PIKE HOOKS

[MACK_USCG]

I am going out for pike soon and it is my first time trying to catch them and I have a question.  I bought a set of Snelled pike hooks but they don't have a treble hook.  It is a single 1/0 snelled hook with a 30" / 30lb wire leader covered with black nylon to a 75lb rosco swivel.  My question is how should I use these babies on a tip up?  I was planning on putting a 1/4oz egg swivel on my main tip up line and then tie my tip up line right to the leader.  If anyone could tell me how to fish this rig and what bait to use/how to hook it I would appreciate it.


Thanks,
Mack

[Danderson]

i'd go with quick strike rigs, much more reliable in hooking these fish and you won't kick your self for losing a fish or gut hooking hit

[Smeltecca]

The less tackle in the water the better - I like using a single gamakatsu octopus
hook on titanium leader - the hooks have a short shank and are less likely to get in the way when a fish is taking the bait (less likely to pull in a horeshoed bait with the hook stuck back into the body) - hook size depends on how big your bait is, you want as small as possible but still big enough to get a solid hook up.
Good Luck!

[MeadowPikeman]

use quick strike rigs

[MACK_USCG]

thanks for the info guys I really appreciate it!

Tight lines to you all,
Mack

[Water Wolf]

MACK_USCG,
Another hook that you might want to try is a circle hook.

They are good for catch and release fishing. By the way they are designed the hook usually digs in the corner or the tip of the mouth making easy for the hooks to be taken out.

The hook I am using is a size 5 VMC sure set circle hook.

If you are using set rods the fish will hook them selves all you do is walk over and reel it in, no need for a hook set, infact a sharp hookset will pull the hook out of the fish's mouth.

If your using tip-ups just add some pressure to the line and the fish will hook it's self, you then can hand line the fish in.

Good luck on your pike adventures.

WW

[ice rambler]

My thoughts based solely on ice fishing trips to Champlain the last two winters:

Single size 2 (or 4?) trebble:
 -Allows bait to be more active than quick strike, less stuff in the water.
 - These two trips are the first time I've tried the trebbles and they seem to work real well. Maybe I'm doing something wrong (hook size?), but occasionally w/ a single hook, I set the hook, miss the fish, get the shiner back w/ the hook barb buried in the shiners flesh; that never happens w/ the small trebbles.
 - I like #40 (#50 if it makes you more comfortable) flourocarbon.
    - We've caught 42 pike on our two trips and havn't broke one off yet.
    - You can't horse a big one around the hole.
    - I think you get more flags than w/ wire.
    - There teeth are not like bluefish or wahoo or sharks.

[MACK_USCG]

I like the sound of the flurocarbon and I am a firm believer in it when fishing for trout as well. Thanks to everyone for their advice and I think I am going to try a few different set-ups like you all advised.  Thanks again and tight lines to all!

Mack

[Skipper]

Use a quick strike rig!



Note the size of the hooks in relation to the bait, this is key. I can rig a sucker like that and it will struggle naturally for a very long time. There is a pretty good number of people who wont rig like this because they think the bait wont hang level. Who cares! In real life under that ice, does an injured minnow float level 2 feet off the bottom? No! It struggles to get to the bottom where it can hide! Watch a sucker rigged like this struggle against it in an attempt to hide. Pike like easy prey!

[ValleyStocker]

I'm with Skipper, the quick strike set up puts alot of hooks in mister pikes face when he strikes.

[MACK_USCG]

yeah ...ill be using that! I will be making a few of those

[ol reb]

definitly the way to go using the quick strike rig. We will have to try those.talk to you soon bro

[coldbum]

darkhousefisher posted some great pics for making quick strike rigs!
http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=63195.0

[AirManCam]

My fishing buddies and I use size 10 trebbles, with 15-17lb floro leader. Haven't been broken off yet, and we pulled a 23.5lb'er through last winter. You just can't horse them in.