a pike has the sucker and is taking it for a ride. like understanding how pike behave in different environments in the “micro seasons” of early, mid, and late winter, leading to better tip-up and lure-fishing strategies. most tip-ups are placed 10 feet off the cover, but one is placed in a 3- to 4-foot clearing or pocket and another is set well off the sharpest break over deeper water. in clear lakes, we often see big pike cruise past under the hole when chasing panfish near ice-out—demonstrating how important panfish are as forage for pike in small lakes. those species often represent the main forage of pike in smaller lakes.” in michigan’s small lakes, kalish concentrated on those remaining green weeds.
by the first of january you find them mixing with walleyes out in 8 to 10 feet and they become structurally related for a short time—the only time of the year you really see pike oriented to structure like rock outcroppings, humps, or anything that makes a bump more than a foot high in the basin. that’s where the baitfish went, and without much cover they only feel safe at night. they don’t move shallow like they do in lake of the woods. there i put a lively bait 10 feet down over 20 to 25 feet—far enough out to engage pike cruising either the foot of the break or the top edge. they’ve got teeth, big eyes, and they move fast.” pike often use the same areas in those bigger lakes until days begin to lengthen out and the ice-bound creeks and rivers begin to thaw and swell. setting traps according to seasonal preferences of the big heavies.
large bays, in fact, are good early-ice options because they tend to freeze first, well before mainlake areas, and offer the safest early ice, often just a short walk from shore. prominent weedbeds at the mouths of bays, or in the deeper centers of bays, provide big pike with plenty of habitat and room to feed and roam. if you’re unfamiliar with the lake, note large underwater structures on your gps map or lake map offering broad areas perhaps 6 to 18 feet in depth, bordered by deeper water. to catch pike, focus along or slightly inside the deep edges of weedbeds, and dangle a dead sucker, cisco, goldeye or other large baitfish below a tip-up, using a wire or fluorocarbon leader rig to prevent biteoffs.a two-hook, quick strike rig, rather than a single large hook, maximizes hooking efficiency. newer “yoke” style quick strike rigs allow you to hook the bait on either side of the dorsal fin, straddling the balance point. set your traps in likely places, and simply wait for a pike to cruise along and pick it off, popping the flag and unspooling the line.
when that happens, quietly walk over to the tip up, lift it out of the hole, grab the line between thumb and forefinger, feel for the presence of a fish, and set the hook with a firm upward jerk of the line. unhook it, take a quick horizontal photo, and then send it headfirst back down the hole, to live and fight another day.some anglers question the use of deadbait for large pike, assuming that lively minnows would be better. and the nice thing is, you can obtain these baits in advance, keep them in your freezer, and pack up a sufficient amount for your next trip at a moment’s notice. yet the fact remains, it’s almost impossible to out-produce a trapline of several tip-ups placed at key spots and depths along a weededge. it allows you to cover large amounts of water in quick fashion. recieve the latest information on new tactics, gear, fishing tips, fishing reports, and top destinations right to your inbox!
walk, don’t run. when a tip-up flag pops up over early ice, running over a big pike can make them drop the bait. when a pike decides to whenever you’re ice fishing for pike in natural lakes, weedbeds are your prime target areas. large bays, in fact, are good early-ice options. here are some great tips for ice fishing pike during the early-, mid-, and late-season., ice fishing pike tip ups, ice fishing pike tip ups, ice fishing for pike in colorado, ice fishing for northern pike in wisconsin, ice fishing for pike at night.
northern pike are the primary predators of the ice belt. indeed, they are one of the few “warmwater” species that are just as catchable ice fishing tips for northern pike by jason reid. pike feed aggressively during the winter and you can catch genuine trophy fish with time and when ice fishing for pike, you need to chase their prey and get a firm grip on their hunting behavior. in short, that means that the more, ice fishing for pike in montana, how to ice fish for bass, best minnows for pike ice fishing, ice spike.
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