pike opener photos

[Kleiner]

Water is still really, REALLY cold along the downtown shoreline, so I will probably start with low and slow spoons along the walls. If I get follows without strikes, I'll switch to ledgered dead minnows on a pop up float.

This man is smart, the fish will probably be lethargic.

 

[Kleiner]

i dont know much but
"catching tons of pike" doesnt go with "havent lost any lures"

unless wire leader is involved

yup!!

 

[instapump416]

Did anyone have any luck with Pike on the weekend? I tried first light and couldn't spot any pike at the bays.

I had no luck.

 

[Kit]

Heading out in the AM. To Bayfront Park in Hamilton. Gonna bring my Steel rod too and throw some roe bags too. Never know..

 

[OCDComputing]

Pike will go for anything a bass goes for that's why they can be a pain in the a$$ to the tournament bass angler. I'm surprised you've never broken off with no leader. Maybe it's got something to do with the topwater fishing you mostly do for pike and the short strike being more common in topwater??? Just speculating here... What type of line do you use??
I have landed plenty of pike with no leader when fishing for bass, but I've also lost my fair share of xraps to the toothy critters and they ain't cheap so I don't take any chances!!

*knock on wood* I've been lucky and haven't lost any lures. I just use a snap swivel tied on to some pretty heavy braid (since I use it for anything from Carp to Bass/Pike). Love top water strikes! Had one that the pike and lure were 2 feet out of the water

 

[rich_ace_G]

Sorry I meant adding one of these...

Are they reliable?

Pump when i first started. I was using this religiously...it sucks to lose $7-$10 lures (I was led to believe they were the best)...Until I found cheaper plugs as an alternative to Rapalas....Daiwa, Storm & Smithwicks....50% less. I pretty much use 4" plugs....without the wire leaders, the action on the plugs are better, and I have caught more pike without it. I only use them for musky...

 

[curtis89]

I tie my own fluorocarbon leaders. A must if you are targeting trophy fish. As for lures, jerk baits, large spinners and smaller crankbaits for very well.

 

[instapump416]

Pump when i first started. I was using this religiously...it sucks to lose $7-$10 lures (I was led to believe they were the best)...Until I found cheaper plugs as an alternative to Rapalas....Daiwa, Storm & Smithwicks....50% less. I pretty much use 4" plugs....without the wire leaders, the action on the plugs are better, and I have caught more pike without it. I only use them for musky...

I remember you saying this. I'll play around with it and see what works best for me.

 

[Kit]

Well we hit Lake O yesterday no action at all, no weed growth. Tons of dead fish around the banks too.

 

[rich_ace_G]

Well we hit Lake O yesterday no action at all, no weed growth. Tons of dead fish around the banks too.

I don't think weed is necessary to get pike right now. I'd say it's more about depth of water. Fish are sluggish. Sometimes you need to vary the speed to entice them. I sometimes let my lure stay out there a little longer. like 30 seconds before I jerk and retrieve and then pause for another 30 secs before I repeat the process. If you see a perch follow...the pike are not too far behind.

 

[Kit]

Oh yeah we tried everything. Slow, fast, shallow, deep, bright, dark lol. Water was super cloudy. Maybe a foot of visibility.. Fished all around Bayfront Park.

 

[hamiltonangler94]

Usually I have my luck down there for pike when there's some weed growth going on..but like Kit said everything was pretty dead

 

[Christopheraaron]

I don't think weed is necessary to get pike right now. I'd say it's more about depth of water. Fish are sluggish. Sometimes you need to vary the speed to entice them. I sometimes let my lure stay out there a little longer. like 30 seconds before I jerk and retrieve and then pause for another 30 secs before I repeat the process. If you see a perch follow...the pike are not too far behind.

What depth would you be looking at? Considering the fish could still be prespawn.

 

[Kit]

Yeah prespawn is probably still going on.. and probably very lethargic still.

 

[instapump416]

I'll be targeting my first pike once the bows stop biting.

 

[Kit]

Yeah this weekend Pike/Walleye is open in Z16.

 

[hamiltonangler94]

Yep will be hitting up a local creek for pike this coming weekend..hopefully the creek will be in good shape

 

[John Da Silva]

Lots of dead fish lake o not sure what's causing this but I've noticed it for a couple weeks . At the pier skyway bridge no bites soft or hard baits or live slow and quick retrieves maybe this weekend the temps will be better and the pike will speed up

 

[hamiltonangler94]

Yep Hamilton harbour was loaded with dead fish which looked to me to be herring or alewife, never seen it so bad. Usually around this time in the harbour it's very active.

 

[Kleiner]

The water temps are still too cold in Lake O. The pike should turn on when it gets closer to 60F
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/glcfs/glcfs.php?lake=o&ext=swt&type=N&hr=00