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snap jig the dardevil blade baits, large jiggin raps, large plastic of all kinds, weighted rattle traps. they arent picky about what they bite imo i mostly just tip up fish them though. live chub gill perch....... whatever i can catch id bait.
im opinion, the more attraction you have going on the better for predators. rattles, flashes. scent trails and vibrations all expand your effective attracting range 10fold! thats why a rattle trap, rigged to jig, does so good on them. the trap thing works wonders under the ice. thats where i started using it 20+yrs ago. people think you need go small under ice but not so. pike arent shy and will hit a chub hooked to a log chain, so add those attracting features. look back in my posts about this for pics. im not typing all that again. lol blades, rattles, sponges with scent, glow.................. ...no opinion on the senko. scented plastic worms on a jighead(aka jigworm) are deadly on spring pike in the bays though. i hop it back with 2ft high snaps. kick up silt and bang it down. the more the better imo.
I spring/summer fish a lake that has more pike and bass than anything.out of the 10 years ive fished senko wacky worms there, i have never caught a pike on one.i change to a spinner bait or spoon and nail them.ive come to the conclusion that pike do not like senkos all that much.
thats a bummer about your live bait law. you would think theyd let ya use native to lake young at least. maybe put your mackerel on a windless, for jigging action. a rattle added to that mite help call them too. i have used a rattle bait around my tip ups to call fish from farther away to the area. seems to help at time from my experience.