The best depth kind of varies from lake to lake and time of year, but I've found the most consitent fish producing depth to be around 5-10 feet. If I can see the bottom, I put a tip-up there. One of the lakes I fished this year the best depth was 2-3 feet deep. I think they can be found QUITE shallow many times.
Pike usually swim "belly to the bottom" but will readily come up the water column if they see food. I like to drop my bait to the bottom and then pull in a couple feet of line.
As far as bait goes, smelt or big minnows (like MR. Marty said) work great. In some cases the live minnows out-produce the smelt considerably, but often they produce equal results. Match the size of bait to the size of pike you're targeting.
Quick strike rigs seem to work the best. Just make sure they're NOT made of monofilament, If it doesnt break on the first fish It'll break on the second fish. Just lately I've started using Kahle Circle Hooks to try them out. They work great. I've missed very few fish with these. It hooks them deep in the corner of the mouth almost every time. They seem to work best with smelt
GOOD LUCK
