First Pike on the Big Fork!

[TV BOY]

Finally had the house in a spot to see some pike and was able to get 3 over the weekend. First ever Pike on the big fork!

I was told to just let the spear drop, but I've been missing 3-4 times for everyone I got. I had the decoy 2' off the bottom mainly because that where the fish were that were coming in. Should I have been throwing or pushing the spear down due to depth I was in? 11' deep clear water.

Someone today said "no, you have to shove it down there to get em before they see it coming…"

confused…. but now hooked!!!

[Gordie]

Yep that deep I would be throwing it and I have done that before it works good depending on your spear.

Another thing to remember is that a pikes eyes on the top of its head thus it can see your decoys above him. don't be afraid to run those decoys a couple feet under the ice and if you see a pike deep give it a jig to get there attention.

[TV BOY]

So as a rule of thumb does one go 1/2 way down with decoy? Also, how aggressive does one need to swim the decoy? Most of the fish came when it actually was sitting still and I was looking at my phone

[jjz]

Still decoys often draw more fish and give better time to line them up, than fish that come to a jigged decoy. Not a expert, but that is what expierance has taught me.

Good Luck

[smurfy]

TV BOY???????? Rockville huh!!!!!! I be west of you bout 5 miles!!!!!

hate to admit it but these guys kinda know what there talking about.

[tca12]

I'll agree with moving your decoy up in the water column. It shortens the distance for your spear to travel and the pike will move to where their target is. I'd describe my release as a light push and don't forget to have the spear head well into the water before releasing.

[TV BOY]

If also using a live sucker, does one keep it at same level as decoy, higher or lower in the water?

[Gordie]

When I use a live decoy I run the fake one a bit deeper so it can swim under the live when I jig it. There is no right or wrong way to run your decoys and the fish will let you know what they want. When you jig aggressively expect the pike to come in hot. if they are showing up when your on the phone then they are not seeming to want it aggressive so just let the decoy sit longer between jigs.

As for how far down with your decoys ,that again is something that is a question that will be answered many different ways. I have speared pike 1 foot under the ice and yes my dcecoys were only down a foot. I have also speared pike 2 to 3 ft down in 22 fow. and again I have speared them 8 foot down in 10 fow. I try different things ,but usually start out with them 2 feet under the ice and work down from that point.

[MJ1657]

Great job TV BOY. I do pretty much the same thing as Gordie.

As far as depth you can spear.... My old spear weighed 4.5 pounds. My new spear weighs around 9 pounds. I can spear fish deeper with the new spear that I wouldn't have dreamed about spearing with the old spear. That being said I tend to run my decoys fairly high. I figure if you cant get to them I don't want to be tempted.

[Neighbor_guy]

I move my decoys up and down in the water column a little bit. Like the others I use two decoys at multiple levels. Sunday we were all set up off the edge of a weed line in 16' of water. The weeds topped out at about 6' so I ran the live decoy about 5' down. The wood was from 4'-8' deep.

So I guess it depends on the spot. If it's a flat or a drop off or a weed edge. If your on a drop off and it tops out at 6' make sure you have a decoy at less than 6' down. Even if the depth in your hole is much deeper. Same concept if your on the edge of standing weeds that top out at "x" feet down, be sure to have a decoy or spoon that runs higher than that level. Pike will cruise above those weeds to pick off feeding panfish or minnows in those weeds while also taking advantage of anything belly up under the ice.

I do like to set something up deep as well, as pike are vacuum cleaners sucking up the dead or injured off the bottom. But will usually jig the decoy a few times and leave it sit a moment or two as I work it up the water column and leave it sit higher when to entice those cruisers in the open water.

[efgh]

I must have 50 decoys, 3 that I use most often are, 10 in. red and white,same size northern, and a perch. I bought a white fish and have yet to have it in the water. When using a sucker I like to use a weight tied to the end of the line, tie the sucker on a 2foot long line about half way down the weighted line. the weight on the end has to be heavy enought to stay on the bottom. The sucker will then swim in a circle around the weighted line. The sucker then can also swim higher and lower in the water. You can also add a gold or copper spinner hooked to the sucker harness on a 3 or 4 in. line to add a little flash.

[hawkeye43]

This year I got a 4' rod with a reel on it and started jigging a gold spoon with a double twister tail or a sucker head on it. I have had fish come out off no where and just smoke the lure so hard the a couple of times I all most lost the rod right out of my hand. Then its fight on, try to get decoy lines out of the way and reel in to a dip net. All in a 30"x30" hole. That will get your heart pumping. I had start doing something different.