Pike cranks (for shore action)?

[hotsky]

I don't have much experience with cranks, but understand they work well so I'd like to use them more. I have one now - Rapola Jerk but I haven't used it much because I'm scared it'll get snagged on the bottom I hate looking expensive lures! I'm still bummed about that Mepps Agila I lost lol. I'm fishing from shore and prefer heavier lures for longer casts. What would be a good crankbait that pike like and doesn't drag on the bottom too much?

 

ps: I'm using a 7ft spinning rod with 20lb braided line.

Edited July 3, 2012 by Gray_Wolf

[funfishing]

Look for any "shallow running" crankbait. You can also modify the lip on "deep diving" crankbaits to alter how they dive. Wal-Mart carries a good line of crankbaits for around $5, they're bass, panfish, walleye and even pike imitations. The pike imitation is a shallow runner. Pike eat other pike, so the pike imitation works for pike too.

 

Dollarama has crankbaits, they aren't Rapalas but they work. If you're unsure about a spot, you can run a one dollar crankbait through it first. Dollarama also has Mepps-like spinners which also work.

[manitoubass2]

Rapala Flat Raps(firetiger) and X-Raps (perch/pearl)

[Broker]

[quote name='funfishing' date='02 July 2012 - 09:59 PM' timestamp='1341284388' post=crankbait.

 

Dollarama has crankbaits, they aren't Rapalas but they work. If you're unsure about a spot, you can run a one dollar crankbait through it first.Dollarama also has Mepps-like spinners which also work. .. Hey, I'm not the only one who buys out dollarams stock of fishing lures when it comes in LOL

[Rich]

Buy a mepps #5 musky killer with red fur. Your best bet at shore pike or musky anywhere shallow. Buy a few. Keep casting them. If pike have been caught and released by others you can eventually annoy them into striking. Keep that bait on the line, and crank it fast.

[Garry2Rs]

I don't have much experience with cranks, but understand they work well so I'd like to use them more. I have one now - Rapola Jerk but I haven't used it much because I'm scared it'll get snagged on the bottom I hate looking expensive lures! I'm still bummed about that Mepps Agila I lost lol. I'm fishing from shore and prefer heavier lures for longer casts. What would be a good crankbait that pike like and doesn't drag on the bottom too much?

 

ps: I'm using a 7ft spinning rod with 20lb braided line.

 

 

This isn't a very good time to be shore fishing for pike.

Pike don't like warm water and go deep in the summer.

Having said that, there are generally some smaller pike in the shallows at all times of year.

 

Spinnerbaits are good pike baits, available in whatever weight you prefer and are very snag resistant. They only have one hook (or two if you use a trailer) and the hook, or hooks, face upward...The wire spinner arm acts as a natural weed/snag guard. Think about stopping the line with your hand, at the end of the cast, closing the bail quickly and getting any slack out of the line, so that the bait doesn't sink to the bottom and fall on it's side. This is a big rookie error that negates the snag resistant feature of the bait.

 

Rapala Husky Jerks and other brands, don't go very deep if you fish them as jerk-baits.

Here's the drill:

Cast out...Pick-up all but about two or three feet of slack...Make a sweep/jerk with the rod tip...Pick up all but about two or three feet of slack and sweep the rod tip again...Etc. If you are over or in a good looking spot, the sweep/jerk can be quite subtle...Only a few inches. You want to keep the bait in the strike-zone as long as possible!

 

What you are doing by starting and ending with slack in the line is causing the baits to dive and coast...When you jerk again the bait changes direction, underwater. On the surface this would be called "walking-the-dog."

 

These baits only dive to about 4-6 feet. As you near shore, raise your rod tip and use shorter jerks to keep the bait from going too deep and snagging.

[Governator]

I'd say a weedless spoon. You can cover a lot more water since they cast a mile and you most likely aren't going to lose it. They generally stay high in the water, just keep the rod tip up as it approaches the shore. I've caught several pike with them in thick weeds with a medium heavy rod.

[Dabluz]

With a spinning rod, I like to use the largest curly tail I can find and stick it on a 5/0 hook. I also cut 2 grooves in the curly tail....one on top and one on the bottom.....so that the point of the large hook will be more easily exposed during the strike. I hide the hook point inside the top groove in the curly tail. The bottom groove is made so that the shank of the hook will easily sink into the cury tail. As you can see, the 2 grooves are not exactly opposite one another. The bottom groove is a bit closer to the head of the curly tail.

 

It's an inexpensive lure and will not hang up on anything. I've caught many pike using this cheap set-up. Best colours have been either white or yellow. Actually, I have never tried any other colours so maybe orange or red would be good too.

[johnnyb]

A great shallow running crank that has caught me a lot of pike is the Cotton Cordell Ripplin' Redfin. Pretty sure they still make them....I have had the most success by reeling it in very slowly, which gives it a great wobble just under the surface. Pretty much like a wake bait.

 

Garry2r's tips are also excellent....keeping the line tight on landing is key for not only preventing a spinnerbait from sinking, but for preventing a jerkbait from tangling when it lands. Spinnerbaits will catch a ton of pike, and any bass cruising the area as well. One thing I do is take the wire from a garbage bag twist-tie and wrap it around the skirt of the bait a few times, then twist it tight and clip off the tag ends. This simple trick keeps the skirts on much longer, as pike are excellent at removing them. (Hmmm....possibly why they're such successful breeders..... )

[Millhouse2020]

Some excellent tips here. If I may offer two more...

 

 

I used to get results using a floating crankbait or rapala type lure. The old balsa rapalas work great for this since they float. If you are concerned with snags, cast the lure out, retrieve it a few feet to let it dive a bit, then pause and let it float up. You can let is rise right to the surface and sit there, like a dying baitfish. This method works well shore casting for pike, or anywhere for that matter, and helps avoid snags since your lure isnt being allowed to dive very deep with short retrieves and pauses.

 

 

Second tip for shore fishing pike is to use a bobber and either live or dead minnows. You can adjust depth easily with the bobber to avoid snagging bottom and pike will take bait most of time. Big dead bait is a deadly tactic for large pike in particular.

 

 

Garry is correct in saying that large pike move out of the shallows as the water warms but you can still catch decent fish from shore. The smaller pike are almost always around and the bigger fish will still come shallow now and then especially after a cold front. Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

 

Millhouse