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Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! => Northern Pike => Topic started by: adkbrookie on Mar 14, 2006, 04:18 PM

Title: setting the hook
Post by: adkbrookie on Mar 14, 2006, 04:18 PM
have been missing/losing a lot of fish lately. not acceptable. i run a 4 ft. piece of fireline with a quick strike rig, treble for the nose, single for the tail, with 2 spinnerblades and beads above. i think that i'm setting the hook too lightly. i set with a steady but solid pull. i would say moderately hard. the fish seem to be just falling off coming to the hole. what do you sugest?
Title: Re: setting the hook
Post by: esox slayer on Mar 14, 2006, 04:30 PM
make sure your hooks are sharp to begin with, I'm sure you do...but then when I set the hook on a pike..I don't use quickstrikes,,,I use a single treble hook on a steel leader...I use a short jerk with my forearm only to set in the jaw..then keep pulling steadily until I get them on the ice...

If they're running strong when I get to the hole..I slowly apply "drag" with my fingers to the line to slow the fish down, then the same slight jerk applies....Esox
Title: Re: setting the hook
Post by: northdease on Mar 15, 2006, 09:38 AM
try giving it a little tug to set the hook into them instead of the steady pull. you might not be digging the hook into their mouth enough. pike will hold onto bait in most instances and even pull very hard until they get to the hole before they let the bait go. :tipup: i use quick strikes as well, and i always give it a little tug. not like bill dance does when he set the hook on a bass though. also as essox slayer said make sure your hooks are sharp
Title: Re: setting the hook
Post by: Thestanimal on Mar 15, 2006, 12:29 PM
I agree-I use one quick jerk to set the hook.  I try to set the hook the same way I would set it with a rod.  I would also check to make sure your hook is sharpened.
Title: Re: setting the hook
Post by: adkbrookie on Mar 15, 2006, 04:15 PM
i think it does seem like they were just holding on to the bait. my hooks are very sharp. will try setting harder next time. i'm used to fishing lighter line for the most part.
thanks for the help.
Title: Re: setting the hook
Post by: esox slayer on Mar 15, 2006, 04:19 PM
i think it does seem like they were just holding on to the bait. my hooks are very sharp. will try setting harder next time. i'm used to fishing lighter line for the most part.
thanks for the help.

Just a thought....do you wait for the second run before you take the pike??  Unless they're screaming line I always wait..I forgot to mention this earlier....Esox
Title: Re: setting the hook
Post by: adkbrookie on Mar 15, 2006, 05:42 PM
no i don't wait for the second run. was under the impression that with a quick strike let you hook the fish earlyer. i want to avoid gut hooking if possible. i don't usually rush to get to a flag. if i can see its spinning, i give it some time and then set. usually as i'm going to the flag its not spinning. when i get there i give it a minute ortwo to start spinning. if not i take out the tip up, pull slow and light untill i feel some weight and then set. not a lot, just to take up the slack if there is any.typically the fish is there and on for a little while at least. every once in a while i get a dropped bait.
Title: Re: setting the hook
Post by: esox slayer on Mar 15, 2006, 05:50 PM
This may get some more responses...even with a quick strike rig...I think I'd wait until the reel started turning again before I set the hook....a lot of times the pike will hit it and then just suckl on the bait....I always was taught to wait for the 2nd run...and even using a single treble rig do I get a lot of gullet hookups...I get them deeper in the mouth but usually away from the gills/gullet...

I don't even take the tipup out of the hole until it's made a 2nd run, unless it's really turning line when I get to the hole, even then I wait a few seconds just to make sure.....Esox
Title: Re: setting the hook
Post by: adkbrookie on Mar 15, 2006, 06:29 PM
esox slayer,
i thought you got more dropped baits that way. do you have any kind of numbers for dropped baits, hooks ups, ect. w/ your method. just curious. want to be as effective as possible and make every flag count.
thanks
Title: Re: setting the hook
Post by: esox slayer on Mar 15, 2006, 06:37 PM
My numbers always are higher when I wait for the 2nd run..in most years...this year has been an exception..seems in the lakes up here, regardless if it's my flag or a buddies..if they're running, we take 'em and miss a lot...we wait for the 2nd run...they get it for a few minutes and drop it...hard to say this year, but in normal years I wait for the 2nd run and got nearly every one..

Had one this year...we'd been getting flags all day long...but never a fish there after getting impatient and checking the line after a couple minutes.  Decided on the next flag if it acted the same way, I'd just reset the flag..not tough the line or anything..give it 15 m inutes and then go back and check if the flag didn't pop again in the meantime...you can ask Rangerclay about this..he was there that day...

gave it the 10-15 minutes..flag never popped again..went over and carefully checked..sure enough a nice pike around 28 or 29 inches had hit the bait and was just laying on bottom with it..never moved a bit in 15 minutes..and even then he was barely hooked...this was an odd year for the bite in these waters....Chaumont Bay is known for big fish...got some nice ones but nothing to get excited over...

in normal years even with a quick strike I'd not touch the line unless the reel was turning...just my .02...Esox
Title: Re: setting the hook
Post by: Hood on Mar 15, 2006, 06:37 PM
I am with esox on this...dont use quick strikes myself but along the lines of striking the fish I like to do it when the line is moving slowly, for some reason it has better results...if the line is slack when i get there ill wait to see if it runs and I will strike almost immediately if it does...if it stays slack then ya gotta play the slack line game, i like to pull real slow and easy until i feel weight or the minnow comin back up. If i get to the tipper and the line is screaming I like to wait for it to slow or then nail em, if its not stoppin I like to give a little tension then strike. Hope this helps.  :)
Title: Re: setting the hook
Post by: adkbrookie on Mar 15, 2006, 07:11 PM
i don't like to set if its not turning. have had better results went the fish is taking line. i'll give them more time now to start moving again. probably getting impatient sometimes is part of the problem.
how long do the fish normally stop between runs?
thanks
Title: Re: setting the hook
Post by: esox slayer on Mar 15, 2006, 08:13 PM
it will vary..sometimes they'll only be a few seconds and at other times i've waited 5 minutes before they'll start taking it again...I think bait size has something to do with it, in some cases, other times it might be the fish's "mood" I guess...and it may depend on the type of fish...up here, pickerel seem to play with it more than a pike will....

back when I smoked..I used to light a smoke upon getting to the hole if the line wasn't turning, and then check it after the smoke was done, about 5 minutes, if no movement in the meantime...now I've got to use my watch because I get impatient as well waiting...but it's a patience game....

you'll get the hang of it after awhile...I've been doing this for 40 years and still haven't got it all figured out....try something and if it doesn't work, then modify a bit and see if you get better results...not very specific info from me, but the best I can offer...Esox
Title: Re: setting the hook
Post by: adkbrookie on Mar 15, 2006, 08:22 PM
thanks for all the advice and help everyone. but i might have to finish figuring out what exactly to do next season, pike ends today i believe. oh well.
again thanks a lot for the help.
tight lines.
Title: Re: setting the hook
Post by: northdease on Mar 16, 2006, 08:14 AM
with quick strikes you dont have to wait until the second run. i get to the tip up as sonn as possible if they are taking line i will pick up the tip up with line in my hand and slowly stop them and set the hook.
Title: Re: setting the hook
Post by: zgoz89 on Mar 16, 2006, 06:00 PM
Never really tried the quick strike method but it sound like it works pretty well. What is the easiest quick strike setup?
Title: Re: setting the hook
Post by: adipose on Mar 16, 2006, 07:43 PM
well if you have ever bear hunted over bait you will see that the bigger bears will grab a piece of bait and take and eat it elsewhere.Im sure that is what pike do as well with my expeirience.the bigger pike will mouth the bait and swim away with it to later stop and swollow it.this may have something to do with your hole letting light down.try a cover to stop light from radiating down into the water.The pike may see your hole as a danger and shy away.just my two cents worth
Title: Re: setting the hook
Post by: northdease on Mar 17, 2006, 06:35 AM
well if you have ever bear hunted over bait you will see that the bigger bears will grab a piece of bait and take and eat it elsewhere.Im sure that is what pike do as well with my expeirience.the bigger pike will mouth the bait and swim away with it to later stop and swollow it.this may have something to do with your hole letting light down.try a cover to stop light from radiating down into the water.The pike may see your hole as a danger and shy away.just my two cents worth
i am not saying you are wrong because pike do weird things. but i spear quite a bit and usually use 12 - 16 inch suckers for bait and usually the big ones will inhale the bait as if it was never there. i have seen 25 inch pike do the same. i have also noticed that the bigger ones (33 inches and up) are in no hurry, kinda take their time. i have found smaller pike will mouth it and run. when i go to a flag and find that most of my line is gone usually have a tiny pike with 10 pounds of weeds on it. i feel since they  (little guys) are not on top of the food chain they will try to get out of dodge before they get eaten. it really isnt an exact science because i have seen big ones attack my decoy, and take line as well. just from my obversation. another thing i have noticed is if you run to the tip up they will spook cause they can hear you and then take off like a bat out of hell.
Title: Re: setting the hook
Post by: adipose on Mar 20, 2006, 09:05 AM
i am not saying you are wrong because pike do weird things. but i spear quite a bit and usually use 12 - 16 inch suckers for bait and usually the big ones will inhale the bait as if it was never there. i have seen 25 inch pike do the same. i have also noticed that the bigger ones (33 inches and up) are in no hurry, kinda take their time. i have found smaller pike will mouth it and run. when i go to a flag and find that most of my line is gone usually have a tiny pike with 10 pounds of weeds on it. i feel since they  (little guys) are not on top of the food chain they will try to get out of dodge before they get eaten. it really isnt an exact science because i have seen big ones attack my decoy, and take line as well. just from my obversation. another thing i have noticed is if you run to the tip up they will spook cause they can hear you and then take off like a bat out of hell.
I guess i was just describing how my lake reacts to the tipup sinario.I am sure your lk.is different than mine.I am also sure that if i move to a different area on my lk that things would also be different again.thats what is so fun about fishin.trying to figure things out.my lk is very hard to figure as things are always changing