Zone 17 Pike Open All Year

[Minnow]

Hey guys

 

I noticed that Pike is open all year in zone 17, I have caught a few pike on sturgeon and scugog and was hoping to get out on the water as soon as possible. Just wondering if there are any pike lakes or chances to hook into some ice out pike in zone 17 in April?

 

Thanks!

[mbac31]

Canal, Mitchell, Balsam, Cameron,Rice, Buckhorn,Pigeon,Chemung,

[Stoty]

Crowe Lake up near Marmora has some nice ones.

 

Rice doesn't have any Pike.

[Jer]

Canal, Mitchell, Balsam, Cameron,Rice, Buckhorn,Pigeon,Chemung,

 

 

 

...I don't think you'll find any pike in Buckhorn, Pigeon or Chemong either.

 

I'm surprised to hear you caught some in Sturgeon & Scugog as well, first I've heard they were there.

[4thgen]

I hope you weren't keeping the "pike" that you were catching out of Sturgeon and Scugog...

[bassman]

I didn't realize there were pike in Scugog. Can you confirm? Any photos?

[ehg]

Canal, Mitchell, Balsam, Cameron,Rice, Buckhorn,Pigeon,Chemung,

 

Only Canal has many pike, may be some in Balsam. The rest have musky not to be targeted.

Edited March 16, 2010 by ehg

[Harrison]

Only Canal has many pike, may be some in Balsam. The rest have musky not to be targeted.

 

I have never seen nor heard of pike in Buckhorn, Chemong, Rice, Sturgeon, Pigeon or Scugog. However Balsam, Mitchell and Canal lakes have them. As mentioned above Crowe is loaded too, to bad as it used to be an awesome Muskie lake, including a good tiger population.

 

I am afraid soon enough they'll spread to the rest of the Kawarthas.

Edited March 16, 2010 by Harrison

[fish-miester]

I hope you weren't keeping the "pike" that you were catching out of Sturgeon and Scugog...

 

 

agreed. no pike in there.. only lakes are as stated above .. Canal , Mitchel, some in Balsom

but one day .. we might unforchanetly see them spread through the rest

[Minnow]

I hope you weren't keeping the "pike" that you were catching out of Sturgeon and Scugog...

 

If you are implying that the "pike" I caught were musky, I can assure you they were 100% pike, I know scugog and sturgeon are musky lakes but these 2 pike I caught in each lake were incidental catches during walleye openers. I hate catching pike in these musky lakes since I know how a pike population can over take a musky population and to know some pike have already reached these lakes really worries me.

 

Anyways Thanks for all the tips guys!

[Lunkerhunter]

Hey guys

 

I noticed that Pike is open all year in zone 17, I have caught a few pike on sturgeon and scugog

 

ummm im pretty certain those were muskie, well im positive on scugog anyway..... you have any pics of these so called "pike"

 

EDIT - just saw your comments that you posted at the same time as me, where on scugog did you catch them?? i would love to see some pics of the pike caught on scugog

Edited March 16, 2010 by Lunkerhunter

[Tom McCutcheon]

Minnow;

Thanks for posting;

I am with Muskies Canada and would be very interested in confirmation of Pike either caught or sighted in any of the Kawartha Lakes.

We are currently working with the OMNR to precisely identify lakes where the Pike have managed to invade the system.

Up to now we have only been able to comfirm that they are in as far as Balsam.

Please PM me with pictures if you have them and the locations where they were caught. (location does not have to be exact GPS coordinates but that would help)

along with time of year.

 

Thanks

Tom McCutcheon

Release Director

Kawartha Lakes Chapter

Muskies Canada Inc.

[steverowbotham]

Yeah I have definitely never seen or heard of a pike out of Scugog. Would be very interested to get some confirmation on that. Canal is loaded with them, Balsam now has a fishable amount as well as Mitchell.

[mbac31]

There ar Pike in Sturgeon, Cameron,Rice and Scugog. There are several guys on here that wil tell you where they are maybe. I have steered some guys in the direction of them. Balsam, cameron and Mitchell,Canal are full of them right now. Remember the pictures I posted last year. Research it. I have personally caught 3 from Sturgeon,1 in Scugog and have seen one in Rice caught. I meerley posted that these lakes are open for pike, read the regs. Thay are open all year now and you are free to search for them. I for one will be out there looking for them as soon as the ice is gone. Dont be so niave, if the Pike are in the top lake like Balsam why would they not swim down. Where do you think the tiger Muskie on Sturgeon come from. The Tiger stork

[mbac31]

Tomfoolery. Call or email me. I will give you all the info and any pictures that you need also other anglers that have caught them. I even have exact locations where they were caught.

[Tom McCutcheon]

Tomfoolery. Call or email me. I will give you all the info and any pictures that you need also other anglers that have caught them. I even have exact locations where they were caught.

 

 

PM sent

Thanks.

[Guest Johnny Bass]

I'm pretty sure minnow knows the difference between a pike and a Musky.

 

But I think they should close pike fishing until may 14 also in the Kawarthas. Anyone fishing for pike will be catching mostly everything but pike. Unless you are fishing Canal lake, or Crowe.

[Minnow]

Minnow;

Thanks for posting;

I am with Muskies Canada and would be very interested in confirmation of Pike either caught or sighted in any of the Kawartha Lakes.

We are currently working with the OMNR to precisely identify lakes where the Pike have managed to invade the system.

Up to now we have only been able to comfirm that they are in as far as Balsam.

Please PM me with pictures if you have them and the locations where they were caught. (location does not have to be exact GPS coordinates but that would help)

along with time of year.

 

Thanks

Tom McCutcheon

Release Director

Kawartha Lakes Chapter

Muskies Canada Inc.

 

Hey,

 

I caught one in Sturgeon near Goosebay on a weed edge during mid May right after opener. The fish in Scugog was caught off of my friends boat in July and not really sure on the location as I am not really familiar with the lake, but pretty sure it was the norhtern part of scugog. Both pike were hammer handles not bigger then 25". I obviously did not take pictures of the fish as they were hammer handles and I can say 100% that they were pike, since I catch muskie all the time on sturgeon and other lakes and was shocked to see pike had already made it down. I hope they do not take over like they did in other lakes such as Elephant which I fish often, this lake use to be muskie exclusive lake and is now over run with hammerhandle pike.

[Minnow]

I'm pretty sure minnow knows the difference between a pike and a Musky.

 

But I think they should close pike fishing until may 14 also in the Kawarthas. Anyone fishing for pike will be catching mostly everything but pike. Unless you are fishing Canal lake, or Crowe.

 

Thanks Johnny Bass

 

I completely agree on the opening pike all year, since most of the kawartha lakes are filled with walleye, bass, and muskie and that is what you will be catching while targeting pike. I don't think the season should be open on these lakes where you might catch one incidental pike once every season.

 

That is why I asked if anyone knows any predominantly pike lakes like Canal, and Crowe that I can get the boat out for some early action. Thanks for the tips guys and see you on the water!

Edited March 17, 2010 by Minnow

[BillM]

Sounds like Canal lake would be a good bet for some ice out pike.

[musky66]

Seems a decent ( or indecent) number of Pike in Balsam now- although I'm sure they didn't arrive overnight. I will be out as early as possible to target them, and trying to avoid Musky of course- but it is almost inevitable that there will be incidental Musky caught.

I have contacted the MNR regarding this issue and this is what I received.

 

As of January 1, you and your friends will be able to fish pike year

round. Currently, our office is working closely with the local chapter

of Muskies Canada to do some investigations into the interaction between

pike and muskie. At this point, we don't have a handle on the specific

spawning periods (spawning pike populations are only becoming

established on Balsam), but pike typically spawn very shortly after

ice-out.

 

Under a sport fishing licence, you can harvest six pike. Please note it

is an offence to allow the flesh of these fish to spoil, so there is an

expectation that the fillets of any harvested pike would be used.

 

Not as a matter of law, but as a best practice - I would encourage you

to leave areas if you encounter muskies (either visually or through

incidental catch). It's obviously important to minimize stress on the

fish prior to or during their spawning period.

 

I would appreciate if you could share any observations with me following

your outing. I'd also encourage you to contact the local Muskies Canada

chapter for more information on this project, although we are still

working out a schedule for this year. You can contact Jeremiah Wade

([email protected]) for more information.

 

This was provided by Dan Tallion in regards to a possible spring Pike derby on Balsam. The MNR it seems is encouraging the harvest of Pike to slow the advance of them through the kawarthas. I will do my part. My friends and I removed and consumed 6 good sized Pike last season alone, and there have been web reports of many more being caught.

[Skud]

I will be making a few trips to Balsam in April to catch some pesky pike. I would imagine fishing in two to five feet of water with spinnerbaits will not catch anything but pike in the first weeks of April. Remember to keep the big spawning momma's for your limit.

[Tom McCutcheon]

well put skud; keep your baits small and if you do catch a Muskie please release it without pictures boatside and move out of the area.

One of the easiest ways to tell a Muskie from a pike is by the Pores on the underside of the jaw. A pike will have 4 to 6 down each side of the lower jaw whereas a Muskie can have as many as 7 to 10 pores on each side. A Hybrid Muskie will be similar to the Pike and more difficult to tell apart.

Good luck....

Thanks fellows and be safe out on the cold wet water....

 

Tom.

Edited March 17, 2010 by Tom McCutcheon

[scugpg]

This was provided by Dan Tallion in regards to a possible spring Pike derby on Balsam. The MNR it seems is encouraging the harvest of Pike to slow the advance of them through the kawarthas. I will do my part. My friends and I removed and consumed 6 good sized Pike last season alone, and there have been web reports of many more being caught.

 

Had no clue there are Northern's in some of those lakes...wow. Nothing wrong with pike for a meal though once you learn how to clean them.

[Harrison]

I will be making a few trips to Balsam in April to catch some pesky pike. I would imagine fishing in two to five feet of water with spinnerbaits will not catch anything but pike in the first weeks of April. Remember to keep the big spawning momma's for your limit.

 

Hey bud, you'll get into some bass too. Especially when the sun's high and along the north/west shores.

 

Get those snot rockets outta Balsam!