Fishing For Pike

[ripstik]

Curious. What depths do you fish for pike? Near the bottom or suspended?

[minimite]

I catch more northerns than anyone I fish with and I usually put my shiner or sucker just low enough to swim under the ice a little.   Northerns are usually on the bottom and with their eyes on the top of the head, can only look up!

[poorfisherman]

My main lake is 12FOW, long and lean.  There are pike in the 30lbs.  mainly fish a smelt 12 to 24 inches off bottom.

[Nightbird]

If pike can only see upwards, they must have other means of finding bait on bottom. Fishing open water in May in Saskatchewan lakes, I cast dead smelts with enough weight to have them lay on bottom. I consistently catch more and larger fish than any other method my buddies are using. On ice, I place one smelt on bottom and one about a foot off (allowed 2 holes here). Both seem to produce about the same, although I've never actually measured success of either placement. Maybe I'll keep records this winter. I think I read somewhere that pike scavenge the bottom for dead fish.

[addicted to ice fishing]

When a group of us get together for a day of tip up fishing, we will normally spread out our tipups throughout the water column. Some days just under the ice is better,  other days it is just off of bottom. Still other days it is somewhere in between.

You need to experiment to see what the pike prefer that day. 

[begs]

I usually check my depth quite a bit while fishing, I start low and work my way up, last year I found myself catching most of my fish in the upper half of the water column... I fished 12 fow, I would be about about 5-6ft from bottom of ice......

[panfishboy]

I usually jig a rod aggresivly near the bottom in 4-10 FOW, usually usinng any bright colored jig tipped with a shiner. When Im using tip ups, quickstrike rig with a large smelt 12 inches from the bottom in the same depth. Catch tons and tons of northerns,

[woodyvt]

I usually fish in 2-8 feet of water....just under the ice tends to work best since pike look up for food.

[doubletreble]

I fish in about 8 FOW and suspend a shiner or a sucker about 3 feet off the bottom. This seems to produce the best results.

[gillcraze]

I fish in about 8 FOW and suspend a shiner or a sucker about 3 feet off the bottom. This seems to produce the best results.

X2... i would know that you do this 

[poorfisherman]

So what we are saying is anywhere between the bottom of the ice to the bottom of the lake.

[da man cave shack]

Well I usually fish right below the ice because of were a pike eyes are located they have a better view of what is above them in the water colum than what is below them.

[Nightbird]

So what we are saying is anywhere between the bottom of the ice to the bottom of the lake.

Poorfisherman obviously has the only correct answer! Might add "it depends..."

[Coss13]

I usually check my depth quite a bit while fishing, I start low and work my way up, last year I found myself catching most of my fish in the upper half of the water column... I fished 12 fow, I would be about about 5-6ft from bottom of ice......

we did fish in 5 foot of water also and only fished the first foot or two below the ice .  I would say just above the weeds , if you have a camera this is easier to find , if not then try to work the top to the bottom of the water column in foot sections . JMO

[Lac Suel Freak]

Pike are always going to follow Panfish. Wherever you find Panfish you'll find pike not to far behind. Try to fish just beyond all the weeds and cover regardless the depth. You will find pike love to patrol the outskirts of cover and attack at will to the shallower cover. If you are Panfishing and it shuts down fast, you probably have a pike around. They patrol in groups and because of this they follow schools of smaller fish to herd them then attack.

[cstone]

What ever depth your fishing, take your tip ups and set one about a foot from the bottom then every other tip up you set out keep raising your bait and do a little experimenting for awhile. then which ever one works the best set your tip ups at that depth!

[campfindit2]

I tend to set up 2' off the bottom. When checking bait if I see weeds on the leader I'll raise it up a little.

I find Pike to be non schooling fish. Even with a group outing "100 tipup spread" doubles or triples are never next to one another. An area can draw in multiple fish for sure. My favorite is the flats close to spawning grounds, late ice.

[webster]

I have found for me 16 to 18 inches of the bottom works well.    We have mostly perch the pike are after and perch hug the bottom.    The biggest problem I have is not setting so my bait hides in the weeds.    Hopping fish TV takes care of that problem

[lefty2053]

I would guess if Pike was looking for food on the bottom,they would have to stand on their heads to see it. But 1 foot off bottom and they have no problem.

Question is: Do pike stand on their heads?   
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