stay in one place all day if no action[are fishing or camping]
 
RAT

[Hardwaternubie53]

How about in this situation: 4-8 fow, dense weeds right up to the ice. I fish a pond where this is the condition. I have made a weed cutter and usually clear some of the weeds in the hole. Does this help or hinder me? I catch a few dinks, nothing to brag about. There are monsters in this pond (it is a trib of a big lake and the pike move back and forth) I've seen them caught. What do you think about bait depth? Type of bait? I have been using a worm harness with a large shiner on one hook and a baby sucker on the other. The action attracts the pike, but like I said, just dinks, so far.

[bigredonice]

Really depends on where you are fishing.   In places with weeds, you need to set up adjacent to them.  Actual depth is irrelevant, you are looking to either fish the inside weed edge, over top of the weeds, or the outside weed edge.   These depths will be different on every body of water.     

If you are fishing a place with little to no weedgrowth, set some tipups as shallow as you can without the spool being on bottom, and scatter the rest.    In these sorts of situations, I almost always do best on my shallow sets.   I'm talking as little as 12-18 inches of water.

Other thing, first ice often times finds super shallow muck-bottomed bays to be the first ones to freeze.   These can be pike hot spots at very first ice.

[tarmstrong24]

I'd trim the weeds down a bit and make a quick strike rig with trebles.  And like everyone has been saying, right above the weeds for your presentation.  And a big ol' sucker if you got them.  The two baits on a worm harness might be a bit much, i'd go with a 1 larger bait instead of the 2

How about in this situation: 4-8 fow, dense weeds right up to the ice. I fish a pond where this is the condition. I have made a weed cutter and usually clear some of the weeds in the hole. Does this help or hinder me? I catch a few dinks, nothing to brag about. There are monsters in this pond (it is a trib of a big lake and the pike move back and forth) I've seen them caught. What do you think about bait depth? Type of bait? I have been using a worm harness with a large shiner on one hook and a baby sucker on the other. The action attracts the pike, but like I said, just dinks, so far.

[lowaccord66]

Really depends on where you are fishing.   In places with weeds, you need to set up adjacent to them.  Actual depth is irrelevant, you are looking to either fish the inside weed edge, over top of the weeds, or the outside weed edge.   These depths will be different on every body of water.     

If you are fishing a place with little to no weedgrowth, set some tipups as shallow as you can without the spool being on bottom, and scatter the rest.    In these sorts of situations, I almost always do best on my shallow sets.   I'm talking as little as 12-18 inches of water.

Other thing, first ice often times finds super shallow muck-bottomed bays to be the first ones to freeze.   These can be pike hot spots at very first ice.

I agree. Pike in avatar.  3 fow muck bottom first ice.

[Booker]

The best depth to fish pike at is, the depth they are at. Good luck

[Creighster]

I've gotten pike 1' off the bottom in 65 fow targeting lake trout, 6 inches under the ice targeting salmon, and everything in-between. When I'm targeting pike I usually go shallow first ice and last ice as people have mentioned and deeper water mid season. As far as where I set the bait on the tip-ups I usually go middle of the water column (halfway to the bottom) I figure that's where the pike are most likely to find it because they can be hanging out at any depth. If I know what depth the bait is hanging out at that's the depth I'll put the bait, the key is finding the bait fish. If you can find an area (in a pike lake) with lots of perch, shiners, or smelt; there will be hungry pike in that area as well.

[Greenhornet73]

Depends on the structure you are fishing.  My best advise is to fish drop-offs.  If you can find a shelf off of shallow water you may find the biggest pike in the area.

[northernnyice]

Million dolla question

[deadsmelthead]

How about in this situation: 4-8 fow, dense weeds right up to the ice. I fish a pond where this is the condition. I have made a weed cutter and usually clear some of the weeds in the hole. Does this help or hinder me? I catch a few dinks, nothing to brag about. There are monsters in this pond (it is a trib of a big lake and the pike move back and forth) I've seen them caught. What do you think about bait depth? Type of bait? I have been using a worm harness with a large shiner on one hook and a baby sucker on the other. The action attracts the pike, but like I said, just dinks, so far.

If you find an area where the weeds thin out i would think that would be a dynamite spot..also sounds like a great place for a wounded perch as bait if they can be caught there..

[lowaccord66]

If you find an area where the weeds thin out i would think that would be a dynamite spot..also sounds like a great place for a wounded perch as bait if they can be caught there..

I like those areas.  I also like fishing the sharp edges of the weeds to if available.  Give me a good underwater "point" of weeds and Ill set on both sides and the front.  Also Im always looking for "cabbage" over milfoil when I am looking for pike.

[icejohn]

An old timer once told me that if you're fishing avg pike waters (maybe 5-15fow) put the bait down 3'.....don't pike fish so much anymore but while i did it worked for me on sodus, port bay, fair haven and owasco lake......just my 2 cents.
icejohn

[Hardwaternubie53]

Really depends on where you are fishing.   In places with weeds, you need to set up adjacent to them.  Actual depth is irrelevant, you are looking to either fish the inside weed edge, over top of the weeds, or the outside weed edge.   These depths will be different on every body of water.     

If you are fishing a place with little to no weedgrowth, set some tipups as shallow as you can without the spool being on bottom, and scatter the rest.    In these sorts of situations, I almost always do best on my shallow sets.   I'm talking as little as 12-18 inches of water.

Other thing, first ice often times finds super shallow muck-bottomed bays to be the first ones to freeze.   These can be pike hot spots at very first ice.

This pond is all weeds. No getting to the edge. What do you suggest?

[Hardwaternubie53]

I'd trim the weeds down a bit and make a quick strike rig with trebles.  And like everyone has been saying, right above the weeds for your presentation.  And a big ol' sucker if you got them.  The two baits on a worm harness might be a bit much, i'd go with a 1 larger bait instead of the 2

TY!

[Hardwaternubie53]

Depends on the structure you are fishing.  My best advise is to fish drop-offs.  If you can find a shelf off of shallow water you may find the biggest pike in the area.

There are no drop offs in this pond. Flat bottom.

[trapper2000]

pike  being a long slender fish have a  small air bladder  this  being  said   dec  testing as  proved that  the  bladder  keeps most  pike  between  7.3 foot to 8.6 feet  exactly !  to  fish any other depth is  basicly a  waste of time .......

[NNYIceangler]

To add on to this topic.....  I am an avid tournament angler for bass.....in bass fishing it's all about the puzzle.  What are the fish doing today.....  Things change pretty quick....they move....they can be shallow early deep weeds late, crush the jig then in an hour's time need very subtle finesse tactics to be successful.  Do like behave this way?  Are they as picky and move as much?

[Noelaaron20]

I don't think anyone can really tell you the most accurate placement. I've fished 60 fow looking for salmon just under the ice, and I'll tell you what I ran into 5 solid 30in pike. I continued this multiple other days on that same lake and they all turned out very successful. I will always run my bait just below the ice. But that's for the reason of targeting pike, salmon, trout and even Lakers.

[TommyBoy1971]

Trapper, so setting tip downs  with 8 ft. Of line should do the trick, unless your in the shallows?

[deadsmelthead]

pike  being a long slender fish have a  small air bladder  this  being  said   dec  testing as  proved that  the  bladder  keeps most  pike  between  7.3 foot to 8.6 feet  exactly !  to  fish any other depth is  basicly a  waste of time .......

Ehh, i cant put much stock in that, if i had a dollar for every pike i caught through the ice in less the 5 FOW.. Id have about $100.. Like i said before there is no magical depth.. Ive pulled up pike from as little as 2fow and as much as 30fow.. 

I believe at times pike sneak into structured filled areas through skinny water, or tight to shore so to speak.. And typically when i get pike in deep water  its ussually off an island with a contour that drops rapidly and when this scenario presents itself there tends to be a littoral behavior ,,,, I guess would be the word to use.In laymans terms they space themselves a certain distance from the shoreline. Which i believe is a tactic under utilized when targeting them..

To give you an idea, I have a few spots where i fish a big flat that drops to 10fow within 10yards from shore.. Ill run traps paralell to shore at varying distances from shore.. Youd be surprised how many times the traps 5 yards from shore are the only action or vice versa traps 20yards from shore are the only action.. Just something that shouldnt be overlooked in my opinion.

[HybridHunter]

It is all relative to the body of water you are fishing. Every lake acts differently. Some lakes you will be fishing large expansive flats along weed edges where others you will be fishing structure adjacent to deep water. The period of the season also comes into play. I fish 2-20 feet of water typically and I'm always changing things up until I figure out a pattern. I'm also always fishing structure. The places I fish is loaded with it so steep breaklines, inside turns, points, and funnels are where I'm at. The most consistant depth for me would be 4-12'. If the water is clear I will place baits in the middle of the water column. If it is pretty stained, I'll fish closer to bottom. Hope this helps and good luck.