Live or dead bait

[Rizzo]

What's your preference when ice fishing for pike, live bait or dead? If dead, do you suspend the bait or lay it flat on bottom? I've never personally tried fishing with dead bait, but hear it can be quite successful.

[FishFinder]

dead bait lying on bottom is irresistable to trophy pike that cruise the depths looking for food.

[danc]

Yup. Dead on bottom always did the trick for me.

[Riparian]

Dead on "bottom" for me. As long as the swim bladder within the fish has not ruptured, the dead bait will float up off the bottom a few inches, being weighed down by your weight.

 

I try not to let the bait get waterlogged and lie on the river bottom. Lake smelts, head on and uncleaned are my favourite for still water or drift fishing from shore.

 

The pike fishing in my area using this technique this year has produced a big fat nothing. All my favourite holes are low and clear. They never recovered from the summer.

[Moosebunk]

For pike....

 

If it's DEAD let it lie, if LIVE let it fly.

[trapshooter]

For pike....

 

If it's DEAD let it lie, if LIVE let it fly.

 

well said drew.

[HUKDONFAWNIX]

What's the best way to rig the dead bait?

 

Thanks!

[Rizzo]

sounds like I've been missing the boat! Next time I'm gonna stomp on my minnows to make them a little less frisky so that they'll lie flat on bottom!

[camillj]

Yup ... big and on the bottom ... Exactly the same technique for monster lakers ... they are just as happy vacuuming up the winter kill ... alot easier than chasing their food I guess ...

[solopaddler]

Dead bait for pike for sure.

When I'm fishing in the early spring open water I'll let it sit on the bottom.

In the winter I like to suspend the bait horizontally though just off the bottom...

[HUKDONFAWNIX]

I think maybe my question got lost in the mix.............How do I rig the dead bait?

 

Thank you in advance!

[Deano]

When shore fishing for pike, i used to just cast out the line and let it sit on the bottom (dead bait). sometimes you had to wait an hour, but when fish was on, it was usually a decent sized fish. Casting always seems to catch the smaller one. I'd just stick a big hook through the body twice, have to be careful that the dead bait isn't falling apart though.

[Raf]

look up quick-strike rigs hukdonfonix

[corvette1]

when i fished in england dead bait worked so did casting dead bait hurt a lot of fish when i went to knee lake and wolliston lake it was all casting

[Roy]

The OFC dec 2006 E-Magazine had a good article written by Justin Hoffman on the subject of dead baits for pike.

 

http://www.ontariofishing.net/news/dec2006-1.html

[DANIMAL]

I have found that most of the time dead baits work best laying right on bottom. But when fishing deep water and/or at the base of a steep dropoff suspending the bait 1-2 ft. off bottom often works better. I usually experiment throughout the day.

[lovetofish]

Thanks Roy! That was a good read. Had a lake that i did pretty well at in the summer fishing for pike and was thinking about trying it through the ice. With the added information i just got from that article, i just might do that.

 

lovetofish

[Rizzo]

Great replies everyone, thanks for all the info