Pike in a smallmouth lake

[singingdog]

One of my favorite smallie lakes seems to have an increasing population of pike in it. The pike must have been put there by someone, as it's a landlocked lake and isolated from the Gull river chain that has been experiencing increasing #s of pike over the last few years. This lake has been a consistent producer of 20"+ fish, especially in the fall. It is also a relatively small lake, and no deeper than 45'.

 

Now, it seems that I can't find the smallies, and am constantly getting bitten off in places that used to hold big smallies: boulders in 20 FOW, steep drops.

 

Will the pike be the end of great smallie fishing in this lake, or have they just moved to different spots?

[msp]

Not sure if Im answering your question here but my best pike lakes have a huge populations of giant smallmouth as well.

I believe they can co-exist on the same lake just fine

[AKRISONER]

the pointe au baril area is absolutely teaming with pike, and the smallie population as i have found out since I started fishing them this fall is right up there too. I would even go out on a limb and say that they are the top two species in the area.

[misfish]

I was informed by a fellow angler, that on his lake where he has a cottage, a couple of guys caught GB pike and transferred them to their small cottage lake regularly. I told him he should be reporting this to the MNR. He said they weren't harming anything. He wouldn't indulge the name of the lake, but I found out which one it was when he slipped up. I don't know who the fellas are so I,ll just leave it alone and fish it next year and see how the pike and bass are making out.

[chris.brock]

I don't know the answer to your question, but fish communities have changed drastically in the last 5 years in Haliburton.

 

Not Brian, but the other 2 posts refer to systems that traditionally had pike and SMB, A recent introduction of pike is different.

[steelhunter]

If your talking about the gull river in coboconk or that chain of lakes. I can shed some light on how some of the pike got up there. My family used to have a cottage at the dam in coboconk so I have seen a lot of fishermen in my day there, I have also seen my fair share of pike tossed over the dam into the gull. Whenever someone would catch a pike at the dam sometimes not all the time the pike would be tossed over the dam I gave prob seen close to a 100 tossed over. Mnr can't do nothing unless they see them in the act of doing it. I hope explains how the pike got into shadow Lake up that way

[steelhunter]

Should of also said that pike was not the only fish to go over the top. Rock bass crappy slot size walleye bass every thing as been tossed up there

Edited October 15, 2014 by steelhunter

[Raf]

bass, especially smallies are a very aggressive and territorial fish. moreso than a pike.

 

i'm not sure where your concern is? are the pike eating all your bass? answer is no.

[Joeytier]

If the lake consistently produces 20" + smallies, then there is likely abundant forage, so I don't think there would be much to worry about

[jimmer]

Maybe the pike are grabbing the bait before the smallies have a chance to decide whether they like the bait.

[Rod Caster]

Bonk them like that guy on the Detroit river with the musky

 

 

Kidding of course

[Locnar]

Looks like you have another species to fish for

[fishindevil]

Singing dog as you know the pike are really infesting Haliburton and lakes that I have fished for years that didn't have pike now do and there was great smallie fishing and still is in several lakes I fish up your way and as was mentioned above I would be more worried about what baitfish are in the lake as the pike are probly eating them and could be crashing the population it had happebed but generally pike & smallies do fine together but you said it's a small lake so there could be a few things going on at the same time if the smallies are having to compete with the pike for the same bait they could be changing their ways and feeding habits for sure !!! Interesting they could be turning palageic as well I wish the MNR would do some netting to see how bad it really is like I said in an earlier post I told the MNR for 3 years I was catching pike in a lake in Hali and they said no there was no pike there !!!! Lol .... I had to get proof and finally they admitted pike were there !!!!! Biologists are worried as they will get into Algonquin park soon and are on the edge of it now !!!! Big trouble for the small lakes

[glen]

One thing to remember is a lake will only support so many lbs of fish. Who knows what the ratio of pike to bass the lake will have. A lake that only has bass should be better then a lake with pike and bass.

[chris.brock]

I don't know if it's true, but I heard a private pond above Kushog, was stocked with pike by the owner, and it over flowed into Kushog (20 + years ago?). From Kushog, down Buckslide into Boshkung, up to Beech/ Maple etc., down to 12 Mile/ Mountain/ Horseshoe etc

 

Going from Balsam to Gull, there's 4 dams in between, I don't think that's how they colonized the upstream lakes.

 

Muskies were stocked in Brady, probably 40 years ago. They made their way down Anson Creek, which isn't much of a waterway, into Longford Township, Rainy, Big Trout, Logan etc. I'm pretty sure nobody thought they could get through there. The Longford guys were ticked off too.

 

Pretty amazing and scary too, how species can invade.

[fishindevil]

Chris you are correct a dam gave way under high water and the pike did exactly that !!!! But there have been confirmed illegal stocking going on as well as people putting black crappies in some lakes too !!!! Lots of lakes have crappies too now !!!! The MNR was doing some netting yesterday in north Haliburton for the collection of lake trout eggs and are checking the nets for various species as well !!!!!

[fishindevil]

Well and another reason I didn't mention the dumping of bait buckets as well !!!! Like I said crappies are being spread out too !!!!

[singingdog]

Thanks for the replies. The smallies may still be there, just hard to get past the pike to find them now. I have tried throwing traditional pike baits first when I get to a spot - spoons, spinnerbaits - but have been losing a ridiculous # of shakey heads and small hair jigs to the pike.

[MrSimon]

Anytime an aggressive fish is introduced to a system, the existing species will take a hit ... to some degree. It will eventually balance out and you'll have two great species to fish for.

 

Bass tend to dominate pike though. Pike spawn in shallow water and don't protect their fry. Bass can swim in less than 6 inches of water and are eating machines. Not a real good scenario for the pike. It tends to be less of a problem though in really weedy lakes where the fry can hide. In mostly rocky lakes however, the pike will have a hard time.

[fishindevil]

Well in a lot of the Haliburton lakes it's very rocky with a lot less weeds and the pike are thriving for sure !!!! And even the walleyes seem to be doing better but the MNR seem to think it's about the baitfish for the pike that some lakes will be better to support them than others !!!! And don't forget a lot of these lakes the pike are invading have lake trout in them !!!! And some are strains found nowhere else !!! The strain they were stocking was Haliburton hold !!!! It's going to take a few years to play out true !!! And already there have been some decent pike catches I got a 35 inchers already and a few in the high 20"s inch range oh ya and some of these lakes hold muskies as well so it's gonna be a battle for sure !!!!! And not many people are talking about the changes as it's huge and we are talking about a lot if lakes & rivers in a huge area !!!!!! Time will tell I guess they are there to stay no doubt !!!! Even crappies are spreading out !!!

[Jigger]

Agree with you about the lakers, fishindevil. However, poor year classes, eutrophication and over-harvest will, and has IMO, has already done the damage in that regard. That being said, it takes a fairly large fish to want to hang in the depths with the grays. Hammerhandles like the shallows.

 

The baitfish aren't a problem in the lakes I fish. Perch are around in massive schools and should bode well for emerging species like walleye and pike. Muskie, unfortunately, will be the first to dissapear...

[chris.brock]

I do enjoy the multi species angling opportunities, this spring I caught a surprise, fat, healthy, 12 pound pike in Beech Lake.

 

I've spent my entire life escaping to Haliburton, it's too late now, but I would prefer it to have stayed the way it was

[grimsbylander]

I can't think of a lake in southern Ontario that I fished years ago and hasn't changed. Whether it be new fish introduced, dominate fish declined, changes to weed growth, water levels,etc. it just seems like it's inevitable.

I sound like my Grampa! He was saying the exact same thing to me 40 years ago!