Suckers or Shiners for pike?

[pdk511]

id go with the suckers, they will last a very long time if you have an arreator, and they are much cheaper than the shinners, in my experience they catch just as much to

[Ed Carlson]

I would opt for good fresh packed Hearing. Better oil content and dispersal in Hearing so it offers more attraction to pike.

[GatorGetter]

Where does a guy get fresh packed herring in Fargo? Do you have them at Gander?

[Iceboy]

Frozen smelt for the win! Once you try them, you'll never go back to live!

[TruthWalleyes]

SMELT! I know, you said live bait, but I'll take smelt over live bait ANY day!

I've never fished smelt much, but my dad has ALWAYS used this bait.

[Selmer]

Once you fish dead smelt you'll never try anything else unless you're targeting big walleyes at the same time. Just take a pack out with you, no bait bucket necessary, and they just plain WORK!

[carpmanjake]

i have always wanted to try smelt. where can u buy them?

[Jason40]

Watching a fishing show taking place WAY up north they had fillets of perch on a double trouble hook. Pulled up a couple 40 + pike. Keeping in mind pike are scavangers and can smell something recently dead it seemd like something I would try.

[Ed Carlson]

Where does a guy get fresh packed herring in Fargo? Do you have them at Gander?

Sorry for the delay in my reply, yes GM has hearing in bait shop freezer here in Fargo. I get fresh monthly direct to store.

I recommend Ready Rig Quick Strike VB rigs on them, very high percentage hook-ups.

We also have XL Smelt on hand. Still waiting for new batch of Large bulk 2 lb packages of smelt to show this week.

[deadeye]

I always use big shinners but have wondered about using smelt. I got a whole bunch in the freezer and use them for cats with good luck but never gave it a shot for the northerns.

How big do they got to be for them to work well? the ones i got are in the 6-8in range.

[Selmer]

deadeye, those 6-8 inch smelt will work GREAT for pike. It's the size of the stink in the smelt, not the size of the smelt in the stink!

[young steven]

there is only one bait- really big shiners

[deadeye]

Well thats good to know. I bet I got 10lbs of them sitting there. I wont have to get anything but waxies and rainbows from the baitshop now.