Help Locating Pike

[Tom22]

Hello everyone,

I am not super experienced in fishing but have mainly targeted bass. I will be spending a week up on Georgian Bay in the last week of August and wanted to try and attempt some casts for pike.

I have spent some time browsing the forums and other online sources and seem to get a wide variety of opinions on where to actually locate pike. 

I know alot has to do with the body of water and weather but was curious if I should be mainly targeting deeper water or shallow bays during late August? Seems as though it may be in a transition period…

Any help is appreciated!

Thanks so much

[Big Cliff]

I fish pike a lot. I prefer shallow, weeds, and make lots of noise. Often I back the boat into a weed patch (lilly pads) then blast out about 50', stop and cast back into the prop wash, pisses them off and they will hit almost anything. If you are trolling, keep close to the weed edges, keep your luer in the prop wash and just far enough back that you can still see it usually about a foot below the surface. My favorite lures: 5 of dimonds, red devils,  half and half silver/bronze williams wobblers. Good luck😊

[fisherman7]

Ok, I've never heard of the weed blast method but I gotta try it! 

[BillM]

Snot rocket males will be in the shallow stuff.   The big females will be off the deep edges come August or out in the vast nothingness chowing down on all those oily fish (Herring, whitefish, etc)

Edited June 30, 2021 by BillM

[mamona]

I never get them in shallows during a summer. I have similar experience to BillM, big mamas can be found near big drop offs.

[Garfisher]

Tie on your most expensive lure without a wire leader on, that'll definitely locate you some pike! (Might get expensive though haha)

[Big Cliff]

21 hours ago, BillM said:

Snot rocket males will be in the shallow stuff.   The big females will be off the deep edges come August or out in the vast nothingness chowing down on all those oily fish (Herring, whitefish, etc)

I guess thats where the differance is, the lakes I usually fish are small backwoods lakes and tend to be quite shallow. 

[woodenboater]

12 hours ago, Garfisher said:

Tie on your most expensive lure without a wire leader on, that'll definitely locate you some pike! (Might get expensive though haha)

can confirm

[Hack_Fisherman]

12 hours ago, Garfisher said:

Tie on your most expensive lure without a wire leader on, that'll definitely locate you some pike! (Might get expensive though haha)

Isn’t that the truth!

[BillM]

1 hour ago, Big Cliff said:

I guess thats where the differance is, the lakes I usually fish are small backwoods lakes and tend to be quite shallow. 

My answer is based upon the location the OP is fishing.   In your case, I'd fish the deepest weed edges/rock transition points I could find.   

Edited July 1, 2021 by BillM

[bushart]

Get on a nest of smaller walleyes---bigger gators are usually close by

[OhioFisherman]

On 6/30/2021 at 8:14 PM, Garfisher said:

Tie on your most expensive lure without a wire leader on, that'll definitely locate you some pike! (Might get expensive though haha)

That works for skis too!