on the run

[minnow1]

Taking a poll.  Do you hit a pike on the run or let it stop and turn the bait?  I've  had luck each way and bad luck each way.  just wondering....

[fishboy899]

I wait until after they are done running.  If I get to the tip up and its not running i will sit and watch for a minute and see if it makes a run.  If it doesnt then I set the hook and hope he is still there and if he makes a run i wait until he is stops.

[WARRIOR_ON_ICE]

I have similar experience as minnow1. Tried hitting them on the run, and also waiting until it stops, and then hoping for the second run. It seems like a crapshoot either way. A good trade-off seems to be that if he is running hard when you get to the hole, wait a while until it slows down some, then go for a hook-up. It sucks to miss one after waiting about 6 hours for a flag!

[minnow1]

I have similar experience as minnow1. Tried hitting them on the run, and also waiting until it stops, and then hoping for the second run. It seems like a crapshoot either way. A good trade-off seems to be that if he is running hard when you get to the hole, wait a while until it slows down some, then go for a hook-up. It sucks to miss one after waiting about 6 hours for a flag!

Exactly!  I found that if you get to the tipup and the line is peeling off quickly, most of the time it's a decent size fish and has it swallowed anyway, so pull it.  If not much line is gone, it's usually a smaller fish - let him make the next move.

[hookedonice]

have only targeted pike a couple times, lost areally nice one last w/e when the line was peeling off fast. set the hook (so i thought), got just enuogh pulls to realize i had a big fish and then nothing. what a sinking feeling
don't know what i'll try next time  .... just hope that whatever it is that it works

[bigfish57]

I have tryed all the reccomended methods that I could read about and none really seemed to work better than 60% untill I started useing quick-strikes. Now I just give it hell and they are hooked, running or not. This has proved very reliable for me so far. Granted I havent fished pike more than 12 days in the last 2 years but it has held true so far.

[iceintheveins]

If you are using quick strike rigs, I will set if he is steadily peeling line and I have never missed one that had the bait. If I get to the flag and he isn't taking line, I will wait a minute to see if he runs line. If he doesn't, I pick the line up. Sometimes the pike is there and I set the hook. If he isn't there, sometimes jigging the line lightly will cause him to come back.
With quick strike rigs and medium deadbaits, usually pike of all sizes can be hooked if they have the bait. Still it's always a crapshoot. You will always miss some fish, just the way it is.

Tyler

[minnow1]

Isn't it more diffficult to get the hooks out with a quick strike rig because of the treble hooks and number of hooks? 

[minnow1]

have only targeted pike a couple times, lost areally nice one last w/e when the line was peeling off fast. set the hook (so i thought), got just enuogh pulls to realize i had a big fish and then nothing. what a sinking feeling
don't know what i'll try next time  .... just hope that whatever it is that it works

I've had that feeling many times.  Sometimes the hook pulls out of the bait while he has it in his mouth, sometimes they just spit it out.  Just put your time in and it'll  pay off.

[BUCKSKI]

Like to hit um as quick as possible. Hook the fish in the middle. Had a fish tank and watch a Gar feed, it always hit from the side and shook the fish and swam with it in its mouth. It took some time for um to flip it. Pike and gar are cousins andd fed similarly in my view.
Like the quick strike rigs, have made the switch to steel not braided. Fluro on walleye waters.
When its spinning you know they have it. Dependds how you hook the bait.