Dead Bait Regs for Pike

[jaeger80]

I know other states have specific regulations on what you can and cannot use for dead bait rigs.  I had planned on buying some frozen/salted rainbow smelt to hang on quick strike rigs this winter, but I'm not certain PA allows me to purchase bait like that from the internet and use it in public waters.  I submitted the question to the Fish Commish, but have yet to hear back.  Anyone have any insight or have preferred dead bait rigs they like for northerns?

[boatman]

Pretty sure there is no regs on dead bait after all meal worms and shiners don't come from Pa and everyone uses them alive. There are regs on some live bait like goldfish and stone cats.

[jaeger80]

Thanks boatman...  Does anyone have a preferred dead bait?

[fisher 74]

16 inch white sucker or trout be patient might take a month or 2 to get a strike but hold on when you do it will pull ya down the hole

[butcher]

I don't specifically target pike through the ice (sadly, because we don't have them in eastern PA...) but I agree with Boatman.  If a bait is dead, I don't think the PA fish commission prohibits its use.  If you want to target pike and other large species of predatory fish, you may want to go in a different direction on your baits and try to "match the hatch'.  In my experience, fish of any species tend to eat what they see on a regular basis. In the case of pike and other large predatory fish in most PA lakes, that bait is perch. Whether you are using them live or dead, a perch is really hard to beat as bait for big gamefish. Simply jig up a few small perch (4-7') and rig them on a quick strike rig on a tip up and then... wait.  Pike, pickerel, walleye, bass, catfish and even muskies prey heavily on perch.  Just remember to check the regs where you are fishing for size and creel limits for perch.  Every perch you keep counts toward your creel limit and like all other fish species, they may be subject to size limits so just make sure you are compliant.

[jaeger80]

I don't specifically target pike through the ice (sadly, because we don't have them in eastern PA...) but I agree with Boatman.  If a bait is dead, I don't think the PA fish commission prohibits its use.  If you want to target pike and other large species of predatory fish, you may want to go in a different direction on your baits and try to "match the hatch'.  In my experience, fish of any species tend to eat what they see on a regular basis. In the case of pike and other large predatory fish in most PA lakes, that bait is perch. Whether you are using them live or dead, a perch is really hard to beat as bait for big gamefish. Simply jig up a few small perch (4-7') and rig them on a quick strike rig on a tip up and then... wait.  Pike, pickerel, walleye, bass, catfish and even muskies prey heavily on perch.  Just remember to check the regs where you are fishing for size and creel limits for perch.  Every perch you keep counts toward your creel limit and like all other fish species, they may be subject to size limits so just make sure you are compliant.

Butcher, seeing as you're from the east side, do you ever use a dead bait rig for chains?  I know they're Esox, but I dont know if they act the same way as northerns with dead bait.  Also, slightly off topic  but what is your favorite pickerel bait/lure?

[butcher]

Jaeger80 - I usually use live bait for pickerel when I'm ice fishing but I have also rigged dead baits when live isn't available and they work.  I usually use shiners because I can get them at the bait shop but I haven't found pickerel to be very finicky during ice season so pretty much anything will work. They go on a feeding binge and will eat just about anything. With that said, if I were specifically targeting big pickerel (20+ inches), my go-to bait would be a 6-8" perch either live-lined or dead on a quick strike rig.  You can certainly catch big pickerel on smaller baits but you will need to weed through potentially dozens of 10-15 inch pickerel on smaller baits (under 5") to get to the bigger ones.  You'll get far fewer bites on the bigger baits but the ones that do bite will be larger usually.  If perch weren't available, I'd try a 5-7" bluegill/sunfish.  A 6-8" trout would also be a good choice as well for waterways that have them.

[jaeger80]

Thanks butcher...  The pickerel lake I fish has a healthy perch population in it and jigging up a few dinks is certainly cheaper than a dozen shiners in my area...

[Spider1]

I've never heard of any regs about salted shiner. I don't know why you would buy em on line though.

I also never heard that there aren't any lakes in nepa that have healthy populations of Pike. Maybe not in sepa but up here there are several lakes that you can catch them in.

[Icemole]

 I've never had a problem with dink pickerel eating my 6-8" shiners.... which is why I no longer take 6-8" shiners up to most Pocono lakes.... Well that and the fact I can't get 6-8" shiners anymore.

[butcher]

Icemole - I agree with you on the shiners. An 8" shiner probably weighs only about two or three ounces so even a dink pickerel can swallow those pretty easily but an 8" perch is probably 6-8 ounces which presents a much wider profile and larger prey.  I've read that a member of the esox family can swallow a fish up to 2/3 of its length.  Therefore, a 15" pike, pickerel or muskie can theoretically eat a fish that is 10" long but I think the profile of the baitfish has more to do with this equation than the length.  For example, a 10" perch, trout or sucker is going to be fairly heavy compared to a bluegill of the same length but a gill is going to be pretty much impossible for a 15" pike to swallow because of its profile.  Gills are skinny but very wide which makes them difficult to swallow for anything other than a very large predatory fish.

Spider - the only place in eastern PA that I've ever caught pike is in the North Branch of the Susquehanna. Care to share some of the names of those lakes in NEPA that have fishable populations of pike?  I'd love to catch one through the ice.

[treblesandshiners]

2 yrs ago i used big shiners and every hole i droped 2-3 frozen smelt thaled out down the hole and crushed them 25 pike that year biggest 36 inch going to do it again this year

[jaeger80]

Trebles,

Are you saying you put a live shiner on the line and chummed with the smelt?  Or did you put the smelt on the hook as dead bait?

[Spider1]

The pack has northerns in it. Try down by ledgedale.

[butcher]

Thanks Spider!