live bait

[mnfisherman]

When using live bait of any kind for pike or muskie how far do you set the bobber from the bottom of the lake.

Do these species generally feed near the surface or near the bottom in September.

[kslipsinker]

When using tipups in the winter, I usually go up about 3 to 5 feet depending on the depth of the water. Fish will come up for a bait, but can't see down.

[mnfisherman]

I was not aware that they could not see prey below them.

That must be why when I observe them hunting they stay near the bottom and come up to attack prey.

[can it be luck?]

Pike can be found at all depths. Big pike have few enemys and have the run of the lake. As far as pike laying on the bottom, yes they do. Usually they're resting or waiting in ambush. Certain fish are designed for "upward" feeding, the crappie probably # 1. Upturned mouth and eye close to the top of the head are examples. Large mouth bass have similar features. The pike is designed to attack anyway it wants. Eyes up front and a huge mouth full of teeth. Some of the largest pike are caught on the bottom, deadsticking is the term used for this type of fishing I do believe. Large dead bait, suckers would probably be best. Lay it on the bottom, and wait. Spring is the best as well as winter. Large lazy pike sometimes prefer and seek to find dead fish from the winter. When I was around 8 years old, my grandfather took me to a small flowage that was drawn down for dam repairs. What used to be a lake was now a wide slow moving river. Anyways my grandfather told me to pinch the minnow in half and use the head part. I thought this was kind of wierd, but he was a excellent fisherman so I did as I was told. Cast it out and let it sit on the bottom. To this day I still think we caught at least 100 pike in a mornings outing. Maybe it was the dead minnows, or the fact that the fish were concentrated, or maybe being 8yo had something to do with it? It still is one of my fondest fishing memories. On another note. Does anyone know when they invented the hand auger? My grandfather was a very creative German immigrant. He's been gone for about 30 years now. A friend of mine gave me a newspaper clipping from 1949 which showed him with an auger he had made. While others in the pcture were armed with chisels, he stood proud with his homemade auger, which looked similar to todays augers. I remember he would put a taperd stove pipe sealed at the bottom in our ice holes when we left, when we returned the pipe would be froze in the ice. He would then take a rag soaked in some type of fuel and heat the inside of the pipe. Soon it would slide out the hole and we'd save lots of time and effort makeing new ones. We also would walk around and pick up dead minnows on the ice for bait. We'd use poppers, yes poppers, tiped with a dead minnow and a split shot and catch more crappies than I can remember. My dad told me the other day that he invented a "wire stripping" machine for a local factory which the design is still used today, I think finding this old picture the other day as well as the pike/deadbait topic got me thinking of my Grandfather. I still use dead bait for pike today, not always on the bottom though.

------------------
http://groups.msn.com/canitbeluck

[mtreno]

i have not used live bait in the summer for years. started again because i have tons of work to get done lakeside at the parents new place up north and thought i may as well have a pike line in while working on the dock. i have been setting my bait about 2ft down in 8 ft of water. also i am using no spilt shot or weight of anykind. as a kid i found that a big sucker just under the surface acts just like it is - a dieing sucker. hard meal for most pike to pass.

pike attack - last winter on mille lacs we set up in a bay in about 9ft for a day of pike fishing. watch a pike lay in wait right next too my ovs camera for what seemed like hours (maybe 2 min) all you could see was his head. with no warning he took off and was out of seeing range with my bait in mouth - bait was about 3ft down and pike was right on the bottom.

biggest pike ever hooked was trooling small rap with bottom bouncer in 31 ft of water. thought i had a log untill giant head broke water!