FISCHIN FOR TOOTHY CRITTERZ

[1MOFISH]

was wonderin how many only target toothy critters.in the old "BIG JOHN" days it was teeth only everything else was a bait killin nuisance.in my old age tryin nto relive the past when the  tug offfff the     fishnturned into an all     tug o war  .GET THE GAFF
GOD BLESS
mo

[cfisch84]

was wonderin how many only target toothy critters.in the old "BIG JOHN" days it was teeth only everything else was a bait killin nuisance.in my old age tryin nto relive the past when the  tug offfff the     fishnturned into an all     tug o war  .GET THE GAFF
GOD BLESS
mo

you gotta fish where they're at now....deep, and with big bait. oh and by the way leave the gaff back in the old days mo and replace it with a boga grip!

[delawareriver]

I don't exclusively fish for teeth, I jig panfish while I wait for the bigger lakes to freeze. Once I can get on the water that hold pike muskie and walleye I almost exclusively fish for them till the deep lakes freeze for lakers then I exclusively fish for lakers.

[butcher]

Toothy critters are a blast through the ice.  Unfortunately for me, the lakes I fish generally do not support muskies and pike are essentially non-existent in eastern PA.  The silver lining is that pickerel are prolific in eastern PA.  They feed actively and aggressively under the ice because they spawn immediately following ice out.  I enjoy jigging for panfish but there is something really exciting about watching the reel on a tip up burn at 100 miles per hour when a big member of the esox family stops in for lunch. 

I am generally targeting these fish in shallow, weedy lakes and use relatively large baits when I can get them.  A 6-inch bait is a good starting size for targeting big fish but 8 or even 10 inches isn't too big.  Like other members of the Esox family, a pickerel can eat a fish that is 2/3 it's length so a 20" fish can swallow a ten inch fish without a problem.  Large shiners and creek chubs make good bait but don't overlook juvenile perch. Perch make up a large percentage of the diet of pickerel (pike and muskies as well) which is why perch colors are so popular for large artificial baits.  Just make sure to check the regs on the lake you are fishing to make sure it is legal to use perch as bait and to observe size and creel restrictions for those baits.   

If I am fishing a Pocono lake with tip ups, it's not uncommon to get 20+ in a day.  Most will be small (12-15") but if you can weed through the little guys, there are always some leviathans lurking not far away.  Of the 5 largest pickerel I've caught in my life, three of them have come through the ice - including the two biggest.  Here's a picture of my son from a few years ago with one that went just shy of 6lbs. 

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=312320.msg3283553#msg3283553

[1moslab]

I second the big bait ,big 7-9"creekchub shallow on northerns allot deep for Muskie

[ducksnbucks36]

Bigger is not always better.  I've caught my biggest northern off a fathead.

[butcher]

Ducks, I agree that big fish will eat small baits at times and have caught a number of very large fish on absurdly small baits myself.  With that said, using big baits is generally an effective way to select for bigger fish.  Many of the Pocono lakes I fish are practically polluted with dink pickerel (12-15").  They will destroy baits that are 6 inches and under but once you get to the 7-9" range on baits, your catch rate goes down dramatically but the ones you catch tend to be larger.  If you want to catch lots of fish, go with smaller baits.  If you are looking for trophy size fish, go big or go home. 

[ducksnbucks36]

Ducks, I agree that big fish will eat small baits at times and have caught a number of very large fish on absurdly small baits myself.  With that said, using big baits is generally an effective way to select for bigger fish.  Many of the Pocono lakes I fish are practically polluted with dink pickerel (12-15").  They will destroy baits that are 6 inches and under but once you get to the 7-9" range on baits, your catch rate goes down dramatically but the ones you catch tend to be larger.  If you want to catch lots of fish, go with smaller baits.  If you are looking for trophy size fish, go big or go home.

I've never fished a lake with pickerel in it, but have heard how you can burn through dozens of Minnies on them in lakes polluted with them.  Thinking back, I've actually caught larger toothy critters on smaller sized bait than larger bait through the ice.  I think I'm just one of those that somehow defies the norm lol. 

[delawareriver]

When targeting muskies I like to use large baits but have caught my share on medium sinners as well.

[danceswmuskys]

I like big bait. if the toothy's are not biting I can fry up my bait.

[captain54]

I like to run big bait,mostly 7-8 crappie as bait. My go to lake just has pike,two winters and ago I caught a 38 inch pike on a size 14 toad and plastic on my 24 UL.St. Croix and 3lb test. Go figure maybe not as big but still a decent fish. My biggest pike was 42.5 on a 8 inch crappie,the big girl had a tail of a bass  sticking out of her gullet. When I get really big fish (and keep one to eat) they seem to be on the feed,there stomachs are packed with bait. I feel they gorge themselves then won't feed for  several days. When there feeding we'll get multiple fish in one day.

[Walleyewonder7777777]

I usually do best with a spoon tipped with a minnow in 12 fow or less