pike fishing questions

[ESOX FIX]

when the ice returns ill take ya musky fishen make u forget about them pike

[Global Warming in CT]

I like the hour before and after sunrise, and the hour before and after sunset. My biggest one bit around 11AM though, and I've gotten plenty midday.

[NateD]

when the ice returns ill take ya musky fishen make u forget about them pike

In CT? Is there really much difference?

[saxmatt]

In CT? Is there really much difference?

Yes, muskie get much bigger, are harder to catch, and you have to fish for them differently than pike. It also helps to have a 10” auger if you hook into a giant.

[NateD]

40" pike vs. 40" muskie, can you tell the difference?  Just curious, I've never caught or seen a muskie.

[saxmatt]

40" pike vs. 40" muskie, can you tell the difference?  Just curious, I've never caught or seen a muskie.

Yes

[NateD]

Yes

How? They fight different? They are built exactly the same I never understood the fascination with musky (besides that they are harder to catch).

[saxmatt]

How? They fight different? They are built exactly the same I never understood the fascination with musky (besides that they are harder to catch).

They are not built exactly the same. Muskie are built for chasing fish in open water, pike are more of an ambush predator and scavenger. Muskie have much bigger eyes and fins than a pike, they are a more powerful fish. Also, 40” is very big for a pike and not very big for a muskie, muskie can get to be 50-60”.

[esox_xtm]

Fight is pretty close but visually the markings and color are different along with the tail shape and a few other minor differences. Everything else being equal, a 40" pike will likely (but not necessarily) be a little fatter than a 40" musky. Muskies have the genes to reach a longer maximum length and usually don't get more girth until later.

One more important difference: Pike are generally daytime biters. Perhaps a bit pre-dawn or into twilight but it would be unusual to catch a pike much more than an hour or so into dark. Muskies are usually great night feeders with many of the largest caught right at or well into dark.

My musky fixation is open water based because A.) Season is closed most of ice fishing in WI and B.) More importantly, they have a propensity to follow lures to to the boat. A properly executed figure 8 means often times a good fish will crash your lure at your feet. Pretty exciting stuff.

[bigpikekid]

If you want cheap dead bait most shop rites still carry whole sardines in 20 pack bags for less than $10, if you can manage to catch Golden’s run them live for as long as they’ll go, for us it’s normally 3-5 outings, then run them dead. If you have saltwater friends try to get herring or small mackerel to use dead. Caught 30”ers on 12” ballyhoo so the bait can’t be too big. Get a long set of needle noses in case of a deeper hook, hold the fish in the water while unhooking if possible, and whatever you do never ever use a boga. Keep in touch, once there’s ice I can take you out or give you some pointers. Spend your time in the summer finding and marking weedlines because on those like lakes they don’t stay the same every year. Don’t get discouraged by hours without a flag, it happens. Fish all day long whenever you can and set up your “home base” far enough from your gear to reduce noise

[NateD]

Interesting, I thought 40 inch pike were pretty common, the record for CT is 29lbs that thing had to be well over 40 inches.  Either way I guess I need to catch a musky to understand the hype.

[jebra]

just another question do they seem to bite at some particular time of the day or not?

For me it's always been a waiting game for pike more than a time of day.

They seem to hit in spurts....like 2 flags in a half hour and then nothing for the next 1 to 3 hours...repeat that. 

[esox_xtm]

Interesting, I thought 40 inch pike were pretty common, the record for CT is 29lbs that thing had to be well over 40 inches.  Either way I guess I need to catch a musky to understand the hype.

Not that common. Most places 40" is where pike are started to be considered trophy fish. I'd say 40" pike are more common than 50" muskies but are still pretty special fish. Especially here in WI where most folks keep all they catch to cram in a pickle jar. There's a few places for better opportunities but that's the exception to the rule. 20 - 24" is pretty average size most places here. I do think you guys out east have better size structure than we have here. Canada too and Alaska...

Muskies are fun but thru the ice it's usually just a bigger version of pike. Few weeks ago had one smoke a HyperGlide I was jigging for 'eyes in about 18 FOW. Got it up and the head wouldn't even fit in the 7.5" K-Drill hole much less the rest of it. It was a giant and did not end well. A photo op would have been something.

[NateD]

Not that common. Most places 40" is where pike are started to be considered trophy fish. I''d say 40" pike are more common than 50" muskies but are still pretty special fish. Especially here in WI where most folks keep all they catch to cram in a pickle jar. There's a few places for better opportunities but that's the exception to the rule. 20 - 24" is pretty average size most places here. I do think you guys out east have better size structure than we have here. Canada too and Alaska...

Muskies are fun but thru the ice it's usually just a bigger version of pike. Few weeks ago had one smoke a HyperGlide I was jigging for 'eyes in about 18 FOW. Got it up and the head wouldn't even fit in the 7.5" K-Drill hole much less the rest of it. It was a giant and did not end well. A photo op would have been something.

Damn man that sucks, if I'm feeling lucky I overlap my k drill holes but haven't caught a big one in a doubled up hole yet of course.  Pulled a 36 inch through the 7.5 inch hole no problem but I had steel leader and tip-up line.  I catch pickerel that are 20-24 inches pretty regularly over here so I think maybe our average pike might be a bit beefier than yours, not many keep them.

[esox_xtm]

I think our K-Drill holes will accommodate all but the most special fish. I've had a number of mid 40" muskies thru 8" holes. The fattest one needed some real coaxing up and even more to get her back down. That was a late Feb. pre-spawn 46". Completely filled the 8.25" Eskimo hole...

That's why when I ran gas I drilled 10"ers, a lot more forgiving. Now I gotta learn some skills 

[saxmatt]

Last year my buddy caught a 27lb muskie and it barely squeezed through an 8” hole, it got scraped up coming out. I’m glad I bought a 10” auger because I’ve caught  a handful of fish 28-35lbs and I don’t know if they’d fit through an 8” hole, especially through thick ice. Their heads are the size of a shovel and it’s though to get them started up an 8” hole when the ice is thick. Here’s a pic of a big one going back down a 10” hole:

[lowaccord66]

8" hole was a squeeze with this one.



And this:



But I have never felt the need for a larger hole.

[PikeKing23]

Interesting, I thought 40 inch pike were pretty common, the record for CT is 29lbs that thing had to be well over 40 inches.  Either way I guess I need to catch a musky to understand the hype.

Not in CT!  In the 15 yrs I have been targeting them, I've only caugth a few at 40" or above and only 1 that hit 42".  keep in mind that I have probably caught close to 100 that were 36" or over.  None of these pike were 20lbs, so our state record was much larger than 40", although I question this CT record.  I saw a pic of the fish and the guy holding it.  He was either 8' tall, or the fish was full of lead sinkers! 

[pikemanEd]

State record was 49in

[ESOX FIX]

the skin mount of the ct record pike is on display at the deep western district headquarters on plymouth rd in harwinton. the lucky angler was 6'6"

[esox_xtm]

@lowaccord66: That pike is a fattie. I love the ones that look like that! Your tiger is an awesome catch as well, maybe some of the prettiest fish on the planet. Here's a 43" tiger I caught a few years ago:



Any pike over 40" is special and those approaching 50" or better are maybe once in a lifetime. The WI record has stood since '52 and was 38# with no length listed. The standard weight calc would indicate a fish between 52 and 53 inches.

My buddy booked with Midnight Sun Trophy Pike Adventures in Alaska a couple years ago, they houseboat out of Talkeetna. Mike caught the big fish of the week, a 50.25" pike with a couple dozen over 40" (that's for the whole party). Maybe... If I win the lottery.  Here's his fish of a lifetime (Mike on the left, guide holding fish on right):

[lowaccord66]

That's a nice open water tiger.  I'd like to check that off the list one day.  I told myself I wanted to get a pure strain musky this ice season but jigging Lakers consumes me.

This one my buddy caught, same lake.  We didnt have time to measure or weigh but estimate upper 20s.  Water temp was 70 but we released successfully.  My boat has a 8' beam for comparisons sake.

[esox_xtm]

Wow! Just another incredible pike...  The only place(s) we see those in WI are on Green Bay (mostly thru the ice) or Mississippi backwaters and maybe tributaries off Lake Superior. Other than that our pike are lucky to make 3 feet and if they do, are almost always "removed from the system".

Thanks for sharing!

[fishndog]

Looks like I`m gettin a bigger auger! Awesome Fish!!!

[bigpikekid]

That's a nice open water tiger.  I'd like to check that off the list one day.  I told myself I wanted to get a pure strain musky this ice season but jigging Lakers consumes me.

This one my buddy caught, same lake.  We didnt have time to measure or weigh but estimate upper 20s.  Water temp was 70 but we released successfully.  My boat has a 8' beam for comparisons sake.

that things huge, seen you out before and even talked a time or two on the lake, got a nice setup for sure, seen and lost some absolute giants out of there open water

[ice sled]

wow! some pretty cool fish. is it true to be very careful around the gill plate area because its like razor blades?

[imsafanct]

Nice big pike on a good old-fashioned firetiger spoon. Love it!

-Eric

[esox_xtm]

wow! some pretty cool fish. is it true to be very careful around the gill plate area because its like razor blades?

Gill plates can be sharp and cut (never done that), teeth are even worse (happens too frequently). Don't ask how many times I've has hooks buried in me well past the barb  Plenty of danger wrapped up in these guys.

(Big fish + hazards) + (high excitement * inexperience) = recipe for disaster. First aid kit includes styptic pencil or powder, band-aids, butterflies and triple antibiotic salve. Don't leave home without it.

[Doeslayer]

Seems ive done my best first and last 2 hours of the day but that really goes with most species

[Rkonieczkowski]

From last year i need more