Depth of bait for pike

[piker]

I'm a little confused and maybe it doesn't make much difference but should your bait be close to the bottom or just a foot or two below the ice?   

Also, does it make a difference if you are using live bait or dead bait??

Thanks

[WVBoy]

Piker, I normally fish just under the ice sometimes a foot below ice.But then again I almost stick to the shallow water for Northern 6-1ft. of water.FishinMusician is right, You would be surprised at how shallow northern run, it acts like a natural funnel for them to chase baitfish against the shore and the ice.And my theory is that it is more visible for pike to rig your line right below the ice because of where the pikes eyes are located on the top of their head, so seeing things above them is much easier.Plus, if there is alot of vegetation where you are fishing, setting your bait below the ice also helps.Just my theory though.As for live or dead bait, I use both.But live bait usually performs better than dead. It depends on what mood they are in. That and bait cost too much to throw out the dead ones!

[Polar]

I run my bait just under the ice,in most cases.But I have also caught them 18 inches off the bottom over 35ft of water fishing for eyes.

[grumpymoe]

my 2 cents worth....for quantity....and variety in size...fishing 4-12 ft of water...large bait about 3-4 feet off bottom.....for quality size fish....12-24ft of water...large bait 4-10ft off bottom...the big brutes tend to roam deeper water and feed on larger prey, while the smaller ones and the occassional brute will feed in shallower water....Grump

[baginwal]

The lake we target primarly for pike is bowl shaped (`20-25 ft deep).  Most of our hits come from baits set 1-2 ft off the bottom.  As Grump stated:  Big baits for big pike.  We use large 10-12 inch suckers for the big guys and large pike minnows for the rest.  With the suckers, you need to have a decent drag system on your tip up, otherwise you will get alot of false flags.  A trick that people use is to incorporate a downrigger release. 

At the beginning of the season, we usually hit a smaller shallower lake (6 ft max) and have found (as others have stated) the pike to be cruising near the surface.  We have had our best success with setting minnows at 1-2 ft down. 

[iceintheveins]

I try all depths with generally the same result, no pike. But when I have caught pike through the ice it generally has been shallower, around 10 - 12 feet. The lake I think has the best pike population around here is a very shallow, weedy bowl shaped reservoir. Most anglers say they catch 2 - 4 pike a day through the ice here, and I catch usually 2 - 8 during open water. Some anglers have claimed 20 pike days in this lake. Most run under 30" but there are some biggies in this lake.
I am going to set some tip ups shallower this year, around 4 - 6 feet. The deepest water in the lake is 15 feet in two areas, near the dam and in another area that is closer to expanisive shallow section. Have both areas on GPS and am gonna try them. Maybe I can finally find a lake and a pattern in this pike forsaken state where I can generally catch at least a pike or two per ice trip. Then I would be happy.

Tyler

[grumpymoe]

good plan Mackdaddy....concentra te on the 4-8ft of water...12 tops....and anywhere near weedbeds....as long as there is 1-2 feet of water....you shouldnt be disappointed...patienc e will reward you....post your pics which WILL come from your efforts....Grump

[iceintheveins]

Yeah the 20 pike claims are strictly from open water reports. I have heard though a couple anglers say a good day at this lake can be 4 pike. Even if they are all just two footers I will be happy.
The lake is pretty weedy though the weedbeds are harder to locate under the ice. I do know where most of the weededges are though. I think gaps in the weeds will be the best area. This lake does have a high number of pike so I think I can expect success. I only hit it once last year and didn't catch any pike, but that was after the cold front had left so it was tough fishing. Even the crappie and bluegill were tougher. Still caught several dozen of them though. My brother caught a channel cat on a jigging rap and I caught two on tip ups baited with an anchovy. Man was I happy to finally see a flag and line running off the spool. I figured I had finally got a pike through the ice for the first time since 2000. Imagine my disappointment when both flags turned out to be channel cats.

Tyler

[AB pike]

hey guys just new to the board great place to be to check out different ice fishing tactics living in southern Alberta i fish lots of pike my favorite fish to fish for some times when ice fishing i put my bait(4 to 6 inch herring anchovies,smelts, anything in that size cant use live bait here) right on the bottom of the lake i have seen them pick it up right off the bottom when sitting in the shack also i like to put the hook close to the tail and have the head of bait on the bottom i use those wind assist jigger so the baits are always moving very slow my biggest ice pike was caught this way 43inch just something else to try while ice fishing should have safe ice here in 2 more weeks cant wait to get out