How to fish Spawning pike and immediately post spawn???

[Bigguyone]

The ice just came off our local reservoir about 10-12 days ago and there is a pike tourney coming up soon...March 28th so I am looking for some direction on how to target the spawning pike and immediately post spawn as today some of the males have moved shallow and do have milt starting to come out.

I am looking for the best methods/techniques to target these fish over the coming 10 days...advice is GREATLY APPRECIATED.

Water is currently 42 degrees and I expect it to be 48-51 for the tourney. THANK YOU!

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!!

[BuckKiller]

lol im guessing you don't live in minnesota...

sorry can't help ya... never fished for spawnig pike

[carpmanjake]

fly fishing is a good bet. i have caught numerous pike on the fly over 10 lbs while fly fishing for bowfin.

there was an article in the infisherman a while back about using the float and fly technique (like used for bass fishing) for pike, use a bucktail jig under a float. fish it somewhat aggressively but use finesse. use a 3 foot 20lb flourocarbon leader to attach to the jig

[Fish&Fowl]

Look for the warmest water and greenest weeds in south or west-facing bays. If the fish have already moved out, I'd look to structure just outside of those same bays. I don't know where you're fishing, but that will be my method for fishing in Ontario right after ice-out.

[AugieAngler1010]

If I was guessing, you're located on Oahe? My experience is only around Pierre, SD on Lake Oahe - but here's how we fish em.

Pike will be cruising shallow bays and arms on the resevoir looking for food. They'll be picking up a lot of dead stuff, so dead smelt is a great bait. Just throw it out and suspend it under a bobber or let it lay on bottom. You can also throw spoons, spinnerbaits, in-line spinners, and large stickbaits. My advice is to fish hard when the sun is the highest. It is when the fish are the most active.

[DTro]

I've watched quite a few videos in which they use a large tube jig and very slowly work it on the bottom. Almost dragging it.

[french_lake_kid]

Ive caught them crappie fishing on just about anything. Ive had them eat brightly colored carp bait even. One spring a week or so after bass opener I was sight fishing on a dock for spawning gills and a mid 40's 'skie rolled up under my feet and all I had on was a #6 masquito hook with a single pink gulp magget, he just hung around so I dropped that magget ever-so-slowly on2 his bottom jaw that sticks out further and on his next breath...he sucked it in unintentionally I lifted my ultra-light and it was on. I never saw him or my gulp magget/#6 masquito combo ever again. And the chances of that happening 2 you with a hammerhandle on tourney day are very slim...but its an idea. Haha best a Minnesota kid can do when its not legal here

[Laska]

The ice just came off our local reservoir about 10-12 days ago and there is a pike tourney coming up soon...March 28th so I am looking for some direction on how to target the spawning pike and immediately post spawn as today some of the males have moved shallow and do have milt starting to come out.

I am looking for the best methods/techniques to target these fish over the coming 10 days...advice is GREATLY APPRECIATED.

Water is currently 42 degrees and I expect it to be 48-51 for the tourney. THANK YOU!

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!!

Firetiger Blade Mepps Muskie Killer with a White/Red bucktail trailer works great for me in the early season, costs about 20-25bucks to make it tho

[Bigguyone]

Thank you for the input and I will probably throw a dead smelt or shad off the back of the boat and then throw a spinnerbait or bucktail while my partner rips a shallow crankbait (all reaction strikes mainly). Will keep a spoon handy as well. I appreciate your input. Keep lettin' me know more...will let you know how tourney goes on the 28th....

MORE INPUT IS APPRECIATED!!

[carpmanjake]

Thank you for the input and I will probably throw a dead smelt or shad off the back of the boat and then throw a spinnerbait or bucktail while my partner rips a shallow crankbait (all reaction strikes mainly). Will keep a spoon handy as well. I appreciate your input. Keep lettin' me know more...will let you know how tourney goes on the 28th....

MORE INPUT IS APPRECIATED!!

that is a good idea. most pike will be looking for baitfish that died over the winter. so that will work. try bottom fishing or freelining dead smelt, shiners, or shad in the current. i think that will catch some good fish

[Bigguyone]

I am in Utah - the reservoir is called Yuba. Water is now up to 43.5 degrees and the division of wildlife was netting fish last wednesday (3/18) and all they netted were males with a little milt coming out of them in the shallows along with one female - total 15 fish netted. This made me assume that it is early spawn and females should begin moving up early to mid this week but we have a cold front coming in and it is to go down to 40 degrees on monday for a high and rainy/snowy after being 75 degrees on saturday so this may slow the spawn a little...I am not sure about it.

I will be hitting the water on friday to pre-fish for the tourney on saturday...hoping to find the fish shallow in the old vegetation (willows and tamaracks) with possibly a few females moving to the slightly deeper parts of the small bays and mouth of the bays. It is a reservior that is about 7 miles long so not very big and being a reservior it has limited structure except for two bays (one deep 20'+ and one shallow 12' max), one heavy cover point that is willows and tamaracks for about 100 yards and some 2 gravel islands and some gravel shoreline.

Should be an interesting tourney as it has some good sized fish but they can be tough....I did have one day last fall of 5 over 18lbs in the boat in only 4 hours...so it has potential and a few 42" fish came out last summer. I will keep you posted and PLEASE continue to give input.

[goblueM]

are there leeches in the reservoir? if so, you could try a 5 to 8 inch senko-style bait, they love leeches.

[b1gf1sh1]

deadbait, or a walk the dog style like a small jackpot, baby weagle, or a stickbait like a lee sisson. and popper style lures or T-2 size(terminator) spinnerbaits. whatever the lure, nothing big and go slow. the longer your in their face the madder and more territorial they will get. above all? patience to go slowwwww. good luck.

[MN Greenheads]

Chum the best areas the day before with ground up smelt and then use large deadbait and or the above ideas. Pike love submerged cattails or a little moving water coming in if you can find those.It sounds like you have a good plan. Good Luck.

[HuntinFreak]

Another thing to look for is a bit deeper spot in a large shallow bay with the wind blowing into it. I have noticed larger fish holding in these small holes. Also try to make the least noise when fishing shallow water bays, fish can spook easily in the shallow water... Like the others are saying Slow is the way to go in the spring.

[OTBASSER]

weedless bass jigs work well early season too. On the infisherman tv show they talk about dragging weedless bass jigs on the bottom to mimic dead or near dead prey. Any bass man can attest to that bass jigs will catch northern pike.

[Bigguyone]

Well, it was a tough one (really I wanted to use MN Greenheads method) but it is illegal to chum here.

I Tried EVERYTHING for 2 days....you name it I tried it...from senkos, to shakyheads, to jig and pig, to small double inline spinners, to 1/2oz spinnerbaits with size 9 blades so I could SLOW roll it, to dead shiners, to x-raps with LONG pauses, to swimbaits, to weightless jerk shad so could go SLOW, to topwater....NADA, NOTHING, ZERO, ZILTCH. Not to feel too bad as of out of 21 fisherman I tied for 2nd...as there was only 1 fish caught a 28"inch pike.

PAINFUL and a BAD sunburn with clear skies, 52 degrees high (was 16 degrees when launched) and about 5-10mph wind and 42 degree water.

I will be chasing them again soon...

[pinkfloyd4ever]

Not to feel too bad as of out of 21 fisherman I tied for 2nd...as there was only 1 fish caught a 28"inch pike.

Good one