sucker fishing for pike?

[mrpike1973]

i went to the lake today and a older man was fishing on the dock. i asked if he would like to go in the boat with me his eyes just beamed up i went out to throw all my usual junk out he sat with a bobber and hook with a medium sucker and nailed pike and bass. i couldnt believe it he said thats the only way he fishes. does this work in the summer. and is there a trick to it. when we parted ways he said if he sees me again will go again glad that ole guy showed me a trick or to

[Nick Kuhn]

There's really no trick to it. Slip bobber, sinker, and baiting rig. Allow the minnow some movement but make the sinker heavy enough so he can't go wherever he chooses. Get the sucker in front of a fish and they'll eat it. I'd recommend a quick-strike rig as opposed to a single hook. Suckers are tougher to keep alive the warmer the water gets, and dead minnows don't work very well in the summer.

[pulleye16]

Just like Nick said, very simple: Large hook, sinker, and bobber. I've used just a plain hook (not a quick strike) and have had pretty good luck, though I've never tried the quick strike in the summer...only on the ice. Another key point is to allow for the fish to have time to take the minnow, meaning, after your bobber is moving and going down, allow ample time for the fish to take it; maybe 10-20 seconds? I typically will troll an area and when I find a spot that I've hit multiple Norther, I'll tend to bobber fish that spot. GOOD LUCK as this is some really FUN fishing when you find "the spot!"

[mrklean]

we did that this weekend just slip bobber with a plan hook tosed outside the weed edge

[sdpikehntr]

This is one of best ways to fish the pike... and fun too. When the they bite, its like the "JAWS" movie, the bobber will pop and then start to move, then slowly sink. My Kids love it.

I use a trebble hook with a weight and slip bobber as well. Enjoy!

[AaronM]

Just like Nick said, very simple: Large hook, sinker, and bobber. I've used just a plain hook (not a quick strike) and have had pretty good luck, though I've never tried the quick strike in the summer...only on the ice. Another key point is to allow for the fish to have time to take the minnow, meaning, after your bobber is moving and going down, allow ample time for the fish to take it; maybe 10-20 seconds? I typically will troll an area and when I find a spot that I've hit multiple Norther, I'll tend to bobber fish that spot. GOOD LUCK as this is some really FUN fishing when you find "the spot!"

Please use a quick-strike rig instead of a single hook. It's better for the fish and easier for beginner fishermen to be successful with this rig.

[herefish101]

Please use a quick-strike rig instead of a single hook. It's better for the fish and easier for beginner fishermen to be successful with this rig.

[no bait nate]

one of the funnest ways to fish northerns in the summer. my fiance loves to come along when we do this because you just sit and wait for something big to happen. i use slip bobbers with rubber core weights and circle hooks. your hooking percentage will be very good and you will not gut hook many fish if any.

[hopeforfish]

I do this all the time at the cabin. I sit on the dock with a book toss out the sucker and I catch bass and northern. I have not used the quick strike rig but I also rarely bad hook a fish. I see the bobber go down count to ten slowly and set the hook. I have trained my nieces and nephews the counting too.

[coombia21]

I was watching Keyes Outdoors on FSN this morning and this is what they were using to catch muskie. They were using a double treble harness on a 14-18 inch sucker with a bobber. I believe they caught two or 3 muskie using that method.

[AaronM]

Below is a study on mortality of fish swallowing hooks. The premise of this argument is that a quickstrick rig, like the name implies, means you set the hook as soon as your bobber goes under which almost guarantees a mouth hooked fish rather than a deeply hooked single hook set-up if given too much time. If you're are set on your ways and do not deeply hook fish, fine. However, I would recommend any novice/new fishermen to this method to use a quickstrike to potentially eliminate deeply hooked fish. Again, just my opinion. You're free to use what you're most comfortable with!

Effects of a Single-hook Live Bait Angling Technique on Muskellunge Survival

Terry L. Margenau

Use of live bait is a popular method to fish muskellunge during fall months. However, muskellunge anglers have expressed concern that certain live bait techniques may cause muskellunge mortality to be unacceptably high. This study monitored the survival of adult muskellunge (31.5 to 42.3 in) for a period up to one year after being angled using a single-hook live bait rig where muskellunge were allowed to swallow the bait prior to hook set. Over a two-year period a total of 40 muskellunge (20 fish/year) were field transferred into a 1-acre lined hatchery pond in early September. After allowing muskellunge several weeks to acclimate to the hatchery pond, angling was initiated using live suckers (approximately 12 in) with a 10/0 single hook attached to the suckers snout and suspended from a bobber. A total of 22 muskellunge were hooked with the single-hook rig. Hooked fish were landed as quickly as possible, inspected for hooking location and injury, and released after cutting the leader. Average time from a strike until hook set averaged 17 minutes. Play-time (hook set to landing) averaged less than one minute, and handling time averaged approximately 5 minutes. Immediate mortality (first 24 h after hooking) of muskellunge was zero. Short-term delayed mortality (24 h until ice formation; approximately 45 d) was 22%. Cumulative mortality (hooking until one year) was 83%. Results from this study have several implications for management agencies and anglers. First, all fish hooked appeared healthy after being caught and released, thus leading an angler to believe that the release was successful. Second, delayed and long-term mortality appeared related to the extent of internal damage suffered from the hook. Finally, while mortality to one year is unacceptable for fisheries that rely upon successful release, not all fish perished. Those fish surviving to one year maintained good relative weight values and appeared externally healthy.

[herefish101]

Average time from a strike until hook set averaged 17 minutes.

My 2 cents, if your waiting this long your trying to kill the fish. 10 to 20 seconds is as long as it takes, heck 10 to 20 seconds can seem like forever, icouldent imagine waiting 17 minutes.

[mrpike1973]

i went sucker fishing again today it is very hard to keep the suckers alive any ideas? well after being stupid i realized that its just like tip up fishing only using a float instead. i used circle hooks and kahle hooks they seemed to work well no bad hook ups. you do seem to go through leaders in a hurry the get bent up but there cheaper than raps

[MinnesnowtaWild]

Try keeping the water as cold as possible for the sucker minnows. Colder the water = the more oxygen. Also need a bubbler in there.

[LoneMantis]

Fishing with suckers is a blast, watching your bobber pulsate on the surface as the minnow frantically tries to escape.

This 10-20 second rule before setting the hook, NO. When the bobber goes does, calmly grab your fishing pole tighten up the slack line and set the hook.

Suckers are a soft finned fish. Any Pike or 1lb plus bass are going to engulf this little fish right into its mouth. They then swim away with their catch. They always swim to the right or left away from you. That puts the hook in the corner of the mouth when you set it. After they feel safe they swallow the fish, and your hook.

Northerns and LG Bass take your suckers deeply into their jaw, that is plenty for a hook set.

Last summer my nephew caught a 14 inch crappie on a 5 in sucker. (A little kid, that one probably took ten seconds plus before he set the hook) Smallies have a problem getting the hook deep into the jaw (hence the words small mouth)

I do this with 8-10 line, no leader. never had any issues with cutting off the hooks. If I missed 1 or 2 fish over the years, good for the fish.

I bow out of the Musky or ice fishing side of this, never caught one

[RumRiverRat]

Please use a quick-strike rig instead of a single hook. It's better for the fish and easier for beginner fishermen to be successful with this rig.

How is being hooked by multiple hooks on a quick strike rig better for the fish?

I never use quick strike rigs, with a single hook rig I wait about 5 seconds after the bobber goes under to set the hook. Never have a problem with deeply hooked fish.

[AaronM]

How is being hooked by multiple hooks on a quick strike rig better for the fish?

I never use quick strike rigs, with a single hook rig I wait about 5 seconds after the bobber goes under to set the hook. Never have a problem with deeply hooked fish.

Congrats on not hooking fish deep. Please re-read my posts. If you're talking about a mouth hooked single hook VS a mouth hooked quick-strike, the single hook edges out the QS. However, when you consider the chance of mortality, the QS is a better choice. If you go with a muskie guide fishing sucker rigs, I'll bet that over 90% of them use a QS for fish safety. I'm not looking to argue with anyone, just presenting my point of view. I wish single hooks were banned from fishing larger suckers IMO.

[TonkaBass]

I think live bait should be banned but hey jk... I dont see any harm in a single hook or a quick strike. I read the

"study" about how people let the fish munch on a minnow for 17 minutes, and thats just the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Nobody would ever really do that. I personally would prefer to use a circle hook over a QS rig anyday if I cared about a pikes safety, but to be honest, I really could care less about pike! Muskies are not hurting in ny lake in Minnesota right now, so I wouldn't be too concerned... If you dont want to injure a fish, dont fish. Your bound to have to mishaps. You can try and prevent it as much as possible, but switching from a single hook and setting before he eats it vs. a QS isn't gonna make a huge difference IMHO.

[jeffreyd]

Ok for the novice and clearly not knowing the term, what is a quick strike setup or hook? sorry for the dumb question. Also advantage to a circle hook compared to a regular gold hook?

[AaronM]

It's not a dumb question, they are basically two trebles hooked into the sucker allowing you to set the hook right when the bobber goes down resulting in:

A) Better hooking %

Better safety for the fish

Circle hooks would also be a better bet than a single standard hook. The theory behind their use is that since the point of the hook is bent inwards, it only allows fish to be hooked in the corner of the mouth. However, you do not set the hook with a circle hook, instead you simply start reeling in.

[AaronM]

Also to clarify, I advocate for QS rigs with larger suckers, 7"+

[Dale Rueber]

Now that I understand what a quick strike rig is it got me to thinking where this falls under the fishing regulations.

From the MN DNR fishing Regulations:

Anglers may use only one hook. An artificial lure is considered one hook.

A treble hook, when not part of an artificial lure, is considered three hooks and is not legal. The exception is that three artificial flies may be used when angling for trout, crappie, sunfish, and rock bass.

Is a quick strike rig considered an artificial lure or is it covered under another part that I have not read or understood? It seems to me that using a treble hook on a live bait is not allowed.

[hopeforfish]

My understanding is the quickstrick rig must have some sort of blade or spinner on it to make it legal.

[Dale Rueber]

Ahh, that makes sense, then it would be considered an artificial lure. The rules don't really address adding live bait to artificial lures.

[Nick Kuhn]

If you buy a quickstrike rig they all come with a small bead and a tiny spinner blade (like a 000 willow blade). They are dirt cheap too. A leader and large single hook might actually cost more.