pike fishing

[Hunter654]

wanting to go get some decent pike this winter any tips on were i could start or what kind of baits to use
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[davetclown]

how do you wish to target them? meaning what method do you prefer?
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[davetclown]

sunday I went out, and all I got for my efforts for a whole day of fishing was one jumbo perch, Monday I went out and for the whole day I got 4 small gills.
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I dont get fish every day, some times I have to work real hard for them, I have yet to bring in one crappie this ice season.

Today I went out at 8am and fished till dark-30. at 10 am I caught a perch, I emediatly put it on my tipup, and I did not get another bite all day, that was untill about 3pm when I got a nibble, then a little more nibble, then a little more nibble then a little more nibble then nothing for about 15 minutes. and I waited patiently, then finaly I got an all out bite... lol

I ran over and set the hook [:p] then the fun began, in and out and in and out and in and out over and over again for a good half hour, yep I got ahold of me another big one.

of corse as par for the corse, I left my gaft at home. [angelic] this meant sticking my hand in to the fishes mouth to get him in.. Just incase you dont already know, it is a pike, 36 inches and 13 pounds. Half hour later I pulled in a half dozen gills.
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[Hunter654]

im more of a rod and reel guy would u recomend the flag traps though lol they seem to work great for u man
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[davetclown]

I will recomend what I use,

there may be nothing wrong with any of the tipups on the market, they all work if you take the time to learn how to use them.

here are the two that I use.

this one you can pick up any where

click to enlarge photos

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This one is a polar, it is 30 years old. you can still get them anywhere because they work well, they come in a couple lenths, this a shorter on, the lenth size is for different size holes, this one is for an 8 inch hole. This also come in two different colors, orange and black.

Polar also makes one with a plastic body that compleatly covers the hole like a lid, from the guys I have seen useing them it dose help to keep the holes from freezing up.

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this one I made, it is a sping board, there is something similar called a slammer that you can buy on line. or you can buy a slammer kit.

with this set up, it gives you veriety, meaning there is two ways to use it, as a pike rig or a walleye/stealhead rig.

the rod I chose to use on this is fiberglass and is from a 5 foot fishing rod. I drilled a hole in a maple dowl that I cut off a tree branch and hot waxed it in.

last year I took 30 pike with this, so if you want to do the rod and reel on pike this is the way to go, Walleye size minniows, steal leader, small trebble hook. enough weight to hold your minnow in place.

for pike you dont need the spring board, just a cross tee and a rod holder. Set the reel for a loose drag so when the pike hits, it can run with the line.

the minnow will tug on the rod, but wait untill you see the rod double over in to the hole before setting the hook, then you can tighten up your drag and play him in. Be sure to have a gaft. You need one for the bigger fish.

you can use 8 pound or bigger line on your reel,

for walleye and stealhead you need the spring board to set the hook, the end of the rod will latch in to the spring board untill you get a bite, the bite itself will set the hook for you,

it is a great rig if you like rod and reel style fishing and still want to use a tipup.

this spring board is tec, a tipup so make sure you have your name and address on it.
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[Hunter654]

alrighty thnk u man il giv em a try hey do u know about the new baltimore polar plunge
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[lonehunter]

Now that's the way to do it !

I tried jigging for pike , it will keep you warm up until dusk hits, LOL !
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[davetclown]

lol, I am not in to skinny dipping into ice water, I might loose a diget or two...

I saw a polar plunge on the news here yesterday or the day befor. dont know if it was the one in new baltimore, I cant remember is that east of the end of jefferson there behind the beach or is that the one up by the blue water bait shop?
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[Hunter654]

its the one behind the beach , man it was freezing , saw some nice perch out for display
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