Something big under the ice?!?

[NorthwoodsIce]

So my favorite bluegill area is also known for some bigger fish in the summer.  I have seen some pictures of Pike and muskie taken from my area in the summer and was wondering what type of setup i should use to hunt these massive fish in the winter, tip up with minnow, jig, dead stick what should i use?  I have  sense that they are down the hole in the winter because last year i saw a huge shadow down the hole, scared the cr*p out of me.  I am fishing in about 7-8' of water.  Any help would be great.

[iceintheveins]

I would set a tip up with fluorcarbon leader of at least 15 pound test and a pair of #8 trebles. If it's legal in your area, bait the tip up with a live or dead panfish from the water you have caught in about the 4 - 6" length. If it's not legal, bait the tip up with a 6" dead anchovy, sucker, or smelt.
Keep pretty quiet and stay away from the tip up. It might be slow fishing but you will get a pig eventually. Don't use wire, that is the worst thing you can do.

[coldbum]

when i fish for pike I use the sturdiest tipups in my packbasket... 45lb cortland ice line with a 20lb Pline floro leader

I use a sampo 18" ball bearing leader if I can find them     add a size 2 red eagle claw treble and enough weight to encourage the bait down to the depth you set him at

I hook suckers 6-12"s behind the dorsal,  i generally clip a few fins so the sucker swims a bit erratically...

I like to set up on grassy transitions if available if not I look for stumps or other structure   10-20 FOW


I am not sure if thats the right way but hey its my way


good luck

[bigredonice]

Definetly go with the flouro leader...will get you more hits from those older fish - but don't be suprised if you get bite-offs.

[NorthwoodsIce]

Thanks for the tips, I cant wait to try them and see what I get.  Now when people say anchovies do you mean the kind you buy in the grocery store in the tin or is that something different?

[GAMBELL]

They mean frozen anchovies not the ones in a can.  They usually come in a big bag.  They do work good. I also buy dead smelt (gutted and missing their heads) at a local grocery store. 

[NorthwoodsIce]

Where does a person get frozen anchovies, i am entering a whole new world of baits here.

[P.I.K.E.]

Where does a person get frozen anchovies, i am entering a whole new world of baits here.

I've seen them at Sentry before.

[Water Wolf]

All the ideas suggested will get a pike.
If you would like to jig for them try a large spoon, swimbait like the storm wildeyes or other large plastic.
I would try eather anchovies, herring, smelt or mackerel, the bigger the better for giant pike. You can find any of these frozen fish in the seafood department of any large grocery store.
Good luck, pike are a blast to fish for.

WW

[NorthwoodsIce]

Thanks for the tips, I cant wait to bait for these large creatures.  Last year I would look down the hole when the bluegill bite was slow and sure enough if you waited long enough a large fish would swim bye, a couple minutes later, the bluegill bite was on again.  I guess I would swim away two if one of those toothy things was near me

[richstick]

NWice - you mentioned musky in your original post - be aware that musky season CLOSES in Wisconsin on Nov 31st - if you do happen to catch one through the ice, you must release it immediately.  For pike, 27# sevenstrand wire leaders with #8-#6 treble hooks and large shiners are the ticket around these parts :-)  And don't forget to bring wire cutters and pliers for hook removal - release the big fish, eat the smaller ones and have fun!!!

[NorthwoodsIce]

Thanks for the tip about musky, I actually was reading the regs this morning making sure what was open and closed.  Thanks for the heads up.  I am what they call a camera fisherman, and a very conservation minded fisherman(person) so I throw back everything.  I just really enjoy being out on the ice.  I saw a guy using shiners last year and thought that is what i would try, or the anchovies idea, but  I like the shiner idea better.  Thanks again for the tips.

[iceintheveins]

I find frozen anchovies at sportsmans's warehouse stores in Colorado. I think pretty much any big tackle store would carry anchovies.
However if you can trap your own baitfish, such as suckers, smelt, ciscoes or the like, they will work.
I start out with 6" dead anchovies. Mid sized baits catch both big and small pike, and if you can use dead or stunned perch, they work awesome. Bigger baits like 10 - 12" suckers still work well though.

[GAMBELL]

Northwoodsice,

If you have one near you, try Tops supermarket.  I do not know where you are but it is worth a try.  You might want to try going to you local supermarkets seafood section and asking someone.  They might special order them for you.

[Barleydog]

NWI, 
Great suggestions!  I really like the combonation of WW and Richstick's suggestions.  You said LARGE fish, so go large!  The use of whole frozen sardines, whitefish, smelt and herring would be great!  The oil that seeps from these fish are great attractants and could only improve your catch.  The use of sevenstrand would be a must!    You said BIG fish, so the use of small test line would be frustrating once you hook up!  Clean cut, longer steel leaders, with no kinks are key.  Sevenstrand is superb for keeping it's form and it's easy to work with a snips.  If your water is ultra clear "spooky" waters.  Then you might want to stick with the 30-40 lb. Fluorocarbon leader?  I'd also consider being extremely quite around your 7-8' range.  Your chance of catching that lunker will increase with decreased noise on the surface.  Good luck NWI

[NorthwoodsIce]

AHHHH I just cant wait to set out a fish tip ups for these big fish.  Would it be better to fish at night or during the day for such a fish?  During the day there might be more people in the area than at night.  Thanks for all the tips and suggestions, hopefully a large fish from me will show up in the tourney 

[Barleydog]

Day break and dusk, never at night.

[Water Wolf]

Pike and musky are sight hunter, that utilize cover and stealth. They have great day vision, but poor night vision. Like Barleydog said, daybreak and dusk are peak times, plus there usually less traffic on the ice. You can also catch them through out the day but too much traffic may put them off.

WW

[NorthwoodsIce]

The area i am going to try this has tons of weed pockets and so there is plenty of room for these monsters to hang out and be stealthy.  Well thanks for all the info, I will hopefully be posting a huge pike/musky in the tourney, thanks again.