best place to pike fish???

[Stave]

hey guys im new to ice fishing and ive been on a mission to catch a nice pike. I fish alot in the windham area, i have been fishing alot at mansfeild hollow but i have no luck there and i heard its not the best place to fish pike. Any suggestions on areas for good pike fishing near Eastern CT? thanks for the help guys!

[Pike Guy Matt]

Fishing for pike is going to be slow no matter where you go, just keep spending time on the water. Mansfield Hollow has lots of pike and some real giants, but it is a tough place to fish. Your best bet for pike in Eastern CT is Pachaug or some of CT River coves.

[Stave]

Thanks alot! do they usually hit better on jigs or live bait?

[NorthEastFisherman]

Thanks alot! do they usually hit better on jigs or live bait?

I'm not sure if you've seen the posts but some people spend ALOT of time out there, even with no flags. Some guy went 8 or more trips without a flag then got one. Not sure if there is a "best place" but if you're in a lake with pike best thing you can do is set out some live and dead big baits and pray a beast comes looking. My suggestion is to find a lake you'll do well jigging in, if you nonstop catch small perch or sunnies then that must mean there is a lot of food for the pike to eat. Set up near your jigging hotspot with the bait and wait. Its probably better to be catching little guys, that way the pike come in to see what's going on. Then they see a little sunny struggling because its on the end of your line. The pike thinks its injured, attacks, and you got a pike on. Or it'll see your baits before it gets there.

I don't know which lake is the best but if I were to choose a lake, I would go to one which most people don't talk about. I don't have the patience to sit all day long for pike but maybe you do. Good luck.

[Pike Guy Matt]

Find some type of structure, whether it be a weedline, dropoff, river bed, etc, put out some big baits and then put a few hundred flagless hours out on the ice and you will eventually be rewarded. I usually prefer live bait suspended at mid-depth for pike. 

[waltsfishing]

most coves on ct river

[moose444]

Between my son and I we fished the past 3 full days from sunup to sundown in very pikey water with good history of monsters in the NW Corner...fished suckers, perch, goldies, live, dead, deep, shallow......not a flag........very humbling fish to target... But we are in deep so we will not stop....if you want to target pike but have action while you wait hit Ct River coves...at least you keep warm jigging up a perch or two

[Global Warming in CT]

Keep at it moose - humbling but rewarding as hell when the stars align. You'll get one.

[kpd145]

I have caught pike in the CT coves but they have been small.

The monster pike I have caught have come from Mass. I have done very well for pike this year. I got a PB, my buddy got a PB and we have iced pike over 39 inches on 3 different trips.

But it cost me $37.50 for a mass license 

It paid for itself the first trip when I fed my PB gator and now I have fished a bunch of Mass ponds and lakes. With the money I save buying shiners in bulk, I will be getting a Mass license again next season.

[moose444]

Thanks for the encouragement Global appreciated...And kudos kpd on the Mass. fishing, 2014 was a good year for your crew nice job

[JBO112394]

I have caught pike in the CT coves but they have been small.

The monster pike I have caught have come from Mass. I have done very well for pike this year. I got a PB, my buddy got a PB and we have iced pike over 39 inches on 3 different trips.

But it cost me $37.50 for a mass license 

It paid for itself the first trip when I fed my PB gator and now I have fished a bunch of Mass ponds and lakes. With the money I save buying shiners in bulk, I will be getting a Mass license again next season.

Did the pike come from Western or Central Mass area? I have two pike over 15lbs so far this year and both were from Mass, been catching lots of small ones in CT this year.

[kpd145]

I only go pike fishing at the oxbow.
There are some massive pike and bowfin in there. Here are some pics.







A fellow IS member


The HOG

[lowaccord66]

I like pike.  That is all. 

[Tuna Meltdown]

The monster pike I have caught have come from Mass. I have done very well for pike this year. I got a PB, my buddy got a PB and we have iced pike over 39 inches on 3 different trips.

That's funny, all the guys I know from MA are telling me to buy a CT license and fish for pike in CT?

[pikemanEd]

Both mass and ct have big pike swimming under the ice only difference is ct still stocks pike into the few pike lakes we have in ct and mass has more lakes with pike in them but only natural reproduction in the ct river and a few lakes and rivers so people think its harder to catch pike in mass with no more stocking going on   

[lowaccord66]

That's funny, all the guys I know from MA are telling me to buy a CT license and fish for pike in CT?

That is nuts to me as a CT guy that spends more time in Mass chasing pike than CT.  Lets put it in perspective,  last Sunday, in western mass I saw a 20.5 pound pike caught.  Third 20 plus pounder in 3 years that I have seen out of the same lake.  That's convincing enough for me.

[kpd145]

That's funny, all the guys I know from MA are telling me to buy a CT license and fish for pike in CT?

I fish for pike off the CT river, one spot is in CT other in Mass.

I have caught many more in Mass than CT, they were also a lot bigger in Mass.

I am after them again tomorrow.

[saxmatt]

That is nuts to me as a CT guy that spends more time in Mass chasing pike than CT.  Lets put it in perspective,  last Sunday, in western mass I saw a 20.5 pound pike caught.  Third 20 plus pounder in 3 years that I have seen out of the same lake.  That's convincing enough for me.

I know 2 MA guys that pulled 3 20lb pike out of a CT lake in 1 day

[Pikeanator]

I lot of good info on this post-Theres big pike in mass,ct and RI..You just have to put the time in,a lot of time!! Eventually it will pay off..

[lowaccord66]

I know 2 MA guys that pulled 3 20lb pike out of a CT lake in 1 day

I know them too     Point is both states have equally viable pike opportunities.

[V Menzone]

I fish both states my ratio is 50/50 as far as pike catches.  I live in a border town so I  am close to a few pike lakes in both states.

[Tuna Meltdown]

I know them too     Point is both states have equally viable pike opportunities.

I think we are all talking about the same group.  I'll be hitting one of my far western MA spots tomorrow.  Hoping to land the fish I pulled the hook on two weeks ago.