IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! => Northern Pike => Topic started by: icejunky on Feb 25, 2006, 03:39 PM
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Ok, so the local bait shop at the start of the season had a tone of shiners and they were about 6$ a dozen and they were working, we were getting constant flags and a few fish...Then for the last few weeks they have not had any Shiner's only Sucker minnows wich I was surprised to see were 8$ a dozen.
I dont mind paying for good bait..But I have been getting half as many flags as I was when I was using Shiner's of the same size..
What do you guys perfer?
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i ALWAYS prefer suckers over shiners. there softer , more streamlined,and i think the pike prefer to swallow them over a shiner IMHO. not to mention, if you overbuy suckers, they will live forever in a cool bait bucket with very little attention. i prefer em in the 8 to 10 inch range for big pike, but any size 6 inches and up will work. if your flags have dropped off this time of year, usually its due to lower d.o. levels in the water. look for deeper water with fresh green weeds. any time now they should start going back toward the shallows in preparation for the spawn, as d.o. levels increase.thats how it is in this part of the woods anyway ;) . many guys will tell you the bite is off this time of year because pike are teething ::), read around here on that and form your own opinion ;) that debate will continue to rage on for years ::) . if your fishing in super stained water with suckers, as there not as "flashy" you could always run a blade above your leader to give it that extra flash, but that isnt nessasarry here eaither
billybono
billybono
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Thanx Billybono, I always run a Williams Gold/Silver Spoon above a driopper red treble. Has worked well so far.
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I actually prefer fathead chubs over shiners....I find that the toothless northerns have a preference for these as they are not so hard to chew.....Grump ::) ::)....we kept 5 nice eaters today....likely going to eat them up without my false teeth ::) ::)
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id pay to see a pike chew ;) usually they just swallow bait whole :) like i said...the debate rages on ::) i guess if pike feel toothpain, peta is right ??? ???
billybono
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LMAO.....pike feed teeth or no teeth.....the debate is debatable......lol.... .large northerns will almost always chomp down on large bait or prey.....its almost like they intend on first and foremost.....killing it......successive chomps will descale the bait....almost like scales are a waste of digestion......I've seen too many large brutes do this almost as matter of fact.....the outer teeth no doubt help it hold on.....Its almost something to think about doing...coldwater northerns hitting at this time of the year on live bait presented on snelled hooks....sometimes you can't or hardly see the hit.....Iceintheveins. ....you reading this post...tipups are not the answer sometimes......now the BIG ONES are another story.....big big bait...and when they're hungry....its a totally different story.....I dont target them for the most part.....but will before the tourney is over......I have no intention of handling a trophy fish that I have to take pics of with below freezing temps......once its above freezing.........the chains are off.....Grump
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we digress ;D like i said i always prefer suckers...and im glad we agree ;) im still waiting for my standby big pike water to even freeze.....i havent had safe ice on/been out on it since january 10th...and for that matter i havent even seen a pike in person this year over 33 inches :o :o :o anything i catch over 32 goes back. good luck on the trophy hunt though.... seems like i have a little longer to wait
billybono
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I have yet to see a articulable difference from one minnow species to the other as far as Northern having a preference. I usually have Shiners, creek chubs and suckers and the Pike get whatever I happen to grab next. The only advantage I have ever seen between suckers and shiners is that suckers are far tougher and hardier minnows. Shiners are wimpy and die very easily.
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I have yet to see a articulable difference from one minnow species to the other as far as Northern having a preference. I usually have Shiners, creek chubs and suckers and the Pike get whatever I happen to grab next. The only advantage I have ever seen between suckers and shiners is that suckers are far tougher and hardier minnows. Shiners are wimpy and die very easily.
...I agree...shiners are a common prey of larger predators, but as far as keeping them in home tanks or in containers for fishing...they are the least hardy overall.....hyper activity equals high oxygen levels....hard to retain in hardwater.....Grump
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I mostly use shiners. Suckers are hard to find at bait shops in my neck of the woods. I also use dead smelt. I usually put a mix of smelt and shiners out.
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As for the tooth conversation here...Last week I was using a sucker minnow and after first flag I lost the fish and as I was checking my bait I noticed teeth marks on eith side on the minnow, so he was definantly chomped on
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I use suckers for 2 reasons. 1. they don't die right away 2. Bass won't mess with them. Shiners seem to attract bass to my tip ups. Have yet to catch a bass with a sucker.
You also can't beat perch on your tip ups. catch a small one and throw him on a tip up. You might have to clip the fins to slow him down. Don't know if its legal everywhere but in Mich. it is.
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4-5" suckers if i can find them in bait shops...i use what i can get im used 3-4" shiners today for 2 hammer-handles in 6hrs. oh my left arm for some sucker chubs
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I used to get some of both just cause you never know what they are going to prefer. but lately the guys i have been fishing with been getting the shinners and we have been getting flags. so what do i really prefer what ever they are biting on
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all the biggest pike have caught have been on dead suckers!! fresh kill, wolverine boot print, hooked under chin and lay it right on bottom with 2 feet of extra line!!
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I wish I could get suckers at any of the bait shops I've found. I'd like to try them. I find that I can put a shiner out on a tipup 2-3 times before they die in most cases. I've got them swimming in my bait bin right now with 3 holes in them. I've always liked the flashy quality of the shiner, but again, that's all I've been able to get.
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I prefer pike shiners...
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I think it depends what the dominant forage is. Sometimes smashing the poor little minnows head with pliers is the ticket. I have always done best with live shiners or mashed suckers, I suppose it depends on the conditions.
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I prefer suckers. I've found them to be much hardier, both in the bucket and on the tip-up.
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I like Suckers cause we can get all we need for the winter in one seigning trip and we dont even have to get our feet wet. A budy of ours has an old deep freeze turned live well that stays pretty well stocked w/suckers and minnows all winter
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Im a shiner guy, always had better luck with them!
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always have better luck on a big shiner than suckers. but the suckers do tend to be more hardier.i'd say i have 5 to 1 flags on shiners.
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depends on the lake for me! shiners seem to be all around better..but i tend to get bigger pike on big ole nasty suckers(chubs) so i dunno. i usually buy a few of each...and see what happens from there.
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I personally don't think it matters! I usually use dead.....brined bait, but others use live shiners and out fish me....dead smelts work well up here too....I think they'll smack whatever you have out!
however, all my large pike have been on BIG BAIT....dead on the bottom
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I don't think it matters much. I've tried large suckers (12-14") and the largest I've caught on those big ones is 30" and 6 pounds. Last year a buddy of mine caught a 40" 14 pounder on a 5" shiner, and a 13.5" crappie on a 6" sucker. It's a crap shoot but I think if the fish is hungry it'll take the bait. I think the most important thing is to just find a good spot and put in the waiting time!
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Ive been catching walleye on 5-6 inch shiners, because thats all i can buy around here so far due to the lack of ability to trap minnows in NY anymore :'( But i prefer big fresh suckers personaly :laugh: