If legal, 4 - 8" livebaits are about better than anything else. If not legal, 4 - 8" deadbaits are good. Suckers, anchovies, panfish, smelt, chubs, shiners, whatever you can find, they work. Waterdogs are good too. Usually using tip ups is the most effective way to fish for pike. I rig baits in this size with a a pair of super sharp #8 trebles, rigged with heavier fluorocarbon line, though if you have luck using wire leader, keep using it because it pretty much guarantees no bite offs. With heavy fluorocarbon, you will seldom get bit off if you don't put too much pressure on the fish, but I have had one bite off this year.
For jigging rods, I think a #7 swimming rapala on 12 pound mono is a great lure to use. Tip with a small minnow head and jump around from hole to hole while you wait for a flag to pop up. Buckshot rattle spoons, tube jigs, big marabou's, they will all catch pike. Sometimes jigging can be better for numbers than tip ups, but when I fish for pike, I'm using my jigging rod to catch panfish, walleyes, or trout, and using tip ups for pike.
Tyler
