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All due respect WS over ripe deads are kinda old school. Not bad or necessarily better, just traditional thinking handed down for generations. Fresh frozen is best (my opinion) and if you salt that bait it can be even better. WI regs dictate that all deads must be preserved by a method other than refrigeration or freezing, that leaves salt or a salt in combo with other stuff, like borax (used to cure spawn sacs for trout/steelhead).In the end there's hardly any wrong way to fish deads: fresh, fresh frozen, over ripe, salted or not, horizontal, heads up or heads down, a piece or fillet or the whole thing. Pike are shameless creatures. In the end that makes everybody right.....
I have found that the smelt work good if there is smelt in the lake. Using smelt as bait in a lake that has no smelt is a waste of time. I suppose if you have the time to wait and see, or until they will hit anything, then fine. I use what they can easily identify as their normal food source. Even the bait store minnows are slow on the bite compared to a fish from the same lake. So if there is smelt in there, use em!In my area I only have small perch that the pike feed on regular. I do use other baits when I have too but not with the same results.
I have found that the smelt work good if there is smelt in the lake. Using smelt as bait in a lake that has no smelt is a waste of time.
Honestly, I've had major discussions, seen heated arguments, even had good friends not talk to each other over differences in this stuff only to find that no one is right all the time. For pike good location trumps presentation almost all the time.Again just my experience, UMMV....
I guess a good way to test this is to spend a few trips with one tip up baited with, a native minnow, a smelt, a non native minnow, a bunch of bacon (cured or not?), and a good greasy sausage. You would also have to rotate the holes that they were in. I am only allowed two line, anyone who can have more wanting to test it?
there is no magic bullet that works great every place every time.