Dead bait for pike

[smbrickner]

Where do you guys get and what do you use for your deadbait for tip ups for pike?

I've always just used the biggest live shiner I could find, but I am thinking a dead bait would transport much easier.

[32footsteps]

In WI you have to be careful of the VHS regs and how to properly preserve your dead bait.  Unfortunately this caused smelt to be harder to find at bait shops because they didn't want to deal with the stuff.  Since many places didn't sell a lot of it they simply stopped selling it.  Those that do are charging an arm and a leg for it and it's harder to find the nice big ones like we could in years past. 

So.....check local grocery stores.  Some will sell whole smelt of decent size and then you have to keep them preserved yourself.  Salting, soaking in mineral oil, etc.  Another place to check is at Asian grocery stores and pick up Scads, Mackerel, or anything else around the size you want to use.  They'll work just as well.

[smbrickner]

In WI you have to be careful of the VHS regs and how to properly preserve your dead bait.  Unfortunately this caused smelt to be harder to find at bait shops because they didn't want to deal with the stuff.  Since many places didn't sell a lot of it they simply stopped selling it.  Those that do are charging an arm and a leg for it and it's harder to find the nice big ones like we could in years past. 

So.....check local grocery stores.  Some will sell whole smelt of decent size and then you have to keep them preserved yourself.  Salting, soaking in mineral oil, etc.  Another place to check is at Asian grocery stores and pick up Scads, Mackerel, or anything else around the size you want to use.  They'll work just as well.

What about something like frozen Herring at a grocery store?  Or are there any online retailers?

[32footsteps]

There probably are online retailers, I guess it doesn't hurt to do a search. 

From time to time I'll refer to pike as "water goats" because they'll eat almost anything.  Other pike, panfish, smelt, mackerel, hot-dogs...you name it, they'll eat it. 

[esox_xtm]

WI does have special regs for bait due to VHS and deads are included. I've preserved my own since the transition and heavily salted baits work great. X2 on Asian grocery as a source for bait. I found some "pike Mackerel" last year. Half a dozen in the round for $3. Herring work (not the pickled stuff  ) though they can run pretty big. You can use whole or chunks.

There apparently is a reliable on line option for bait I came across last year thanks to the RI guys. See the thread of discussion: http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=296444.msg3107777#msg3107777. I never ordered but if you've got a couple of pals also looking a group buy might be the thing. If you're in the neighborhood SusisQs in Two Rivers, WI has bloater chubs in the round from time to time. Unfortunately that species is dwindling much as the smelt have........

Great article on dead bait in the latest In-Fish with some new (to most) wrinkles.......