Your top open water lake for Pike or Muskie?

[bellmontwrestling]

OK everyone, I do believe that it is now without a doubt over for the year.  So, focus is moving towards open water.  I hope to spend more time on the water this year.  I have always fished mostly ponds.  So, my lake knowledge is minimal.  Let's hear your favorite lake in Indiana or lower Michigan for catching Pike or Muskie.

[Rufus]

For size Clear Lake, I know I sound like a broken record on Clear Lake, but there is not a fish that lives in this lake that doesn't get big. It holds the current state record for pike and I guarantee you there is one bigger left in their. For size and numbers, Hamilton Lake takes the cake. You can catch as many as 10-15 a day and most of them will be keepers and a 20 pounder is not out of the question. A couple of weeks ago while fishing in the boat we had a 14, 12 and two 5 pounders while fishing for bass. Two other lakes that are great pike lakes are Lake George and Lake James. George has an incredible number of pike and James has a lot of good solid fish in it.

[Bigbass101]

#1 Hamilton (IN)
#2 George(In-MI)
#3 Clear (IN) Size not quantity
#4 Coldwater Lake (MI)  Ton of Pike in this lake
#5 Marsh Lake (It connects to Big and Little Otter) There's a public ramp...no dwellings.....electric motor only
#6 Would be the Silver Lake (MI)

[angolajones]

Clear
Hamilton
George
for Pike

Barbee Chain
Ball Lake
for Muskie

[finfan]

Hamilton
Chapman
Clear (Size)
Wawasee
James
Dewart

[Yogi]

1.James
2.Clear
3.Coldwater
4.George
5.Hamilton

In my own personal oppinion James is the best Pike lake around here.  You will catch Pike and you can usually expect a 35 incher at least.  My biggest came through the ice last year and was 40 inches.  I have had some real fun days up there ice on and ice off.  I agree wtih you guys on Clear Lake.  You may not get the number on Clear Lake but you will catch some real nice Pike.  I have seen and caught some real monsters out of there.  Coldwater Lake will produce some real nice Pike.  I have caught them and seen people catch them. I havent fished that lake often but caught some real nice Pike.  George is George.  You will have some real good days out there and then not catch anything.  You are likely to have a good day of average size pike.  You wont see the monster come out of there.  You will catch a bunch of 20 to 23 inch pike in this lake.  They have to be 24 in michigan waters.  I think they stop growing at 23.  Hamilton is great.  I have caught a bunch of Pike bass fishing.  I really never fished for pike in this lake just caught a bunch bass fishing.

Yogi

[crappie_catcher]

for pike and muskie forget Indiana water, head to canada. Can't wait till this June, makin the trip.

[Yogi]

You dont have to head to Canada.  I went there this winter and did just as good on Pike in Indiana oh as I did Canada.  I can catch my fair share of these fish right here in Indiana waters.   

[hardysf]

forget the pike and go to canada?

Albeit, the pike are bigger in canada, but they grow slower there than here. If you know how to do it around here, you can do very well around here. And its a lot cheaper. One day on george last year through the ice, we had 5 pike. the smallest was 26 the biggest was 38. While fishing a bass tournament on clear, we had 4 pike, one 27 incher from round lake, a 33 and two 30s. James has a channel specifically called Pike Alley. lol.

[Yogi]

You guys are forgeting a place i have pulled limits out of in the boat and through the ice many times that is right by docksiders.  Dont be afraid to walk.  Hell of a break out there they love to hang on.  28 fow.   

Yogi

[taxi1]

As a taxidermist that has mounted them to over 30 lbs. (the Clear Lake State record), I can tell you if you want to get a really, really ,big pike, fish the lakes that have pike and are planted with trout. All of the pike I have mounted over 20 lbs. have come from lakes planted with rainbow trout. Sure I've seen and mounted 41 inch pike from lakes like Hamilton and even took in a skinny 45 incher from the Fawn River once etc. but the real bruisers are in the deeper lakes planted with rainbows. I know for a fact they feed on the rainbows and big suckers as I've see them in their stomachs. Really big pike prefer colder water and pike prefer soft rayed fish if they can find them.

Oliver Lake of Lagrange County doesn't have many but it's got some real bruisers. I've mounted them up to 45 inches out of that lake and 26 lbs. Dave Thomas that caught that fish who now is now retired in Florida used to drift for them off the breakes with a 1/8 ounce slip sinker and a larger shiner and he's take more than one big pike out of Oliver. One nice thing about Oliver is it is not as developed as other lakes (not yet) and you won't get the boat traffic like on the other lakes.


Clear is obviously your best bet for big pike with higher odds. I know a gentleman that trolls it for trout in the summer and he gets bite offs all the time.

As far as all the fish in Clear getting to trophy size I've seen a decline in the size of bluegills (still nicer than anywhere else though), and I have yet to see a really trophy walleye come out of there. In fact I've seen lots of underweight walleyes from that lake and a biologist concurs. I've mounted and caught 3 lb walleye out of there that should have weight 5 lbs for their length. Its' odd that everything else gets huge in their but the walleye seem underweight. However everything else does get to mammoth size in there and we should see some monster browns in a few years now that NEITA is planting them (funds permitting).

The gentlemen that gets bit off by pike while trolling in Clear once released a potential state record smallmouth in Clear. It was about 7 lbs. and this was before our present state record. Bill doesn't care about records and releases everything.

As far as musky I've mounted them up to 50 inches (state record) from Tippy in Kusiusko county and numbers wise and size wise Webster, Tippy, and the Barbee chain are the best in North America.

[Swedish__Pimple]

If Bills turning back state records,hes missing out on a bunch of free tackle,I got a 27-1/2lb striper down at Brookville in 2001 that was a line class state record,I got it walleye fishing with 6lb trilene sensation line,and Im still receiving free line,and Betts Jigs,not to mention the new 2 St Croixs,with the Shimano Reels that the occupy(Symetre),them record fish are to hard to come by in my book,if its a record,its going in the books

[taxi1]

If Bills turning back state records,hes missing out on a bunch of free tackle,I got a 27-1/2lb striper down at Brookville in 2001 that was a line class state record,I got it walleye fishing with 6lb trilene sensation line,and Im still receiving free line,and Betts Jigs,not to mention the new 2 St Croixs,with the Shimano Reels that the occupy(Symetre),them record fish are to hard to come by in my book,if its a record,its going in the books

Well you know everybody has their priorites and Bill doesn't even eat fish. But he sure loves to catch them. He's one hell of an angler and nice guy too. He pretty much has all the toys he needs anway.

I'm a little sour on state records after they wouldn't let me enter my perch.  Even though they said I followed all the rules, due to "unwritten guidelines" and teh fact that my perch were on a "feeding program" it just couldn't be allowed. Someone needs to tell them how many private pond owners feed their fish now.  Actually my feed trained bass in the pond don't really allow the perch to feed on the pellets but that's besides the point.

Ironically in a pond management booklet the DNR puts out they say feeding fish in ponds is a waste of time. Talk about a contradiction.

If I thought it was important I could have blown that out of the water in court as you don't make up rules as you go. But I'll be more tickled if I get another one that big or bigger although I'm starting to think she was an anomaly.

I've found out there is a lot of jealousy and animosity out there regarding records anyway. Ever notice with Deer records there is always a rumor it was poached? Same goes with fish at times. I've seen it more than once where anglers say a particular fish was brought in from somewhere else. It's like they just can't believe something that big could have been taken in their area.

I had a guy on the Chicago Fishing site get verbally abusive with me about the perch as he felt fish from private ponds were not "natural" and should not be allowed as state records. I replied that that meant according to him 10 Indiana state records should be disqualified (all out of private ponds), and how natural was planting exoitic salmonids grown out in concrete raceways into the Great Lakes anyway? He said, "Oh they should be disqualifed too." He was thrown off th site because he went balistic with my last reply.  Of course it didn't help when he said he caught a 14 inch bluegill out of Wolf Lake near Hammond I told him in the 24 years I had done taxidermy I'd never seen one that big and wondered if he had a picture. Of course he had no picture and I think he was full of it. 

[Swedish__Pimple]

Very well put Taxi,it seems like they dont wanna do the paperwork

[taxi1]

Very well put Taxi,it seems like they dont wanna do the paperwork

Hey BTW SP, do you think we should have a separate category for hybrid bluegills vs. regular bluegills? All the other states around us do.

The 3 lbs. 4 oz Indiana record was a green sunfish/bluegill hybrid taken from a private pond (I know the biologist that identified it), and I can assure you that fish was probably fed pellets.  I think we all realize none of us will be getting a regular bluegill that big out of the natural lakes or even a pond. I don't have a problem with the feeding but if we have a separate category for tiger musky, tiger trout, and saugeye why not hybrid bluegills?

Ever wonder why this state is so backward?  Sometimes I'm embarrased to be from Indiana.

[daffydone]

would an 18 pound carp on 4# test be a record? I caught one in ohio while fishing for gills, it took me 20 minutes to bring it in, that had to be the best fight I have ever had!

[taxi1]

would an 18 pound carp on 4# test be a record? I caught one in ohio while fishing for gills, it took me 20 minutes to bring it in, that had to be the best fight I have ever had!

I've got you beat!  I landed one in Oliver Lake once that had to go at least 30 pounds that was packed full of eggs, and seemed to be as wide as she was long. She was taken on 4 lb. test. She also only had one eye. Apparently she survived a spear. I wasn't a taxidermist then but if I caught one that big now I would have mounted her.

[fishstix]

14# and full of eggs with a 2ft st.croix rod and 2#trilene xl
 

[fishuhalik]

Taxi, a 14" gill isn't that absurd.  I'm from MN and I know that Leech Lake consitently produces gills over 15".  I've never caught them, but I've seen 'em.  I'm gonna try to get up there during late ice this year, and if I get one I'll be sure to post it on the site.  You're almost guaranteed a fish over 13".

[abishop]

Man, I wish I could catch a few 9 inchers, those are hogs here in Indiana. good luck, I would like to see some pics of some big bulls. Hope ya get um. Them buffalo are fun to catch. Very hard to get them off the bottom. It is a shame too many good lakes are over-run with them. They are fun to catch though.

[HiRanger]

How about WOLF LAKE?

[abishop]

I know that there are some large fish in Wolf . However I myself have have only fished it a couple of times when the ice was still on. Trying to get a crappie to bite. Never tried from a boat. I know of a few fishermen who have caught lagre walleye muskee pike and crappies. I dont think that I personally would eat anything caught from Wolf Lake. They say the late is clean? not 4 me-----. Good luck .       walleye are biting at Bass Lake.

[crappie_catcher]

there is a  secret spot on summit where u can catch 9 inchers every time

[hardysf]

9 inch pike everytime? thats really small 

[abishop]

I believe that was a bullgill at Summit. Nice enough 4 me anytime.