Top Pike Lures

[Fish On]

big shad raps

[bennybear]

Big Rapala husky jerks with the silver shine and blue finish. Large cheap hammered green, orange, or black spoons with GOOD hooks. Storm hotntots.

[Steve Foss]

Good lures. I especially like Husky Jerks because they're neutrally buoyant and sit in place underwater when you pause them.

Couple other good options for flexibility. I'd add spinnerbaits and Slug-gos.

Couple 1/2 to 3/4 oz spinnerbaits with single large blade, colors black and chartreuse have always been excellent for pike. Spinnerbaits are great for hot pike bulged fast beneath the surface, and pike a little less active will take the retrieve-stop-retrieve-stop, and usually hit on the fall. I tip my spinnerbaits for pike with small sucker minnows or Berkley Power Grubs.

For really turned-off pike, Slug-gos in the biggest size you can get. If it's only the 6-inchers, that's good enough. Rig them with no weight so when you pause them for 30 seconds at a time, they just sit there and sink ultra slowly.

Have fun, be safe. Don't bring pepper spray across the border unless it's marked for defense against bears!

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"Worry less, fish more."
Steve Foss
[email protected]

[John19]

Hey Guys: I'm heading up to Canada in a couple of weeks, and have never really fished for Pike seriously, ( Just through the ice with tip-ups) So I need some lure help!!! What are your top 3, or favorite lures for Pike. What are the MUST have items I should take ??? Please include size, color, and any other info you feel like sharing. We are fishing central saskatchewan (Lac la Ronge area) June 13-20th. Any information posted is greatly appreciated!
Thanks alot!
John

[John19]

Thanks Guys, on those Huskey Jerks, how big is big? Are 14's large enought, or should I go 18. Anyone else care to help out a Pike novice?

[Finlander]

#5 gold blade Mepps Bucktail with yellow/red brass bead!
The large blaze orange/gold hammered Aqua Spoons are killers for large pike.
Good Luck!

[bennybear]

My favorite pike huskey jerks start at the 4 3/4 in size, I am not sure what number it is. I have found that both the shallow and the deep diving versions in that size will catch smallmouths, northerns, walleyes and suager. I normally longline troll them around weedy and rocky points. The bright shiny finish with the blue back has been my all time best producer.

[bennybear]

The Mepps #5 is another great choice, especially when the water is still cold and the weeds are not to the surface. The nice slow retrieve has own way of antagonizing gators.

[Blackstarluver]

I like the Storm shallow thunder in gold and silver. They have already caught ten+ pike so far this year. You can move 'em slowly just under the surface or crank faster to make the lure dive deeper. I have also done well on the Storm six inch swim-baits.
God lyk!
JC

[EBass]

Big ol spinner bait - white with white blades - strike king makes the one I use. Named after a bullet, gun or something like that. Sorry, I can't remember.

I saw them again and it's the .38 Special by Strike King. Has a weedguard around the swivel/bering type thing so the blades don't go a stray.

[This message has been edited by EBass (edited 06-04-2003).]

[Guest]

My favorite is a Northland Tackle Spinnerbait Reed-runner Pro-model. Find the brightest and the biggest possible. It help a lot to use a trailer hook and then add a plastic to the trailer hook for maximum hookups.

Another good bait that I found was a suick. It always gives ya a big rush when a pike explodes on it.

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times ticken so start fishing

[Lunker]

I am a fan of spinnerbaits for pike. Topwaters I go with a big spook, and a variety of cranks depending on how deep. Rapalas, poes, etc.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I'll second the #5 mepps...

I like the Hot orange blade and black tail... or the fire tiger blade and white...

[Guest]

I'd bring a few Pig/Jig Combos too--you can really fish these well in the shallow reeds--we sight-fish them and cast the bait right onto their noses.

The Mepps Bucktail is killer too...

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Chells

[Steve Foss]

Size of the Husky Jerk is less important. Big fish will smack any size and smaller pike aren't afraid to tackle a bigger bait when, and I mean WHEN, it sits there for seconds at a time on a pause, not moving, not twitching, just sitting there saying: "I'm a victim, eat me!"

Bigger jerks are easier to cast with baitcasting equipment.

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"Worry less, fish more."
Steve Foss
[email protected]

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 06-03-2003).]

[John19]

Thanks for all the posts! This site is awesome!! Sounds like the Mepps is a must, along with some Spinnerbaits, some Huskies, and a few Jig & Pigs or Soft plastics of some sort. My last question (for now!)

What about line??????? You guys are the best resources around, so keep um' coming!

[Norco]

Hey you are visiting my home province?? Welcome to Saskatchewan !!! I have done alot of pike fishing and find that the best lure to catch pike are red and white Len Thompson spoons or Red five of diamonds. They are cheap and they will work. I use a heavy leader and 20lb spider wire and have never lost a big fish due to line breakage. Have a good trip

[united jigsticker]

A Blue and Chartruese spinnerbait with a single chrome spinner blade is a must for your Pike fishing arsenal.

give one a try, you won't regret it.

[This message has been edited by united jigsticker (edited 06-04-2003).]

[EBass]

John19,
If you want top notch braided line go with Power Pro.

For clear line I like P-line. It's a co-polymer line that's tuff as nails and very hard to see in water.

Galyans has P-line for a good price right now.

[Steve Foss]

If you're using stiff rods, use mono, because you'll need a little stretch to cushion things against savage strikes and sudden runs.

If your rods have soft tips but stiff butts, go with one of the superlines. Their low stretch and abrasion resistance are unparalleled by mono (you can feel every vibration in the lure, since there's no stretch, and can snap weeds off your lure in mid-retrieve, thus not wasting the rest of the retrieve). Not to mention hard strikes feel like your arms are being pulled from your sockets.

Line visibility is not an issue, because pike don't care whether school keeps or not.

Everyone who uses superlines has their own preference. You can spend pretty big bucks on superlines, but I've found that Fireline Fusion, which is a fused rather than a braided line, is cheap, lasts a very long time, and works quite well. Costs about 10 bucks or less for a spool of 125 or 150 yards of 25 or 24 lb (w 12 pound diameter). If you have the money to spend, by all means spend it for one of the braids, which test higher at the same diameter than the fused lines.

If you use a superline, you might want to set your drag a little lighter than with mono. No line stretch means lines can snap when a fish takes off all of a sudden. Although I've never had a fish snap that fusion, not even 25-lb channel cats.

However you do it, superlines rule for pike.

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"Worry less, fish more."
Steve Foss
[email protected]

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 06-04-2003).]

[EBass]

stfcatfish, how's life in Ely? What's up with the Burstside lakers? Have you ran into Tony Fredrickson? He is the Ely Custom Rod guy/guide on Burntside. He's a nice guy and just loves that lake.

Oh by the way this is Eric, Jen's B-friend.

[Steve Foss]

Eric:

Yep, remembered your handle. Life here is good. B-side lakers are mysterious, but if they were easy there wouldn't be many left.

Haven't run into Tony yet, though I'm sure it's only a matter of time.

Keep your rod bent!

[EBass]

stf,

Glad to hear you like it up there. I'm sure Jen and I will be up sometime this summer. We'd like to any ways.

About B-side, Tony told me that an "old timer" uses wire for line and let's out most of it trolling around with a spoon . He said that the "old timer" is the only guy who gets the bigguns. Hmm..

[jwilli7122]

I like the biggest husky jerk for pike. you can modify the action of the lure if you squeeze the line tie with a pliers a little bit to make it shaped like an oval rather than a circle- then, again using the pliers, angle the line tie slightly downward. Use a snap to attach your line instead of tying directly. This gives the lure a wider, lazier wobble with more side to side rolling motion, and hence more flash. This also enables you to work the lure very erratically in an underwater walk-the-dog sort of way with quick rod snaps and pauses. In my opinion, size does matter, and I would go even bigger if they made a bigger size.

[red bricks]

You have you have some Daredevils (red and white, and yellow 5 of diamonds). An amazingly effective lure on Canadian pike. Go with the 1 oz ones. I always used 17lb mono on a baitcaster. Use a Sampo ball bearing leader if you start losing fish. Also try a silver Dr Spoon. Take a white piece of tape (2 to 3 inches long) and affix it to the treble of a Dr. Spoon. The Pike will go nuts. The difference the white tape makes is bizzarre. The best time of day for me was around 11am casting spoons right onto the shoreline form about 30 yds away. If you are banging against the rocks don't forget to check your knots. I have lost a few fish due to the rocks putting nicks in my knots.
I'm getting worked up just writing this. I wish I was going with ya. Don't forget to say "How about another Old Vienna!!"