25 replies to this topic

[dm911]

Hey guys I'm going to Elephant lake in May for a Pike Derby, does anyone have any helpful advise?? What are your guys favorite pike lures??
Thanks

[despotiko]

Used to do a lot of pike fishing, most lures for largemouth will work for pike, a few personal favorites are rapala husky jerks, little cleos, white/back/yellow/orange willow leaf spinners or buzzbaits, mepps black fury, jitterbugs, 5" white gulp jerkshad. Pike may seem like they need a mouth full but they actually tend to shy away from huge musky sized baits. I remember one day fishing for bass with 4" senkos ended up pulling out more pike that day. This seems to happen very often. Also make sure you have good quality wire leaders, either pre rigged with snaps and swivels or tied directly to you mainline. As for live bait when i was a kid my uncle and i used to fish for pike with large still water floats and a 4-5" inch chub minnow underneath or dead herring. If you need any more advice or specifics feel free to ask.

Goodluck,
Dimitri

[Somenomai]

Mepps black fury spinners and the good old 5 of diamonds spoon are my favourite when pike have lockjaw.

[Joel52]

Anything big and shiny that makes noise and moves... pike fishing's not rocket science. The trick to catching lots of pike is to keep moving.

[diggyj]

Big bladed spinner baits, jerk baits like the Rapala Husky Jerk or Fish Master. Mepps Musky Killers.

Dirk

[Esoxtrout]

Glindin Rap is my new go too lure, unfortunately I need to get a new one because I caught so many pike one day last summer on a fly in trip that it ended up full of holes and cracked in 2 places. (hanging on the wall in my cubicle))

weedless jig head 3/4 once and tie a bunny tail jig to the hook I use this lure during slow times drifting over deep weed-beds with just enough line out to still see the lure and just dance it between the weeds, the natural bunny hair is irresistible.

And when the hard baits just aren't bringing them in, try switching up to a more natural bait I usually switch over to fly fishing so I can get a more natural presentation and slow it down right in front of them.


And of course husky jerks, spinner baits, spoons.....etc. etc.

[reefrunner]

All good lures that I use, but don't want to repeat, above.

I would add two more:

Swim baits on a weighted hook 4-6inch range, great for working weeds

A "walk-the-dog" type topwater, like a zara spook. They just explode on that side-to side action.

[Fish Freak]

Live Target Smelt, best I have ever seen for Pike. I live on the Holland River by Bradford... They inhale them.
Tried them up in Nippissing and they smashed them there too.

[getin]

cranckbaits have been my lucky lure, specially green with a shade of orange

[RedSkullz]

If northerns are big and in an agressive mood i will go with:
1 Rapala Magnum - firetiger
2 Rapala Saltwater Magnum - Green Mackeral
3 Spinnerbait 1 1/2 oz LIme green or Blaze orange Bucktail
4 Rapala J13 Jointed Perch and Orange

If they are smaller but agressive northerns
1 Spinnerbait 3/4oz white
2 Cotton Cordell Ripplin Redfin silver or green
3 #5 mepps silver

If the fish are big but sluggish
1 4" tube baits (try to closely match the water colour)
2 Mepps #5 silver

Topwater
BIggest Rapala Skitterpop (i have nailed a ton of pike on these topwater lures....brown frog pattern)
Largest Hula Popper (white, black and charteause have worked great for me)

[MikeyMikey]

Hmmm...

It must be that time of the year again...

[jeremonster]

caught my first pike here in ont...3.5 lbs and was tasty.

cant wait to catch some more in the melt...

[MikeyMikey]

Oh as for my lure choice....

Husky jerk , both regular and deep diver.

[RedSkullz]

Okay how did i forget some of my highest producing pike lures!!??

Spoons...4" williams wabbler in hammered silver or gold
Len Thompson #5 in classic Red/White
Daredevil 1 oz+ (so many great colour schemes)
1 oz+ five of diamonds

[Muskeee]

5" Yum Money Minnow in Sexy Shad rigged weedless and fished slow !

[MikeyMikey]

Now that ZONE 20 pike season have opened...

Go and try out all these recommended lures and report back

Have Fun!

[RedSkullz]

Zone 16 opener saturday....giving the go to lures a whirl.

[RedSkullz]

Used to do a lot of pike fishing, most lures for largemouth will work for pike, a few personal favorites are rapala husky jerks, little cleos, white/back/yellow/orange willow leaf spinners or buzzbaits, mepps black fury, jitterbugs, 5" white gulp jerkshad. Pike may seem like they need a mouth full but they actually tend to shy away from huge musky sized baits. I remember one day fishing for bass with 4" senkos ended up pulling out more pike that day. This seems to happen very often. Also make sure you have good quality wire leaders, either pre rigged with snaps and swivels or tied directly to you mainline. As for live bait when i was a kid my uncle and i used to fish for pike with large still water floats and a 4-5" inch chub minnow underneath or dead herring. If you need any more advice or specifics feel free to ask.

Goodluck,
Dimitri

For the pike shying away from big baits, itt depends where you are. I have seen small 3 pound northerns hammer big muskie baits in certain backwater lakes. I have read that a pike will take prey that is 1/3 its length. Certain walleye fisherman know all about it.
Now if you are fishing pressured waters, you are right on the money. For heavy pressure pike i find a fairly big tube 4.5" will hammer them. I have been rigging some custom wire leaders for tube baits....will see how they work this weekend.

[Joel52]

Last summer my wife caught a pike that was 27". It had a 12" walleye in its belly. Not sure what it was doing chasing a #3 Mepps spinner at that point... when we opened its mouth, we could see the tail of the walleye sticking out its throat. I pulled the walleye out with a pair of pliers - go figger!