do plastics really work or not

[mrpike1973]

i have tried all summer using jigs and plastics mimmic minnows and storm plastic fish i have not caught one pike they say that when fishing you should always try to do new methods i use raps 85% of the time the rest with spinnerbaits am i missing the boat just want your advice its hard to have faith and confidence in something that just doesnt work what methods do you all use thank you

[Nick Kuhn]

I only use them to throw into thick weeds to get close to the fish with a weedless presentation. When the fish are active often things like xraps call fish better with more noise. But if conditions are tough I move in close with weightless or t-rigged plastics.

[Lunker]

I don't fish specifically for pike all that much, but I think they do. I don't know how many I have caught on soft plastic jerkbaits especially. I caught some nice ones on jig/plastic combo while actually targeting them last week(see pike pics 09). Thing is, they fish a lot slower so you won't cover as much water.

[fishuhalik]

Ya gotta put the right bait to the right conditions. If you're fishing a day where the fish aren't active and they're just sitting on the edge of a deep weedline those things can be deadly. If they're active you're better off w/ something that moves faster, makes some flash/noise, etc.

[solbes]

I catch lots of pike with Gulp minnows and Gulp worms on jigs and spinner rigs. I should point out that I am usually targeting walleyes with these methods, but 80% of the time I catch pike instead. Oh well, I love the rod shake from the norts!

[scott b]

I think the problem is your choice of plastic. I have about 50 mimmic minnows/storm wild eyes. Never caught a thing on them. I think the body is too small for the size head they put on them. So unless the fish are in a really good mood, I tend to shy away from such a fast moving small lure. Could I recomend you try a 5" swimbait? That way you get to put the size head you want on a large profile lure. By mid august I almost exclusively toss these lures for walleyes but in a 4" style. The walleye assassin paddle tails in light purple are my favorite. I rig these with the mimmic minnow heads(parrot). The shape of those heads give more wobble to the lure.

[scott b]

Don't forget the juice!

[mainbutter]

I've caught more pike this year on 5'' and 6'' watermelon colored senkos than any other lure.

[Fishing_High]

10 inch tequilla sunrise worms Pike candy.

[Grunt L]

I only use medium to big plastic swimbaits for pike anymore (Canada). Well, still use a Suick and Johnson Silver Minnow but my bigs ones have came on swimbaits the past few years.

[TruthWalleyes]

2 pike yesterday on a red/yellow/white plastic worm...First for me!

[prov1900]

Kalin's grubs are awesome for pike. I think they were made for smallies, largies, and walleyes but it is my number one pike lure, hands down. Erie green works great on shield lakes.

[gurkster]

yes

[mainbutter]

I'm planning on pouring my own swimbaits and other soft plastic lures this coming winter, with one of the target fish being pike.

I'll let you know how it goes next season, lol.

[TN Rick]

Have caught many pike using a Zoom Super Fluke in 5 or 7 inch size - white. Rigged weightless with a widegap hook. This year caught a boatload using 5 to 7 inch swimbaits. This actually proved to be the most productive lure we used.

[bigh20rnr]

I use the herring color 5 inch money minnow and catch a lot of northern with them. The best one was 37 inches long measured and over 12 lbs. (est). They are also great for bass.

Rick