Over the past few weeks we have been covering some tips and tricks to catch some of the more popular fish species across Sunset Country, including lake trout, crappie and walleye. This week we’re going to hit on pike, one of the most exciting fish to catch through the ice. Outside of a few incidental, lucky big pike that I’ve caught in the boat, my ten biggest pike have all come through a hole in the ice.
Pike spawn shortly after ice out in shallow, weed-filled bays. Knowing that gives us a good idea of where to look for pike through the ice, especially later in the season when they stage just out from those same shallow bays. Earlier in the ice season, some pike can be found near those shallow bays, while others can be found on the same main lake structure where we find walleyes.
When I was younger and guiding a lot, I would always put out a tip-up, aimed at catching pike, for my second line when I was walleye fishing. We would frequently catch big pike on the same spots that we would find the walleyes. I would really start to target pike when we got into March, until the end of the season when more of these big predators predictably got closer to the spawning bays.
When I mention a tip-up, they are the absolute best way to catch a big pike. While I have caught a few jigging with lures like we do for lake trout, the big ones seem too much prefer a large dead baitfish, hung about a foot above the bottom on a quick-strike style rig. Cisco and sucker minnows are the top baits that I have used. We used to catch the ciscos with small crappie-sized jigs and spoons when they would show up and chase our lake trout baits, but they can also be purchased at area tackle shops.
A tip-up allows you to hang a bait stationary, under your hole, which is what pike seem to prefer. When they bite, they trip a flag, notifying the angler that they have taken the bait. I’ll usually give them 15-20 seconds to swim off with the bait and then I’ll set the hook. Almost always, they’ll be hooked in the corner of the mouth. If you let them run for too long, you risk letting the fish swallow the bait too deep. The Northland Predator Rigs that I use have two hooks, one of which I’ll place in the head of the bait, the other I’ll attach at the dorsal fin. Instead of adding weight to sink the bait, I’ll just puncture them through the torso a couple of times to release any air that might be in the air bladder and they will sink.
In March, when pike really start to show up near their spawning areas, I’ll try and drill holes around the first drop off coming out of the shallow water. On most fisheries, that would be where it drops from the ten-foot range to deeper water. Towards to end of the ice season it’s not uncommon to catch them in ten feet of water or less. On the walleye spots earlier in the season, I like to set my flags in 15-25 feet of water, on top of the humps or flats if I can, where a big pike could be patrolling an area.
If you want to try and catch a big pike on a lure, you can fish these same areas and try some of the same baits that work for lake trout, like a soft plastic minnow on a jig head or a rattle bait. Something to imitate the bigger baitfish that pike are looking to eat. Big pike are unique fish species that we’re lucky to have across Sunset Country and they are fun to catch.
