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quick strike rigging questions

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nuts-4-fishing:
Thanks for previous responses to my questions.  Am new to ice fishing and definitely in the "sponge" stage.  Anyone ever used dead minnows on quick strike rigs with jigging rods, especially for pike?  Or tipups?  In-Fisherman claims this is one of best ways to catch pike, just never done it myself.  Also, due to pike in my walleye water, am very reluctant to fish without steel leaders, either above my jigging rapala or on tip ups.  Friend Sunday was bitten off with his jigging rapala on mono.  Question:  have you found your walleye bite drops significantly with using wire?  Hate to risk it and have a bunch of pike die due to inhaling my offerings and biting themselves off.  Thanks.

piker:
Can't talk to the jigging aspect but we fish with quick strike rigs with barbless hooks exclusively for pike and have never had a problem.  Ctch and release is a breeze, no gut hooks and easy to remove the hooks.   No steel leaders either, went to 50lb test flurocarbon and things are great, actually improved our strike ratio, will never go back to the steel leaders again.

Vikingfan:
I Also use the quick strike (double trebel hook) rigs for pike fishing.  I make my own, and the leader material is the sevenstrand wire - I use the 20# material I think.  It is very thin, fairly flexible, and no bite offs.  I don't fish too often for walleyes, but did manage to accidentally catch a walleye on one of my tipus with this rig on a 4" shiner after dark.  As to the live shiner/dead shiner debate, I always catch more pike on a lively shiner.  If they are dead or sluggish, I really don't seem to get many flags.  I think it might have to do with the minnow trying to get away from the pike when it comes into striking range - predator response.  With the double hook, I put the terminal hook behing the minnow head, and the sliding upper hook 1/2 way between the tailand the dorsal fin - keeps them swimming like they are injured.  An inline spinner with blood red reflective tape also works well for me.  Good luck.

Later,
:8

ice_fish_man:
i make mine also 2 treble hooks and spiderwire line works great havent lost a fish yet.

;D :'( ;D
good fishing

Lucius:
Have fished with quick strike rigs for pike with great success for many years. Many Master Angler size (here in Manitoba 41" and up) and I agree that this is the way to go for big pike. I too now make my own rigs using Sevenstrand wire and #'s 6 or 8 barbless trebles. Used to use VB pike hooks but they are pretty pricey now. My initial supply was obtained from a firm in England through an offer that Infisherman magazine had years ago. The hooks are actually 2 single hooks in 1 - a smaller single hook soldered to the back of a slightly larger single hook. The smaller hook is inserted in the bait and the larger hook faces outward. I believe Mustad is the North American distributor.Alsmost always the fish are easy to release as they are usually hooked right in the corner of the mouth.

We normally use smelt in the 5-6 inch range or Goldeye in the 10-12 inch range. Manitoba allows you to use Goldeye you have caught as bait. Best success has been in March in bays that pike congregate in getting ready to spawn. Large shallow weed-rimmed bays ( 5-6 feet), especially with an inlet at the back end of the bay are dynamite. Fishing can at times be slow but the size of the fish more than make it worth while.

By the way, using these rigs under a float in these same bays after ice out produce some of the largest pike taken every year. The fish are lethargic and often offering them a dead bait is the only way they can be taken.

By the way, if you web search for "quick strike rigs" or "dead baiting", etc., you will find numerous European sites that deal with pike fishing. They have been miles ahead of North American anglers with this type of fishing. But, we're trying to catch up!!!!

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