Pike Help

[irishwalleye]

Ok I finally want to catch a pike through the ice for the first time this year.

Im not having any luck on tip-ups so far.

I have found some on the camera, am constantly around weedlines, but still cant get one to strike.

Is it better to remain mobile and search them out or do the wait and let them come to me?

[BobT]

This past weekend I went after pike. They can be a little slow to bite this time of year but surprisingly, I finally gots some hits on Saturday using a jigging rapala and ripping it pretty fast over old weedbeds in 11' of water. Got one up in the hole that I estimated at about 10 lbs. or a bit more although I released it by breaking the line with the fish in the hole. Oh well, I wouldn't keep one that size anyway.

Sunday I caught a few using a plain hook and fathead in 12' feet of water. They weren't as responsive to the flashing jig action but it did seem to draw them in and then they'd hit the plain minnow. Just the opposite from Saturday. Different lakes too with different levels of clarity.

One common denominator was that the larger minnows/lures seemed to draw more attention.

Bob

[irishwalleye]

Has anyone noticed if they are more bottom oriented or can they suspend over deeper water in the winter? I know I have found many larger pike sitting over deep water during the summer, but is this a potential pattern during hard water?

[jwhjr]

I've generally had more luck in 10' or less, but this past weekend I had one break the line on my tip-up in about 22' so I'm guessing it was a larger one...

[Doop]

I think this time of the year you will find the BIG fish in deep water. The closer we get to March/April get shallow...because they are going shallow as well to spawn!

I only fish LOTW so you can still chase them in March and April.

[fishcast]

I've been targeting pike some this year and the past few years, and one thing I think helps a lot is jigging for pike, along with a tip up.

On ice fishing the Wild Side last year Chip was saying how important it is to jig to call the pike in and stay close to you tip ups because if they aren't active enough to hit what you are jigging there is a good chance they will hit your minnow near by. Since, I have been jigging close to my tip ups often, rather than just spreading out to cover water, and I think it works real well.

Also, on days when pike are active I have seen and caught more pike jigging by far than on tip ups. That is another thing, I would recomend sight fishing for northerns, whether with a dark fabric shack in a clear lake or with a camera since it sounds like you have one. Cause a lot of times they come in so fast you would hardly even see them on a flaher. It is awesome watching pike come screaming in and nail something you are jigging! However, the biggest pike I have seen generally come in slow and bite light or not at all, it makes you real mad when you can see them and they don't commit (I've seen multiple pike over 36" but still haven't caught any over 25")!

For location I have been doing well in and around healthier weeds and deep weedlines, near sharp drops, and panfish (food) are also still using those areas. Personally it would be hard mentally to fish pike over real deep water.

My personal favorite lures are northland bucktail airplane jigs, or lindy flyers with plastics.

Also I generally don't sit in the same hole more than 15 minutes if I haven't seen any northerns.