07-06-2004, 10:30 PM
[center][size 5][#000000]Where To Find Them[/url][/#000000][/size][/center] [left]![[Image: pike.jpg]](http://mnfishing.freeservers.com/images/pike.jpg)
[/left] Pike can be found and easily caught in shallow water (usually shallower than 15 feet) early in the spring. When the water warms to 70 degrees the pike begin to move into deeper water (20ft to 50ft). During summers late June, July and early August the pike bite slows down. The biggest challenge is locating good sized pike. To find the active fish troll with a deep running lure in about 20ft - 30 ft. Use a depth finder and a good fishing map to map out your trolling pattern try to pinpoint sunken islands, fish cribs, rock piles and other structure. Once you have caught one there are probably more in the area, especially if you are around structure, try a few casts to pick up another one. In the fall the pike began feeding like they were in the spring. You can usually find them in the same places you found them last spring. When I troll in the fall I generally try to use larger baits because at this time of year the large pike come out of the deep water summer homes to feed. Occasionally you can catch big pike that totally disregard the guidelines for fishing I have listed here. Try trolling with the big lures first in the fall but if that doesn't work try going with a small casting spoon. [center][size 5]Midsummer Pike[/size][/center] [left] [size 5][/size][size 3]Many anglers are able to consistently catch big pike out of the shallows in the spring but during the heat of the summer their catches become increasing smaller as the big pike move to their summer homes. To locate these fish an absolutely essential tool is a contour map of the lake. Another tool that will prove useful is sonar. On your contour map of the lake you are looking for large weedy flats that are located next to deep water with a relatively steep drop-off. Your best bet for catching these summer pike is trolling crank baits on the deep edge and spoons on the shallow edge. If you can't find active fish trolling try casting a jig tipped with a minnow through the flats and over the drop-off. If they won't take a jig try some Sucker fishing on the drop-off.[/size][/left] [center] [size 5]Sucker Fishing[/size][/center] [left] Another method for fishing pike in shallow water during the spring and fall is using Sucker minnows. Use a number 8 hook with a sucker less than 12 inches long. Hook the sucker like you would hook a normal minnow. You will need some weight to keep the sucker somewhat stationery, use a medium size sinker next to the hook or use a weighted hook. For a long time giant red and white floats were being used for sucker fishing, finally there are some alternative bobbers that work better. The hardest and most important part of sucker fishing is waiting to set the hook. Once you get a bite your bobber will go down and began to swim off away from the boat just give the fish a lot of line. The pike will eventually stop to swallow the fish and once the fish stops to swallow and begins to swim off again set the hook.[/left] [center][size 5]Tackle[/size][/url] ![[Image: npike1.jpg]](http://mnfishing.freeservers.com/images/npike1.jpg)
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When fishing for Northern Pike tackle is not as critical as it is for other game fish. When pike are active they will attack anything that moves. The most common types of tackle used for pike are [url "http://mnfishing.freeservers.com/definition.html#spoons"][#000000]spoons[/#000000][/url], [url "http://mnfishing.freeservers.com/definition.html#crankbait"][#000000]crank baits[/#000000][/url], and [url "http://mnfishing.freeservers.com/definition.html#weightedspinners"][#000000]weighted spinners[/#000000][/url]. But until recently most people overlooked some good pike lures, because at the time they were known as bass lures. [url "http://mnfishing.freeservers.com/definition.html#spinnerbait"][#000000]Spinner baits[/#000000][/url] and [url "http://mnfishing.freeservers.com/definition.html#buzzbait"][#000000]buzz baits[/#000000][/url] will attract pike in the spring and fall. Plastic worms from 7-10 inches long fished just below the surface will trigger a pike hit. Another effective method is jigging, you can tip your jig with live bait or soft plastics. Keep in mind color selection is important when fishing for pike. Your color selection should be based on the water clarity. In clear water use natural looking colors but in murky waters use very bright flashy lures. As I mentioned above there are always a few cases where fish ignore the rules if one lure isn't productive you shouldn't stay with it, try another color you normally wouldn't fish with in that lake. [center][size 5]Spoon Fishing[/size] [left] [size 3]If your tackle box is like mine you probably have spoons of different colors and sizes all stuck together in your tackle box, you reach for one you get 7 spoons all stuck together. There is no rhyme or reason to my collection other than what the fish were biting on when I bought it.[/size][/left] [left] [size 3]What we have to realize is that fishing is a science and if we understand the scientific method and how it relates to fishing we can quickly find the spoon that is producing best that day. First you should know fish bite spoons primarily because of the vibration they give off and secondarily the color of the spoon. Each size and brand name of spoon gives off a distinctively different vibration when dragged through the water. [/size][size 3]To find the spoon just cut down the experiment to one variable at a time, since size is most important everyone should fish with a different size until you determine which is the most effective. Once you determine the ideal size, everyone should fish with that size but with different colors and then try to determine the "hot" color of the day.[/size][/left]
[size 5]Rods, Reels, and Line[/size]
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For trolling I use a 6 and a half foot heavy action rod with a bait casting trolling reel. For casting use a spinning rod 6-7ft. long and a spinning reel with high line capacity. The weight of line depends on the size of pike you are fishing for and the method of fishing. For smaller pike (up to 5 pounds) I usually use 12 pound test unless there is a lot of cover to fish through. For trolling especially at high speeds (15mph) use at least 20 pound test. Since pike have incredibly sharp teeth you should use a leader but make it as short as possible because it discourages bites.
![[Image: rod.gif]](http://mnfishing.freeservers.com/images/rod.gif)
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[/left] Pike can be found and easily caught in shallow water (usually shallower than 15 feet) early in the spring. When the water warms to 70 degrees the pike begin to move into deeper water (20ft to 50ft). During summers late June, July and early August the pike bite slows down. The biggest challenge is locating good sized pike. To find the active fish troll with a deep running lure in about 20ft - 30 ft. Use a depth finder and a good fishing map to map out your trolling pattern try to pinpoint sunken islands, fish cribs, rock piles and other structure. Once you have caught one there are probably more in the area, especially if you are around structure, try a few casts to pick up another one. In the fall the pike began feeding like they were in the spring. You can usually find them in the same places you found them last spring. When I troll in the fall I generally try to use larger baits because at this time of year the large pike come out of the deep water summer homes to feed. Occasionally you can catch big pike that totally disregard the guidelines for fishing I have listed here. Try trolling with the big lures first in the fall but if that doesn't work try going with a small casting spoon. [center][size 5]Midsummer Pike[/size][/center] [left] [size 5][/size][size 3]Many anglers are able to consistently catch big pike out of the shallows in the spring but during the heat of the summer their catches become increasing smaller as the big pike move to their summer homes. To locate these fish an absolutely essential tool is a contour map of the lake. Another tool that will prove useful is sonar. On your contour map of the lake you are looking for large weedy flats that are located next to deep water with a relatively steep drop-off. Your best bet for catching these summer pike is trolling crank baits on the deep edge and spoons on the shallow edge. If you can't find active fish trolling try casting a jig tipped with a minnow through the flats and over the drop-off. If they won't take a jig try some Sucker fishing on the drop-off.[/size][/left] [center] [size 5]Sucker Fishing[/size][/center] [left] Another method for fishing pike in shallow water during the spring and fall is using Sucker minnows. Use a number 8 hook with a sucker less than 12 inches long. Hook the sucker like you would hook a normal minnow. You will need some weight to keep the sucker somewhat stationery, use a medium size sinker next to the hook or use a weighted hook. For a long time giant red and white floats were being used for sucker fishing, finally there are some alternative bobbers that work better. The hardest and most important part of sucker fishing is waiting to set the hook. Once you get a bite your bobber will go down and began to swim off away from the boat just give the fish a lot of line. The pike will eventually stop to swallow the fish and once the fish stops to swallow and begins to swim off again set the hook.[/left] [center][size 5]Tackle[/size][/url] [/center] When fishing for Northern Pike tackle is not as critical as it is for other game fish. When pike are active they will attack anything that moves. The most common types of tackle used for pike are [url "http://mnfishing.freeservers.com/definition.html#spoons"][#000000]spoons[/#000000][/url], [url "http://mnfishing.freeservers.com/definition.html#crankbait"][#000000]crank baits[/#000000][/url], and [url "http://mnfishing.freeservers.com/definition.html#weightedspinners"][#000000]weighted spinners[/#000000][/url]. But until recently most people overlooked some good pike lures, because at the time they were known as bass lures. [url "http://mnfishing.freeservers.com/definition.html#spinnerbait"][#000000]Spinner baits[/#000000][/url] and [url "http://mnfishing.freeservers.com/definition.html#buzzbait"][#000000]buzz baits[/#000000][/url] will attract pike in the spring and fall. Plastic worms from 7-10 inches long fished just below the surface will trigger a pike hit. Another effective method is jigging, you can tip your jig with live bait or soft plastics. Keep in mind color selection is important when fishing for pike. Your color selection should be based on the water clarity. In clear water use natural looking colors but in murky waters use very bright flashy lures. As I mentioned above there are always a few cases where fish ignore the rules if one lure isn't productive you shouldn't stay with it, try another color you normally wouldn't fish with in that lake. [center][size 5]Spoon Fishing[/size] [left] [size 3]If your tackle box is like mine you probably have spoons of different colors and sizes all stuck together in your tackle box, you reach for one you get 7 spoons all stuck together. There is no rhyme or reason to my collection other than what the fish were biting on when I bought it.[/size][/left] [left] [size 3]What we have to realize is that fishing is a science and if we understand the scientific method and how it relates to fishing we can quickly find the spoon that is producing best that day. First you should know fish bite spoons primarily because of the vibration they give off and secondarily the color of the spoon. Each size and brand name of spoon gives off a distinctively different vibration when dragged through the water. [/size][size 3]To find the spoon just cut down the experiment to one variable at a time, since size is most important everyone should fish with a different size until you determine which is the most effective. Once you determine the ideal size, everyone should fish with that size but with different colors and then try to determine the "hot" color of the day.[/size][/left]
[size 5]Rods, Reels, and Line[/size]
[/center]
For trolling I use a 6 and a half foot heavy action rod with a bait casting trolling reel. For casting use a spinning rod 6-7ft. long and a spinning reel with high line capacity. The weight of line depends on the size of pike you are fishing for and the method of fishing. For smaller pike (up to 5 pounds) I usually use 12 pound test unless there is a lot of cover to fish through. For trolling especially at high speeds (15mph) use at least 20 pound test. Since pike have incredibly sharp teeth you should use a leader but make it as short as possible because it discourages bites.
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