Pike Without A Tip-Up

[The Rocket]

I live in Colorado and love ice fishing.
I have tried as hard as I can to catch a Pike, but It's not working.
Colorado does not allow live bait above 7000 feet. Can anyone give
me some advice on Catching Pike without a tip-up or live bait.
I tried sucker meat un a jig with a wire leader, but with no results.
Thanks

[Trophy Hunter]

Try using a SALTED minnow on a 1/8 ounce jig start by letting the jig drop to the bottom then just tighten your line give it a few jiggles then pause for a few and jiggle some more then pause then experiment by bringing the jig up afoot and repeat I have found that the pike almost always hit the bait while it is moving so the short jigging motions are important along with the sometimes lengthy puases I like salted minnows because it adds more scent out in the water. Work the entire water column right up to a couple of feet below the ice as they seem to be everywhere.

[Tombo]

     I've just started using a lure called a "spinnow"(made by the buzz-bomb folks) mine is .66oz. Chrome color and I've found Pike just attack this -only thing is you have to keep working it through the ice(raising it up and letting it fall on slack line). I live in Canada and ordered mine through www.tyeetackle.com  Just another option as here in Sask. we have big pike but are limited to using frozen minnows for bait. Good luck

[Germ]

Use a dead minnow about 6 jnches...SOmetimes pike will do just like LAkers do hit a school of fish then attck and sometimes fish get away injured..SO they see the minnow and hit it...I also use a tinsil trick..I have a wire that has Silver tinsil from the chrisymas tree (the boa looking one) I drop that into the water and pull it uo and down for like 1 min then fish for 30 mins...THe tinsel gives the Silver flasj that pike can see for quite some distance they come to investigate hoping its hurt fish by that time you already have your bait back down the hole...Sounds dumb but i have caught more pike this way....Good luck.

[The Rocket]

Thanks  

[Spicoli]

What you should do is go and buy a buck-shot rattle spoon, and put a pike eyeball on it and then fish it right off the bottom like 2-4 inches and just jig it!

[TroutFishingBear]

rocket, pike in colorado go pretty much dormat in the winter, but you can still catch them even though it is very difficult. I have had success on a 5-6" dead white sucker on tipup.(it will work on a dead stick pole too if you quick strike rig it) I've also got a few on jigging raps. The main thing in colorado to remember is to put your time out on the ice and eventually you will get a couple. Average maybe 1 every 2 trips is a good average. Personally (I know this is pike without tipup but), I like setting out a tip up and then fishing for whatever else is in the water like rainbows, browns, kokanees, lakers, or panfish. If I remember correctly you like williams fork and I know a few people that average an outstanding 1 pike/trip there. I have a new lake called rio blanco that I catch a fair amount of pike during open water and it has a super high biomass. Although last year in a trip I got 0 pike and like 10 cats (on tipups fishing for pike) and 10 crappie and a couple bluegill, I did get a couple pike hits on my jigging rap. On a better day I might even average 2 pike a day here

[iceintheveins]

Though I don't know the rhyme or reason, Colorado Pike seem to really have a serious case of lockjaw during the winter. I get so frustrated when I read of easy ice pike fishing in In Fisherman magazines in other reasons.
Doug Stange once said of jigging for ice pike "no other fish in no other freshwater situation is so flagrantly aggressive, so willing to charge in head over heels for a fisticuffs."
I have never, ever seen a pike act like this through the ice, or even in open water in Colorado. They just do not act like stereotypical pike. I know they can be caught though. I have caught a Grand Total of 2 pike through the ice in about 5 trips. I try all In Fisherman tactics and all tactics people on this board tell me. THEY JUST DO NOT HIT IN COLORADO. I don't know if we have very few pike because of the CDOW's anti pike management tactics, or that they just act different for some reason in this state, whether it be the elevation, abundance of food, or oxygen content in the water. Have found no reason.

Tyler

[Trophy Hunter]

Man that's weird but if you guy's can catch cats through the ice there i would definatly think the pike would be slammin here in manitoba cats through the ice rarely get caught but some do in the red but that's rare.But pike are almost suicidal at how hard they will slam a bait I've had to run and slide on my belly to grab a rod and pail flying across the ice to save it from going down the hole alot.

[iceintheveins]

Yeah trophy hunter that's pretty much what I decided about the pike around here, must not be that many anymore since the CDOW has a no bag limit rule statewide. I can catch them through open water usually but they can be on the tough side then, 1 - 4 pike is average through open water for me. I use all the classic presentations in open and ice. Must just be a bummer for numbers, though we do have some very big pike. I'm thinking of getting an underwater camera next year just to search out pike habitat in these lakes and see if there are any lollygagging around. Then if I don't see many I will know that they aren't numerous. If I see them all over but inactive, I will know that they must not feed well in the winter here for some reason. I would love to finally get in on some good ice pike action like you guys get. Might have to move for that though.

Tyler