tonka pike location

[jay83196]

Was hoping for some advice a few of us our going to minnetonka in a week and looking for a good place to try to tip up for some northerns also good bait(suckers or shiners, hooks etc) depth any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you

[CatholicConis]

Gray's Bay on the east end is a good bet, but if you are going on the weekend it tends to get crowded. I'm starting to explore Wayzata Bay a little, mainly because it is huge and you can always find a secluded spot. That whole lake is one giant weedline, so set up anywhere (Minnetonka weed line ranges from 10-15 feet). I put my bait down about halfway, but a lot of guys put it high (pike do feed up). Or try some of both if you have several guys.

I was popping flags pretty good a couple of weeks ago, but it has really slowed for me. Hopefully things will pick up. Could be just me.

You asked about hooks. This year I'm trying trebles with a blade (although I've heard that rule is going away). I've lost a lot of hooksets with trebles, so I'm not sure if singles are better, although the risk of a swallowed hook is higher with singles. I'm learning that hooksets with trebles requires more patience, so I'm going to give that a try. Best of luck!

[randallt]

Inside weed lines can be good on Tonka. I use single hook with shiners. I use shiners because I think you get more bonus LargeMouth with them vs. Suckers - but that could just be my experience. Not sure what others think about suckers and Bass.

[CatholicConis]

I did catch a nice bonus largemouth last year on a sucker. Kinda surprised me, although the guy next to me said he had caught one too recently.

[Jameson]

Before the stupid minnow law of 200? when big shiners were still available they were the way to go. If you can find them I'd bet they'd still be. Don't worry about them being terrible lively. Suckers will get you some fish. It's been my experience that if you find a mess of sunnies on tonka you find the pike and the shiners mimic a sunny better than a sucker.

Locations? Look on the maps for small flats in that 8-14 foot range near deep water. If you are drilling holes and scoping them with the camera look for sunnies, standing weeds, and a few boulders if possible.