Using large pike/musky lures for pike before musky opener

[hotsky]

I have a cottage booked for a weekend a week before the musky opener on Georgan bay and would be going for pike and walleye. I'd like to get into some trophy pike so using large lures should help. Could I get in trouble if I used say a (regular 3oz) Bulldawg or would a CO would assume I'm fishing for musky if he recognized the lure (with it being made by Musky Innovations and all)? I think other lures would be OK but little worried about that one.

Edited March 15, 2013 by Gray_Wolf

[Old Ironmaker]

It is tough to prove what species your fishing for based on tackle alone unless blatantly obvious like casting a spinner bait into the weeds and telling a CO you are fishing for perch. Don't forget the old rule of match the hatch. Yes big bait big fish but I have had best success bagging trophy Northerns using large live shinners deep into the weeds Florida style. I'd say nothing more than 6" spoon or plug. I am going to try large swim baits this year, heard good things about them. I'd probably pull a muscle throwing big plugs and tubes that are 3oz. As well working deep water drops for the big guys if not sunning in the shallows. I don't think I have seen a Bulldog, post a picture if you can, love to learn something new everyday.

[BillM]

Pike and musky occupy the same waters, I wouldn't worry about it.

[hotsky]

Old Ironmaker ,

 

[Christopheraaron]

You should be fine, especially since so many people fish G-bay for pike. But I agree with old ironmaker, keep your baits on the smaller side (6"), remember most bait in the spring is smaller, and the fish should be fairly aggressive.

[Dontcryformejanhrdina]

Tried fishing for pike on the Trent last year in April (where pike is open year round) using small musky gear (mostly 6" depthraiders which have done well for me catching pike). While I raised 2 pike, I ended up catching a musky that day. I kind of felt bad about it but what are you going to do? If I was using bass rods I risk the chance of catching bass or walleye. I just cut the hooks out of her and back in she went. It's almost impossible to exclusively fish for 1 species (unless it's something like trolling for lakers where those no other big fish that deep). I don't see how you could be charged for using musky gear unless you're throwing 12-16OZ bulldawgs or something ridiculously huge. Even still, some waters hold trophy pike that would hit those baits.....usually not in Spring though.

[Handlebarz]

From what the Mnr Say down here if they catch you Fishing bike with Bass Luehrs it's okay as long as you are not catching a lot of bass As a lot of people use the same twitch baits and spinner baits for both pike and bass. If they catch you getting bass after bass and not leaving the area you'll be fine for targeting out of season fish. I would imagine it's the same for Pike using Muskie lures if you are catching a lot of musky and Millpike you better leave the area or you could get fine

[Rich]

I wouldn't bother in the spring. You're more likely to hook a trophy pike on your perch gear.

[lew]

Pike are insane, specially the little dink snot rockets, and there's no such thing as a musky bait that's too big for them to try and inhale

 

[Andrew Grant]

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Edited January 29, 2014 by XxX

[lew]

Pike are insane, specially the little dink snot rockets, and there's no such thing as a musky bait that's too big for them to try and inhale

 

Just to clarify, I don't fish for pike and wasn't targetting them when that little guy hit

[Joey]

Pike are insane, specially the little dink snot rockets, and there's no such thing as a musky bait that's too big for them to try and inhale

 

 

Lew, it never ceases to amaze me the baits that pike will go after. I mean if it were another fish, do they think they could actually eat it without choking

[craigdritchie]

At that time of year smaller baits are where it's at - for both pike and muskies. Toss the big stuff if you like, but you'll do a lot better using smaller stuff, and avoid potential enforcement problems at the same time.

[jedimaster]

Bass will do the same. I was fishing for Musky with a 14" hard body and I cuaght a 7 inch bass. Use the leader and lure of your choosing and pick the water you want. If you know musky are in the area then try and be ready to release one as quick as you can. f you hit musky after musky move on. It would also help to curse a bit if you catch a musky... (Gosh dang these slimy snot torpedoes, I hate musky, kill them all) Then toss it back with a frustrated look on your face and threaten to stab it in the head with your fillet knife if it comes near your spinner bait one more time.

 

That should satisfy the mnr that you are a pike fisherman.

Edited March 15, 2013 by jedimaster

[Dontcryformejanhrdina]

From what the Mnr Say down here if they catch you Fishing bike with Bass Luehrs it's okay as long as you are not catching a lot of bass As a lot of people use the same twitch baits and spinner baits for both pike and bass. If they catch you getting bass after bass and not leaving the area you'll be fine for targeting out of season fish. I would imagine it's the same for Pike using Muskie lures if you are catching a lot of musky and Millpike you better leave the area or you could get fine

At the same time though...bass and pike often occupy the same waters, with there being a lot more bass (at least where I fish) and in May they are insanely aggressive. If I'm targeting pike in May I'm almost guaranteed to catch more bass than pike. When they're both in the shallow weeds what can I do, besides not fish pike at all?

[outllaw]

normally we use the 5 inch shad minee mee shads casting for pike on st clair.. most co,s have an idea whats happening. if you have a boat full of standard musky gear you could end up playing a thousand questions.. every year here ,thers hundreds of muskies caught during the walleye run. and sturgeon.. the old adage .release and keep fishing.

[davey buoy]

From what I've watched and read,there so close to each other that they will go for baits 1/2 the size of them or more.I've also seen some huge pike as well and I don't believe any bait is too big?Fish Pike known areas?I don't know.

[Dontcryformejanhrdina]

Yep I've caught pike as small as 20" on 8-9" baits. Pike are pretty stupid.

[Rich]

Lol, like dink muskies never hit big baits? Its not stupidity so much as being the top predator. If it werent for humans harassing them, they COULD eat anything they want! And ive seen far more than "stupid" pike attacking ridiculously large lures. I love how the stupidest fish that swim (trout) hit musky lures in a tiny stream, now thats just dumb.

 

Whether or not they will hit the baits wasnt even part of the question. Everybody's so quick to bash pike and praise musky.. muskies are joky little pansies who die after you reel them in. Stupid is the fish that fights itself to death, i'd say.

Edited March 15, 2013 by Rich

[Dontcryformejanhrdina]

Haha relax, musky are pretty stupid too. We give fish way too much credit. It's not very hard to fool them. But when a pike hits a lure that's covered in weeds, yeah, I'd say they're not too bright lol.

[Rich]

Yeah. My overreaction. All fish are pretty stupid sometimes, given the right day. Haha

[Roy]

I always get a chuckle when I hear someone telling a story of how proud they are for having "outsmarted" a fish.

[Handlebarz]

I get alot of big SM when fishing musky I've caught them on my double 10's 9" sledges top raiders but have yet to get one on a big bull dog.

 

Trolling musky we get everything from bass catfish walleye sheepshead and I even caught a salmon on LSC using woodies 6"-9" 10" jakes it does not matter they all eat big baits.

[Moosebunk]

Don't know the specific forage for pike in specific areas of GBay... but will agree with Craig... it's my experience that spring pike prefer smaller/average baits overall.

[Old Ironmaker]

One of the pipefitters at the plant found 2 live pike while cleaning a baywater strainer. One was about 8" the other 18", he put them in a 40 gallon drum. The smaller pike chased the larger around taking nips from head to tail. I think smaller fish hitting a larger fish is all about territory not feeding. And I have seen Bass 1/4 the size of a Carp hammer the thing when it came to close to it's spawning bed. I don't believe it's a matter of intelligence or lack thereof.

 

Yes I had him release it and wrote him up for fishing out of season.