a lake near me - only 7 minutes from my house! - has largemouth, smallmouth, and northern pike in it(and chain pickerel - the primary forage fish is yellow perch). I have caught some really decent larry's there, several pickerel, no smallies, and one small pike on a Senko, so it was technically on a bass lure.
According to the Mass wildlife site, there have been 20-pounders caught out of there(Snipatuit Pond in Rochester).
The lake averages only 6 feet deep, tannin-stained water, with submerged vegetation and lots of tall grass along the shorelines - there's next to no structure, except a few points and a rip-rap lined road on the north side(which is where I've caught all my fish, including the one in my user pic) - it's not like shallow weeds = largemouth, deeper rocks = smallies, etc., so basically any species could be anywhere.
I was considering getting one(or a few) of those big bucktails they use for pike & musky fishing - do you think that would call up the big boys, or should I just stick with bass-sized lures?
What do YOU use for pike fishing?
According to the Mass wildlife site, there have been 20-pounders caught out of there(Snipatuit Pond in Rochester).
The lake averages only 6 feet deep, tannin-stained water, with submerged vegetation and lots of tall grass along the shorelines - there's next to no structure, except a few points and a rip-rap lined road on the north side(which is where I've caught all my fish, including the one in my user pic) - it's not like shallow weeds = largemouth, deeper rocks = smallies, etc., so basically any species could be anywhere.
I was considering getting one(or a few) of those big bucktails they use for pike & musky fishing - do you think that would call up the big boys, or should I just stick with bass-sized lures?
What do YOU use for pike fishing?
bait...big bait usually 8-10" suckers or giant golden shiners.Lures work but I've never seen anyone catch a big pike on a lure in this state,not saying it doesnt happen,just never saw or even heard of it.Best bet will always be through the ice imo.My guess is not many guys target pike and when they do get one(incidentally) on bass tackle it never gets to the boat.How many times have you got slammed and set the hook and it was like someone was down there with scissors,never feeling a single ounce of fish.Most people say that must of been a big pickerel.Not always..........
How many times have you got slammed and set the hook and it was like someone was down there with scissors, never feeling a single ounce of fish. Most people say that must of been a big pickerel. Not always..........
that's exactly what happened to me the other day at Snipatuit... and it wasn't the first time there either(and what prompted this post). I was fishing a pearl-colored Zoom Fluke near shoreline reeds, got a hit and set the hook, but pulled it away from it - threw right back in and he grabbed it again and my line just went limp, like there was never even a lure tied on... sliced it clean off without so much as a snap.
I think I'm gonna get out my old Ambassadeur 5000 reel and set it up with braid and a wire leader... a pike-specific rod/reel set-up, instead of just hoping my bass gear will hold up to the violence.
I'm also getting a float tube this weekend, so I'm no longer gonna be limited to non-private dry land for lake access! WOOHOOO!
holy crap... pike from a tube.
Every pike I have caught on a lure has either been on a Dare Devil or a big Mepps inline spinner.... I haven't caught any monsters though, probably 25 or 28 inches, and that was in Canada (does that still count?? I think pike are like sunfish up there!!)
Good luck with the float tube!
Good luck with the float tube!
I would recommend casting spoons in the 3/4 to 5/8 oz range.
Size 5 in-line spinners. I would recommend replacing the trebles with single hooks because Pikes tend to swallow the lures or the baits and trebles catch at their gills.
A gold colored Johnson's silver minnow is always a good choice for pike and pickerel. However you do have to sharpen the hook because it comes dull out of the box.
If you are going to use live bait...use the yellow perch from the same water that the pike live in. I usually target them with a 1/16 jig with a Berkeley honey worm or a paddle tail grub.
Good Luck
Size 5 in-line spinners. I would recommend replacing the trebles with single hooks because Pikes tend to swallow the lures or the baits and trebles catch at their gills.
A gold colored Johnson's silver minnow is always a good choice for pike and pickerel. However you do have to sharpen the hook because it comes dull out of the box.
If you are going to use live bait...use the yellow perch from the same water that the pike live in. I usually target them with a 1/16 jig with a Berkeley honey worm or a paddle tail grub.
Good Luck