New to Pike Fishing

[keith411]

Hello everyone, I'm new to pike fishing and i was wondering if i could get tips on how i should approach this game fish. I went out once last year and i was fortunate to catch one in Bantam. It wasn't anything big but it was still fun to catch. i caught him in about 4 feet of water on a dead shiner. Im not looking for anyone's secret honey holes im just wondering if you can give me tips on how to target and catch them. Any advice would be very helpful. Im not looking for anything big. I just want to catch a few. Size doesn't matter to me.
Thank You!
Keith

[saxmatt]

8-12" dead or live bait, heavy leader, big single hook, 1-12' of water, sit on the ice for a while and you'll get them.

[pikemanEd]

I like to set my baits half way down in the water if you look at a pike it's eyes are on top of its head so they are always looking up. Use big baits also like Matt said even the smallest of pike hit 10in+ baits

[Pike Guy Matt]

I prefer big live bait, suspended mid depth over a weed bed or some other type of structure. This time of year I find the 6-10' depth to be most productive but later in the season they will begin to move shallow, getting ready to spawn. If you caught one last year, fish the same area with the same techniques you used and you will get them. 

[BIGD103]

I use hearing. They stink and usually only catch 30in pike or bigger

[icechaser]

Awesome!-Pike are a great fish to hunt; as are all fish-and big baits work great for them; however I get more pike with a 5-7" shiner-put on a fine wire leader w/ a blade-colorodo or Indiana# 1 or 0-in about 3-8' of water.-this method in pike waters will bring you more fish than large deadbait setups; and will bring big pike from time-to-time- but the majority of what you catch this way will be pike in the 20-30 inch class-fun way to learn about the species-look for info on pike icefishing- cto may even have a seminar coming up-good luck& have fun-welcome!

[icechaser]

Oh; and I agree with staying in the deeper half of that spectrum until march-

[JBO112394]

Always stay as quiet and as far away from your tilts as possible. Pike, especially bigger fish spook very easily when there is lots of noise being made on the ice and drilling holes around your spread all day long will drastically reduce your chances at catching a big pike.

[Jessox80]

Lots of great advice on this thread, and a ton on the species-specific pike ice shanty page. You'll want to have a ton of line on your spools because a large fish can move very far quite quickly. Timing on setting the hook is a debatable issue, but I like to watch youtube videos of pike eating underwater so I can get a better idea of what might be going on when the flag is up but the spool isn't turning. If you opt for floro leaders (I use 50 or 60lb), make sure you inspect your leader after landing or fighting a fish, they may need to be retied. Lastly, get the fish tired, like really tired, before trying to land it (I've seen many 'green' fish get off at the hole), and have a plan about how you're going to keep the fish healthy. Keep all your tools and camera on your person and don't lay the fish on the snow or ice at all if possible. I like to use a pair of jaw grips to hold them in the water and stop the fish's eyes or slime coat from freezing. Have a plan for whiling away the flagless hours in search of a giant-amongst-giants.

[Capn Ez]

Best advice I can give is to pay attention to their lifecycle and don't be afraid to fish deep when it's called for.  I do a lot of mid-winter pike fishing in 15 feet+ water, which is considered "deep" by many.  In dead summer I catch these guys in 50-60', so they will inhabit the entire water column as it suits them.  At first ice they are still hanging around the last green(ish) weeds and by mid-winter they're off deep breaks near those areas.  Come last ice they are back near the shallows getting ready to spawn at break-up.

10' and less I go halfway down the column and over 10' I go about 2/3 the way down with the baits.

They're hard to catch consistently except for the small ones.  Big ones are rare and tough to find here in CT.  Face time with the holes, my friend.  Lots of it.

[lowaccord66]

Capt Ez offers the best advise I read so far....they are certainly not shallow all the time as some suggest. 

[Amotha]

The depth that works depends on the lake, in other words don't be afraid to fish too shallow or too deep, just make sure your fishing over some vegetation. I set my baits just off the top of the weeds, so to each their own.

[moose444]

A trout guy most of my life & being new to pike fever I have to say what great advice you all gave on this thread. No secret spots given just a guide to help us to get up to par quicker. Appreciated!

[icechaser]

Oh yeah!-I forgot to mention I typically target pike in waters less then 20' at their deepest point-