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I think it really depends on what time of the year it is and what kind of natural bait the lake has to offer. I target them very little open water I really just like targeting them through the ice. I have caught some nice ones using Perch on one particular lake. I typical fish them on the outskirts of a weed bed that perch are shacking up in. I usually fish these areas parralel to shore at differnt depths. Some of the best areas for bigger Pike on this lake, I have found are where you have this scenario right on top of shore or just off an island. I would consider a bigger pike on this lake to be in the 12-15 lb range. I have caught a couple around 17lbs and a the pig in my avatar fishing for them like this... But like I have said that is the lake I fish for them. I think it can really varry from one lake to another.If meadow reply to this listen to what he' got to say the guy catches some monster, excuse me AVERAGES some monsters. But I bet he fishes for them a completely different way and so will other guys.
What do you guys think about this? I was pike fishing one day, and I caught approx 20 or so. They were generally all pretty small.........18"-24" or so. My question is, when targeting larger fish ( of course ) is it better to find another area where there aren't as many small ones and maybe get a nice one? Or will the larger fish 'mix in' with the smaller ones in the lake or certain area of the lake. I know there are/were larger fish in the lake. I fish in a very large group on an annual icefishing weekend. the first rule about pike club, is there is no pike club.
All my pike over 40 inches have come out of areas where I have broken away from the beaten path or group of anglers that drive out to their permanent shacks that are parked on the same spot year after year. I look for any subtle change in depth, change in weed type or anything that is unique. Also invest in a good gps, this will save you so much time. Sometimes you find a very small piece of structure like a curve or point on a main lake drop or channel that produces good numbers of big fish. I'm sure many anglers will agree that usually a guy has one really good hole that out-produces the rest by a lot. Sometimes this hole is on the edge of a weed clump, boulder, log, or small hump but it's just enough structure to make it unique and produce some hogs. If you can't pin point mark it, it's extremely tough to find again, and is very time-consuming to try and find it again. Drill lots of holes and I also like to spread my tip ups as far apart as regulations allow, trying to find the active fish and cover as much area as possible. And when targeting big pike go with the quick-strike rigs. Just my two cents.