mike rousseau Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Good evening everyone So I have decided to enter the local opening day pike tournament this year I hear it's a really fun day with a great turnout But I don't often target pike... I know some spots and have a couple go to baits but I was wondering what you all like to throw for pike The pike here are mostly 4-8 pounds but to have a shot at prize money you gotta break 10 pounds My 2 go to baits are a HJ14 shallow husky jerk in various colors and white soft plastic minnows 6" rigged weightless for the shallowest spots Target depth (I think) will be 1-12 feet of water So if you don't mind sharing... what to you use for spring pike? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moosebunk Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Mike, Have caught so many pike in all sizes and places on a Williams Whitefish C90 silver Nu-wrinkle. Don't just cast and retrieve, jerk and pause it too. And of course, the Johnson Silver spoon for the weedy spots, Vibrax or Mepps spinners, dressed or not. Williams T60's... buzzbaits, crankbaits,... this could get ugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallie Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Cant go wrong with the williams whitefish, i like the half gold half silver hammer finish, cast or trolled. 6" jakes or grandmas worked stop and go are one of my favourite spring pike lures. If bait is allowed you cant go wrong with a live sucker under a float, on a day when lures dont work the sucker always does. Id be working anything where theres an inflow where the suckers might be congregating, there should definitely be big post spawn pike in these areas. Black and white, anything red and walleye colours are my go to. Good luck brother! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PUMP KNOWS Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Lots of great choices listed. Good luck and let us know how you do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhioFisherman Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Pike are rare here, even more so after April, and a 4-6 pounder is good sized, most of the ones I have caught have come on small chrome and black crankbaits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acountdeleted Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Black and chartreuse spinner bait in clear water, white spinner in cloudy/murky water. I used to catch all my pike pulling that behind a paddle boat on the French. Toss out, troll the weedline, turn around and go back. Easy peasy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manitoubass2 Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 (edited) One thing I always have Mike is 6" Berkley ripple shads in white I'll rig them on those wide gap VMC hooks with the weight that can be adjusted. Fish em slow, all through the water column Edited February 10, 2017 by manitoubass2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris.brock Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 If I was in a spring pike derby, and the fish run from 4-8 pounds, I'd probably throw the HJ 14 Husky Jerk all day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish_fishburn Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Rapala J11 or J13 in chatruse along with spinnerbaits in white. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillM Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 (edited) Swimbaits, nice and slow. Can't beat a Johnson Silver minnow tipped with a big Kalins grub either (White is my fav) You can also fish this really slow and through the thickest weeds you can find. I also like salmon spoons, they're light and you can fish them slow as well without them sinking too fast. Spinnerbaits are another great spring pike bait as well. Also, like it's been mentioned, don't leave home without some slash baits (Husky Jerks, XRaps, etc) Edited February 10, 2017 by BillM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ketchenany Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Yellow five of diamonds, I believe they are a williams. I have one that has more scar marks than a gravel pit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishFinder17 Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 I only really fish pike and bass in my area. My go to pike lures are: -Rapala X-Rap Shad Jointed perch colour -Joe Bucher Top Raider perch colour (awesome top water lure for pike) -Joe Bucher SlopMaster in Black and Orange -Double 10/Double 12 Colorado blade bucktail spinners in gold/silver and black/orange -Storm jointed 4 inch shad swimbaits I would guess that more than half of my pike are caught on bucktails - the one in my profile picture was a 10lb caught on a silver/gold. If the tournament you are entering is early season/after ice out the top raider works great when they are still in the shallows. Hope this helps FF17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msp Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Mainly jerkbaits for me. I like Husky Jerks and Smithwick Rogues Give the newer Smithwick Rogue perfect 10 a try. Also , early in the spring don't be afraid to try smaller baits like Husky Jerk 12's sometimes the pike are feeding on smaller bait and the smaller profile lures will out produce the larger. When the water is cold, give the bait really long pauses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PUMP KNOWS Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 I've noticed in the winter/spring they tend to follow your lures. What do you guys like to do when you get a follower? Do you guys find they mostly hit on the pause or on the retrieve? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manitoubass2 Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 I've noticed in the winter/spring they tend to follow your lures. What do you guys like to do when you get a follower? Do you guys find they mostly hit on the pause or on the retrieve? As you start the retrieve after a pause Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gallie Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 The pause is key, even on lures like a spoon where it can be difficult to stop it altogether to stop and let it flutter a couple times will trigger a strike. Almost always as soon as the lure stops or as soon as it restarts they attack. Nothing a pike hates more than watching its meal try to run lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhioFisherman Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 http://www.basspro.com/Manns-1Minus-Crankbaits/product/31147/#chart-container A good crankbait for shallow water. http://www.basspro.com/Bandit-Crankbaits-200-Series/product/31580/#chart-container One that runs deeper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bacon Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Yellow five of diamonds, I believe they are a williams. I have one that has more scar marks than a gravel pit! Len Thompson are known for the 5 of Diamonds pattern. I have had good luck using them for pike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigdritchie Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 (edited) I love early spring pike, there's nothing better IMHO. Opening weekend weather can vary quite a bit. If it's a late spring and I'm facing colder water and inactive fish, I use use smaller baits and fish slow. The smaller Husky Jerks that msp suggested are a good choice for covering water. In more defined areas I prefer jigs - I've caught a ton of big spring pike on four-inch Sassy Shads. I also like Mark Kulik's Swammers, they have a killer action to them. I normally rig the bait on the lightest jig head I can get away with (weedless jig head, ideally), and probe the entrances to spawning bays, especially the first bit of deeper water (6 to 10 feet) as the bays lead out to the main lake. You know you're in the right neighborhood if you catch a few smaller walleye by accident, since they're the reason the pike are in those spots to begin with. If we've had an early spring and by opening day the weather's nice and the fish are active, then I usually go with a bit larger baits (6 inch range is good) and fish a bit faster to cover more water. I've usually found that spinnerbaits or big inline spinners are pretty tough to beat. That's when I focus on sharper drop-offs located between the spawning bays and the deep water. It's not easy fishing, but casting really large Flatfish in those spots, retrieving as fast as you can, can be really effective for big pike. By the end of the day your arms will be rubber, but it's often worth it. Good luck. Edited February 10, 2017 by Craig_Ritchie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msp Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Cadence is everything. Typically I start with a fast retrieve to see if I can get any follows or to just locate fish first. Once I have found an area that has fish then I will slow it down. Craig Ritchie had a good point about smaller jigs rigged with some sort of swimbait. I use a flipping jig rigged with a swimbait. work slow on the bottom or sometimes just a steady retrieve. As for follows...... it really depends on the mood of the fish. when I see a follow, I will pause for a quick second followed by a couple of really hard fast jerks. like really hard. then pause . usually they will smoke it on the next twitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshS Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 (edited) I kinda do what Craig and msp say above. If it's early spring and fish are shallow -jerkbaits and lighter jig's are best. If they are a bit deeper - jerkbaits or swimbaits or jigs. When they are transitioning to summer - big swimbaits are my favourite. Regarding jigs, I like primarily 6-8" jig n grubs, larger tubes, or flipping jigs with plastic such as a swimbait. Regarding swimbaits, I've been rigging them on jigs as light as 1/4oz but I find 3/8 to 3/4 is what I use most spring depending on the swimbait and depth you're targeting or how fast the fish want it. Larger swimbaits are heavier and have the rig built in. I love spring pike, it's generally the christening of the boating soft water season for me. I like them on all patterns - early, mid and late spring - each are fun in their own way. Early you can sight fish and play on the fishes reactions more. Mid spring can be crazy numbers targeting ravenous post spawn weed edge fish. Late spring is fun tossing big swimbaits in deeper transition areas covering water for a big cruisers outside spawning areas. I don't throw a lot of spoons or spinners, they do work, but I have more success on other baits on the southern ON waters I fish. The best all round bait IMO is a jerkbait such as the husky jerk. Jerkbaits usually take the most fish every spring and every size fish will eat one from 25" to 40+. Edited February 13, 2017 by JoshS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Ironmaker Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 (edited) The original 5 of Diamonds was made by Eppinger. My #1 go to bait for spring Pike is a "Dare Devil" made by Eppinger as well. Red and white with chrome back. The other is the "Red Devil" from I forget. I have many I forget lures these days. I'll go look. Spinner Baits second choice. Working the weed line to a deep water point. Work all elevations up and down the drop off. They will suspend anywhere on the drop off. I find they hit on the first small action after the pause. Sometimes a quick twitch after the pause and pause again like an injured baitfish moves when injured. In the early spring we used to use whole frozen lake Smelts. I think any Smelt is illegal to use now. They were killers as you could cast them easily as well. If all fails a good sized live minnow on a good balsa float deep into the weeds to entice them out to the edge/. Only a live bait if someone or I want to keep a Pike for the table. Nothing like a good solid spring Pike in a Brandy and tomato sauce with Capers and Spagettini. When targeting Pike I think the presentation is as or more important than the lure choice, when they are hitting post spawn they hit. Edited February 10, 2017 by Old Ironmaker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bacon Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 The original 5 of Diamonds was made by Eppinger. Wasn't it Len Thompson? They are the ones who famous for it. Dardevle (Eppinger) are more known for the red & white pattern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dontcryformejanhrdina Posted February 10, 2017 Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Anything. But seriously husky jerks are great in cold water. Long pauses usually trigger strikes. I've also had success using 6" depthraiders for pike early season before the weeds develop. Specifically target any side creek openings, especially if they are areas choked with weeds later in the summer. Don't be afraid to fish very shallow for them this time of year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike rousseau Posted February 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 Wow Lots of suggestion Thanks everyone Opening weekend I'll be looking at water temps under 50 degrees... most likely 45-50 degrees Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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