11-24-2011, 11:10 AM
Take some trout styled striper plugs. I've been hitting Upper Lake Mary and Ashurst for the last eight years and they absolutely kill big Rainbow colored jerk baits. Ashurst fishes like Willow Beach sometimes, where it's like trying to hit home runs with giant fish, which is due to AZDOW trying to eliminate the pike from Ashurst resulting in fewer pike. But as the Whizzle explained with "stunting," fewer pike and more rainbows (ie. pike chicken fingers) result in big mean pike which hang near the shore. Earlier this summer caught an 18 lber at Ashurst on an 12" Original dark rainbow trout AC Plug took about fifty casts to get two hits, just reel the AC or other "wake" style bait super slow near the shore through the stained/muddy water and hold on. The big pike will drag your float tube around.
For better numbers but smaller pike hit Upper Lake Mary. They will smoke big noisy bass spinner baits. I take old spinner baits and remove the skirts and rig big 5"-6" grubs on them. My best results have come on spinner baits with two large gold colorado or indiana blades, those particular blades let you retrieve the baits slow while throwing out massive vibrations in the water. Large jerkbaits, big Rapalas, Charlies, AC Plugs, even Flukes work well too. But I have done better for numbers and increased average size with blades.
In one of the other replies, they described the same area of Lake Mary I like to fish as well, it is good advice. Take a float tube, until you have caught a 5-8 lb plus pike with a 7"-12" jerk bait with at least 3 sets of treble hooks hung in his mouth and line wrapped all over his body in a float tube you haven't fished. **Side note my brother in-law no longer fishes out of his float tube for pike, seems he feels pike are overly aggressive and like to aim for your legs on their final run. Guess I shouldn't have steered my last big pike towards him lol.
Good luck get up there quick before they shutdown for the winter, then you'll be chunking anchovies and praying for a nibble in the freezing cold.
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For better numbers but smaller pike hit Upper Lake Mary. They will smoke big noisy bass spinner baits. I take old spinner baits and remove the skirts and rig big 5"-6" grubs on them. My best results have come on spinner baits with two large gold colorado or indiana blades, those particular blades let you retrieve the baits slow while throwing out massive vibrations in the water. Large jerkbaits, big Rapalas, Charlies, AC Plugs, even Flukes work well too. But I have done better for numbers and increased average size with blades.
In one of the other replies, they described the same area of Lake Mary I like to fish as well, it is good advice. Take a float tube, until you have caught a 5-8 lb plus pike with a 7"-12" jerk bait with at least 3 sets of treble hooks hung in his mouth and line wrapped all over his body in a float tube you haven't fished. **Side note my brother in-law no longer fishes out of his float tube for pike, seems he feels pike are overly aggressive and like to aim for your legs on their final run. Guess I shouldn't have steered my last big pike towards him lol.
Good luck get up there quick before they shutdown for the winter, then you'll be chunking anchovies and praying for a nibble in the freezing cold.
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