Pike....

[manitoubass2]

Ok, I'm looking for some guidance here for two fish, pike and smallies.

 

I've got the bass fishing down pretty well for all seasons on the river, with the exception of early spring. I just cannot find them at all.

 

For pike, I've gotten alot better the past two years, and I've had alot of success. It's not early spring that has me frustrated though. It's a dramatic rise in water in the river. It was around a 5ft average, now its over 10 ft average. With that of course the water clarity goes to nill.

 

I have a few go to spots for pike. One is a shallow mud/sand bar at a creek entrance. The other is a ambush point downside the rapids in 6-15FOW. The other is a small bay full of boulders, trees and lots of cover. It's also got a current seam on one edge, with a shallow sandbar on the other point. Water in the bay is 2-7FOW.

 

Me and the kids went all weekend, and couldn't locate a bite at all. My thoughts with the water clarity, was to use smell and or lures that move alot of water. We used large minnows deeper in the water columns, burned and jigged spinnerbaits, and tried various speeds with wake baits.

 

Colors I focused on were black, chart, and clown. All with no luck.

 

Does anyone have advice on where the bass are this time of year??? Or where pike will go in these water conditions??? Also, water temps were 45-47 degrees throughout the weekend.

[DRIFTER_016]

I would look for back bays and side channels with shallow 2'-6' early in the season.

They should just be finished spawning now and will be recovering and trying to warm up in the shallows.

[backbay]

What Drifter said with regard to depth and location. Shallow is good in the season's early days.

I would try white/silver floating jerkbaits in the most shallow water, and suspending if you're fishing 4 ft or so. Slow retrieves, long pauses while working the lure.

Live or dead minnows should work, though I don't have the patience for deadsticking, so I can't speak from experience on that one.

Hope it works for you, MB2!

[manitoubass2]

Thanks for the replies guys, any help is always appreciated!

 

I was doing really well in my spots, with various approaches, before the water rose and turned to choco milk.

 

Slow retrieving black/silver flat raps and firetiger worked really well. Also a large Williams silver/pink spoon with a 6" monnow on the treble produced as well.

 

I thought the spawn was done about 10-12 days ago, because they were on the feed and aggressive. I never caught any giants, but numerous fish from 30-35".

 

Some of those came in 3 FOW, a few others were 13-18 FOW right before walleye closed. In the deeper water it was jigs with large minnows

 

It's tough fishing that dirty water though

Edited April 23, 2012 by manitoubass2

[Fisher_1]

Look for any underwater structure I.E. Large rocks, Logs Weed clumps that sort of thing.

[mike rousseau]

Ok, I'm looking for some guidance here for two fish, pike and smallies.

 

I've got the bass fishing down pretty well for all seasons on the river, with the exception of early spring. I just cannot find them at all.

 

 

I find smallies in tribs here in the spring...by accident mind you... Some early walleye spots are rocky sections of tribs to the Larry....and sometimes it's stupid how many smallies are in there... But that's mid may to mid June....that's spawning time for bass here...So I don't know if that's tge time period your having trouble with

[manitoubass2]

I find smallies in tribs here in the spring...by accident mind you... Some early walleye spots are rocky sections of tribs to the Larry....and sometimes it's stupid how many smallies are in there... But that's mid may to mid June....that's spawning time for bass here...So I don't know if that's tge time period your having trouble with

 

It's the pre spawn time MM. I've tried for the past few years to pattern out smallies this time of year and I can't figure it out. When they are making beds however, there everywhere of course. Same with the rest of the year.

 

I know one thing about the smallies here that holds true, the bite is always tough for 2 days after the water level fluctuates more then a foot, same with walleye. I've usually still been able to find pike though during those periods.

 

I'm fishing tons of structures for pike, and transition areas. Maybe it's more to do with the water clarity???? If the water remains stable, it should clear up in the next two days. No rain or heavy winds in the forecast and it seems water levels are high, but stable.

 

Maybe the next couple days will be better.

 

 

 

[kickingfrog]

Many of us in southern Ontario (I know you do) don't have a season for smallies until the end of June so we might not be the best resource. In-fishermen should have some info.

[manitoubass2]

Many of us in southern Ontario (I know you do) don't have a season for smallies until the end of June so we might not be the best resource. In-fishermen should have some info.

 

True.

 

I better eat some fiber so I can go through some back issues...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kickingfrog]

True.

 

I better eat some fiber so I can go through some back issues...

 

 

 

Ha Ha. I meant online, but ya if you have some back issues giver.

[mike rousseau]

Next time try drop offs near tribs/creeks and check the pot holes...

 

We got some smallies really late in the year(dec) on main shoreline drop offs near river mouths... These are the same rivers they spawn in... So if they are at the mouths in the winter... And in the river during spawn... They can't be far prespawn... That's here anyways...

[manitoubass2]

Next time try drop offs near tribs/creeks and check the pot holes...

 

We got some smallies really late in the year(dec) on main shoreline drop offs near river mouths... These are the same rivers they spawn in... So if they are at the mouths in the winter... And in the river during spawn... They can't be far prespawn... That's here anyways...

 

I'll give that a try MM, thanks for the suggestions

 

 

 

[Moosebunk]

Real early ice-out river pike "can" be a tricky sort. When the river is flowing high, muddy and cold, you'd think you have to go shallow and warm. So, to back bays. Yeah.. but not always, and quite often not right off the start of the season.

 

Thing is, the fish do get there but depending on forage, spawn time, clarity and water levels, each year can vary. And spots on the river such as flooded out back bays that could be there one year but not the next, aren't generally good spots. Back bays that always exist in low or high water springs which fish can pattern to and count on each year, are better.

 

Before all that back bay stuff on the rivers though, I have personally always found the "earliest" pike to be relating more to what their forage is. On the Moose it was often walleyes and suckers. The walleyes at ice out love the incoming creeks more than anything, and pike would often be found there or in eddies nearby. The suckers preferred sandy shallow pools on the backsides of islands or, in some places the incoming creek mouths as well. Again, pike would be around. And walleye staging spots too... pools and eddies below rapids... there's some pike.

 

Those "dirty" water temps you note in the 30's to mid 40's, would certainly think that high sun to dusk would be best to have them feeding, and some days ya might have to go to super slow presentations or even still dead meat if it's overcast and cooler.

 

The pike do quickly enough get to those back bays after ice-out, but there can somtimes be a 2-3 week period for river pike fishing that's better in the other places said.

[manitoubass2]

Real early ice-out river pike "can" be a tricky sort. When the river is flowing high, muddy and cold, you'd think you have to go shallow and warm. So, to back bays. Yeah.. but not always, and quite often not right off the start of the season.

 

Thing is, the fish do get there but depending on forage, spawn time, clarity and water levels, each year can vary. And spots on the river such as flooded out back bays that could be there one year but not the next, aren't generally good spots. Back bays that always exist in low or high water springs which fish can pattern to and count on each year, are better.

 

Before all that back bay stuff on the rivers though, I have personally always found the "earliest" pike to be relating more to what their forage is. On the Moose it was often walleyes and suckers. The walleyes at ice out love the incoming creeks more than anything, and pike would often be found there or in eddies nearby. The suckers preferred sandy shallow pools on the backsides of islands or, in some places the incoming creek mouths as well. Again, pike would be around. And walleye staging spots too... pools and eddies below rapids... there's some pike.

 

Those "dirty" water temps you note in the 30's to mid 40's, would certainly think that high sun to dusk would be best to have them feeding, and some days ya might have to go to super slow presentations or even still dead meat if it's overcast and cooler.

 

The pike do quickly enough get to those back bays after ice-out, but there can somtimes be a 2-3 week period for river pike fishing that's better in the other places said.

 

 

OK, this is the stuff I'm after, thanks Moosebunk!

 

One thing I failed to mention (and it is important) is that ice out occured here the second week of March (if I remember correctly). Whne I first hit soft water, I was deadsticking large sucker minnows shallow at a feeder creek (which is also a prime sucker spawn in the area). I did really good at first with fish around 30", but it was slow fishing. 4 hours you would get 3-4 good bites.

 

as the ice left the area (there was still some in the shallows area) it was really slow stick baits producing bites. Like super slow, twitch/let sit for 1-2 minutes repeat.

 

As that spot became less active, I started finding them moving of the mud flat to a shallow rock area with some current. There was alot of light penetration and the water was warmer. But on one spot in that stretch, the shoreline bends and produced some current. There is a large boulder there, and as I watched baitfish go through, I could pick up a few more decent bites. At that time, it seemed to move in waves of active fish. Still nothing huge though.

 

As it died off there, I found them on a shelf downside the rapids, using it as an ambush point. This spot has alot of big rock, but no weedgrowth, and it changes depth quickly. This area is known for me to collect all sorts of fish throughout the year, walleye, panfish, pike.....

 

Then the water temps rose to 43, and I started getting bit one day when I was getting really good walleye. I did a report and had a bunch of eyes in the 25-31" range a few days before season closed. Thats when the pike were biting in anywhere between 4-20FOW, chasing baits into shore aggressively. This spot has leftover weedgrowth, sand, mud and even some branches on the bottom. But this is a walleye pre spawn area, so if I fish it, I only really wanna fish the top of the water column. When the water dirtied, we tried, but couldn't get bit.

 

I'm thinking they might have moved into a back bay near a sandbar. It's sheltered from current, but there is current on the west point of the bay. I can fish the bay, but not that point on the west side. It's walleye spawning grounds so Im' not going to fish there.

 

I'll keep trying though. I'm pretty new to pike, so I'm actually having fun tracking them and trying to figure out the pattern. They just seemed to be one step ahead of me right now, lol.

 

Those high water areas in bays you mentioned, it's like that here to. No fish really move into whats not naturally under water year after year

 

Thanks again for the help guys, alot of good advice to consider