Anyone Use Cut Mackerel ?

[maple]

I read on some European pike fishing sites that cut mackerel was a favourite bait for big pike - very oily and shiny bait ........ where legal, has anyone tried this in North America for ice fishing for pike ?
I've tried portugese sardines with some success, but they are quite soft and rip easily ......

Thanks

[Bob_D]

Someone on another site was just telling me they used cut mackeral for pike bait, with good results. It's oily smelly fish...I don't know why it would not work.

[Muskie Matt]

My brother in law tried it one day with no results. I also had no results with goldies. If they ain't bite'en.....they ain't bite'en. What on earth is a mackeral doing in this lake? Who know's.......we also tried it for stripers in the Connecticut River with no luck. I try and stick with the natural forage fish.

[Master Angler]

I've used whole 10-15 inch mackeral on quick-strike rigs with good success.  I seemed to have the best luck fishing them lying right on bottom.  I caught pike between 30 and 40 inches a couple of weeks ago on them but my biggest, a 43 on a sardine.

[Master Angler]

O yeah, I forgot to mention that they are quite soft too, similar to sardines.

[TroutFishingBear]

Pike aren't that picky, I dont know why someone would try a bait like that.

Stick to suckers, 5-8 inches the best

[Master Angler]

When big bait is hard to find, I'll use anything I can get.