How big??

[A- bomb]

As the season progresses for pike do you tend to use large or smaller baits.

One buddy does better he says on 4-6 inch live shiners. His thought is as the larger females get bulked up on eggs they have less room for food in the stomach.

My other buddy likes 7" or better suckers and shiners. His thoughts is they only need to eat once.

both seem to do equally well on late pike ( different lakes). I use both and don't really notice a "trend". Alot of hammer handles on the 4" shiners but also quality 36-38 inchers. The hammers keep it fun for my boy,8yr old.

any thoughts............PL EASE
 

[Smeltecca]

I use big dead 8-10 inch shiners year round.  It seems to eliminate the hammer handles and anything 34 inches and up have plenty of room to fit them.  A pike around 40 inches could easily fit 2 or 3 of them in its mouth.

[shawner]

     I'm a believer in the big bait big fish thing but not everyone is or agrees. My luck goes with that thought process, especially in spring when pike re-opens here in NY. I have caught pike on bass size shiners but, my biggest are always on the 6"+ size. Just my luck and experience.

[A- bomb]

Thanks for the thoughts.
I'll probably run 6 inch shiners on the lines Sunday. You did bring up a good point ....
Now i wonder dead or alive?? Late ice is scavenger easy meal time....HMMM?

[Little Brown Dog]

My top three pike have come on bait that was less than three inches.  One 14 pounder and two 11 pounders.

[RLWagner]

I prefer big bait/big fish. There are the exceptions, but I find Big Gators get that way by using less energy through-out life. They do this one way by eating fewer, but larger meals.
If I were you, I would stick with what you are doing. Quantity comes from hammer handles and having a blast with the kids. Quality fish are fewer, and less action for the children. Your way works for you and your family, stick with it!

[blaster22077]

If the bite is slow i'll use a smaller bait.
But if it's a good bite i'll use something from 5in and up

[Bigbait]

 I have my best luck with 6 to 8 inch Pond shiners POND SHINERS !!!!!!!!!! Not arkansas
 other debt about %50 %50 split  dead or alive . Most of the bigger 10 to 20 lb fish are
 on 8 to 10 inch baits. In past five years I have caugt 50 fish over ten lbs only 1 was on a small
 Mommy chub wich was 5 inchs .. the bigger the bait the bigger the fish Thanks dan

[fishuhalik]

that's false, when those big pike are full of eggs they really put the feedbag on.  the reason alot of people catch big pike on small bait is simple, pike are extrememly opportunistic.  if a little shiner is dangling in front of them, they'll snatch it, but i've rarely seen a big fish actually put in the effort of chasing down a small bait.  on lake o' the woods i've caught pike right before ice-out that looked like they swallowed a small dog, and i use 11-13" dead ciscoes that i catch earlier in the year.  if yer looking for action for the younger boys, though, i'd stick w/ 7-8" smelt.  a 12" pike'll still hit 'em, and you have a much better chance at a big boy than if you use smaller bait. 

[SJohn01]

that's false, when those big pike are full of eggs they really put the feedbag on.  the reason alot of people catch big pike on small bait is simple, pike are extrememly opportunistic.  if a little shiner is dangling in front of them, they'll snatch it, but i've rarely seen a big fish actually put in the effort of chasing down a small bait.  on lake o' the woods i've caught pike right before ice-out that looked like they swallowed a small dog, and i use 11-13" dead ciscoes that i catch earlier in the year.  if yer looking for action for the younger boys, though, i'd stick w/ 7-8" smelt.  a 12" pike'll still hit 'em, and you have a much better chance at a big boy than if you use smaller bait. 

I tend to agree. I fished with a guy this weekend and we used big smelt. We got about a 20"er on a 8 inch smelt, so I know you won't miss out on too many small ones just because you have the bigger bait. Just my .02

[icefish2]

As the season progresses for pike do you tend to use large or smaller baits.

One buddy does better he says on 4-6 inch live shiners. His thought is as the larger females get bulked up on eggs they have less room for food in the stomach.

My other buddy likes 7" or better suckers and shiners. His thoughts is they only need to eat once.

both seem to do equally well on late pike ( different lakes). I use both and don't really notice a "trend". Alot of hammer handles on the 4" shiners but also quality 36-38 inchers. The hammers keep it fun for my boy,8yr old.

any thoughts............PL EASE

Up north on the Bays de Noc we often use 9-12 inch suckers, on tipups, for large walleye. Sometimes the catch turns out to be a large northern. In the summer we "downsize" to 6-8 inch for smallmouth.  Big fish deffinately prefer big baits!
 

[putback]

Two things I like about big [7+"] bait for pike. The smart allec remarks from onlookers when you bait up, and the dumbfounded look on their face when you ice your fish.

[killitandgrillit]

I use minnows as big as I can get for pike. A bigger minnow makes a bigger disturbance in the water, triggering the fishs lateral lines to strike...and it helps keep the little craps off your line.

[A- bomb]

Yep, bigger shiners it is! With a couple 4 inchers for the boy to keep busy!! Thanks to all for all the input! No walleye in this lake as its just bass and pike. My boy got a big bass  last year (5#) and he loves to race to the flag and  WHACK'EM!!!

[river_scum]

thats great that you are getting the boy into fishing a-bomb. thumbs up to you! another thought is chubs. you can catch your own chubs in the small creeks around allen county(im from the fort too,ask bruce he knows me). i catch them off bridges on county rds. on the way up north. the thing about the chub is it SMELLS. the smell is a big trigger to toothy critters, IMO. shad and skipjacks are reall smelly good baits too. illegal to use live shad though,but dead works good too. did you read the hot dog=pike thread thats a smell thing im sure cause hot dogs arent that lively. 

[deadsmelthead]

I like small perch 4-6 inches half dead kinda wounded looking, pre spawn pike aren't that picky and it has been my experience that stinky dead bait works well also, especialy for the big females, they don't have to chase it, they are all about putting mass on and expending the least amount of energy while doing so. Late ice is when your gonna pull out the wall mounter you just gotta put the time in.

[captain54]

I like to use 5 to 7 in gills or crappie,use a 18 inch 20 lb test steel leader tied to a quality Shampo snap " stop line the twist " then on to 27 lb braided with two size six trebles hook bottom treble just in front or dorsal in forehead of bait and slide the back treble just behind the dorsal in front of tail.Took 42.5 in. 18.3 lbs 40 in. 17.0 lbs 40in 16.10 lbs 38.5in 14.4 lbs and 32incher.The smallest one had a monster 9.5 gill in it and still wanted more.I like big bait. I don't think you can use to big a bait.