where to fish and be consistent for large northerns

[loveatfirstbite]

Hello everyone,

I wanted to see if I could get some information from individuals who have a lot of consistent success for northerns in the 10-30 lb range? I'm looking for where to set up on a lake to have the best chances? We've tried everything and we can never seem to be consistent. We will be fishing on relatively large lake with max depth of about 60 feet. Our shack is set up on some humps in close proximity to the 30-55 foot range. there is shallow weedy bay close by and large island. Any thoughts, info, tips I would appreciate it.

Thanks

Love At First Bite

[Whopper Stopper]

Where you located?

      WS

[loveatfirstbite]

central Maine

[saxmatt]

Try the weedy bay 2-10' of water with 8-12" dead baits near the bottom or right on top of the weeds.

[lightningz]

Saxmatt - Sounds like great advice and I couldn't have said it better myself. Catching fish of that size on a consistent basis isn't as easy as it sounds though. If it was there wouldn't be any big fish left. LOL

[Drifter_016]

Helps to be on a lake with healthy numbers of big pike too.
I like fishing 8'-15' depths off islands in the lakes I fish.

[pikemanEd]

Pick a lake with good numbers of pike in it and fish it till you know it like the back of your hand and use big baits like 10-15in you will find them

[Ironeagle]

inlet of a lake, about 8ft and green weeds.

[Whopper Stopper]

I am getting close to the time of year where I move to a 6 foot weedy flat along a drop off into 12' of water. What works for me here will be going from live bait to dead. As our season closes toward the end of the month, the big gals start picking up food laying on the bottom or just under the ice. I have poor luck with dead bait except mid to late February.

                  WS

[addicted to ice fishing]

As simplistic as it may seem, if you want to catch big pike, you need to fish a lake that produces big pike.  Not every lake will produce big pike.  Assuming the lake you are asking about produces the size pike you are looking for, then you need to start by finding there travel patterns.  One bay that I used to fish, the pike would travel along one shoreline, that was a prime place to setup the tipups.  There also was an island in the bay.  One end of the island produced much better than the other, why, no idea, but through trial and error we learned that, and setup accordingly.  This body of water was also interesting as we would generally have several flurries of action.  We would have  6:30, 9:30, and 11:30 am time frames when we would get multiple flags, and fish.  Between those times we would get occasional flags, and most days after 12:30, you might as well go home.  On another bay about 5 miles away, from the same river system, the pike would bite all day until dark.  The point I am making is each water is different.  Experiment.  Look at strucure, and any funnel areas.  Try setting up there.  Along shorelines, and weedlines, fish shallow and deep.  You will start to find patterns.  Eventually you will find spots that seem to always produce, or be the hot hole.  Mark them in your gps.  The pike will really be starting to put the feedbag on to get ready for the spawn, but still catching big pike consistenly is tough.  Good Luck, and remember experiment, think about where and why you are going to setup, along with how you setup.  Keep track of what you learn, and repeat the things that are successful.

[deadsmelthead]

Ive said it be fore and ill say it again as addicted  said, if you're fishing a lake that is known to kick out big fish, then you really just gotta put your time in and try different spots..  But if you're fishing a lake that once every year you hear about a 40" inch fish, then forget it , you'll be fishing it for many years be fore you get a good one..

I primarily fish 1 lake for pike, i have a second lake that I'm experimenting on and trying to figure out... The lake i primarily fish for them just this season alone I've witnessed  3 ,  pike around the 40" mark I've heard of about 10 others...

The lake I'm experimenting on i have yet to see a pike under 33 inches but the pike are much fewer in numbers.. But i have a feeling there is a real doosey in there..Mostly because the pike seem much fatter than average per inch...

Now,  ive also tested out 2 other waters,  both of them produced a good number of fish, but i couldn't buy one over 24 inches...

I think you see my point, the lake will tell you sooner or later what to expect...

[loveatfirstbite]

thanks for all the info guys. trust me this lake and the lake that I fished years before produce many large northerns. I just can't seem to get any over 10 lbs and never consistent.  Most days we feel we have a good spot, but we have hardly any flags. we'll continue on I guess and search around.

[shrub]

Most of my fishing is done on three set backs of the CT river they range from within sight to about 3 or 4 miles away from a large damn and the water level is constintly going up and down. for northerns I like 18-36 inches of water, in or on the edge of weedbeds. I run golden shiners from 3-12 inches long. The bigger ones I usally kill and lay on the bottom. 

[VTtrophychaser]

you want to be in that weed bed, look for edges and changes in weed types.  Dead bait isn't necessarily the best bait, but does work.  I have had luck with live bait, and not always the monster shiners either.  Pike will eat anything when they're hungry, so having a 5 inch shiner in the right spot is better than a 10 inch sucker in no man's land.  look for drop-offs and fish on the upper edge.  big pike will sit down there and come up to ambush bait.  make sure your weeds are not all black, as black weeds are dead and starve the water of oxygen.  right on top of the weeds will normally produce.  if you are fishing in thick weeds make sure your line, leader and knots are top notch.  big pike can get you all tangled up in them and you may lose the fish of a lifetime because of inferior equipment.  one last thing is to make sure you are in a lake that produces big pike.  if people catch a lot of 20-25 inch fish there is probably a lot of fish but not a lot of big fish.  normally lakes that have big pike are not overpopulated.  be prepared to spend many days without much action.  but when you finally get a 25+ pound fish i promise it will have been worth the wait...