Beginner Tips for Northern Pike Ice Fishing
Pike are popular quarry of ice fishermen. Though they are primarily pursued with tip ups, baited with live minnows or suckers, they can be taken with rod and reel, either jigging or fishing with bait.
Most fishermen use a fairly large hook, such as a No. 1 or No. 2 short shanked single hook or a No. 1 or No. 1/0 treble attached to a steel leader one to three feet long. The steel leader keeps the northern’s formidable teeth from cutting the line.
Tip-ups are the nearly unanimous choice among pike fishermen. Tip-ups rigged so the fish can run with the bait work well during the ice fishing season. They usually fill their spools with heavy braided line in the 20 to 50 pound test range just in case they tie into one of the lunkers they dream about.
The best bait is a lively chub or large shiner hooked beneath the dorsal fin or a bluegill of about four inches. In some waters where live bait is prohibited, a piece of red meat, a dead minnow or a piece of smelt is used.
Most pike fishermen have the best success by keeping their bait about one foot off the bottom. Fish shallow bays with large live minnows on a tip-up in four to 12 feet of water. It is common in northern lakes to have baitfish or panfish that were in poor condition die during the winter and sink to the bottom. It seems that northern pike have adapted to utilizing these food sources. Therefore, using dead shiners or suckers fished on the bottom is also an effective method of catching pike during the winter.
On occasion, pike prowl just beneath the ice, and it is a good idea to set one or two lines to hold the bait about three feet below the ice. If the deep rigs have been unproductive all day, give the shallow setting a try on all tip-ups.
Selecting the spot to ice fish northern pike takes some thought. You don’t want to just head out and start punching or chopping holes in the ice. At early ice, concentrate on areas where summer and fall weed lines were prevalent. The pike should still be in the area. Strategically cut your holes along the edge of weed lines where pike are known to strike.
Weeds are one of the best spots to ice fish for northern pike, though make sure the weeds are not so thick that pike will not be able to see your lure. Various structures can hold winter pike, too, including drop-offs, the edges of reefs and humps, and points.
When a novice sees the flag on a tip-up spring up, the natural first reaction is to run to the hole and haul back on the line as quickly as possible. But experience has taught veteran anglers that is a sure way to lose a fish. Like most other fish, northerns do not chew their food; they try and turn it headfirst into their throat, and then swallow it whole. When a pike first grabs a bait, it swims off with it a short distance. At that point the fish doesn’t always have the bait completely in its mouth and any attempt to set the hook may jerk it free. When the fish begins its second run, set the hook with a firm jerk.
Note: if you fish anywhere in the vicinity of incoming creeks or any other current areas, be especially careful at any stage of the ice season. This is especially true at late ice, when the conditions can appear safe when they’re not. Use common sense, and never fish alone.
Jay Bryce is a community manger at iFished.com (http://www.ifished.com/). iFished.com has
fishing
and local information for over 40,000 fishing areas in the United States. Information includes current weather and forecasts, best times fishing charts, maps, local businesses,
Fishing Videos
, fishing articles and current
fishing reports
to help you catch more fish.
Urban Fly Fishing for Chub Minnows
|
|
Midwest CBK Minnow Bucket Salt and Pepper Shakers 2 Pc Set $14.99 Colorful and retro designed minnow bucket set is antique to give it a used look and is a classic design for your tabletop or shaker collection. New for 2012 from Midwest CBK. Cute set makes a fun gift or a nice addition to your kitchen tabletop…. |
|
|
Standing on a Whale Fishing for Minnows $7.13 … |
|
|
Tonio Kroger Produced by Michael Blair. Tracks: 1. Tonio Kroger 2:18 2. Standing on a Whale (Fishing for Minnows) 3:26 3. Humbletown 2:54 4. I Wouldn’t Say No 2:58 5. Beyond the Pale 2:21… |
|
|
Designing & Tying Saltwater Flies $22.49 D.L. Goddard’s design tips: Fly must be tied in less than 3 minutes, catch fish & appeal to the angler. Fly is designed a) Using preconceived concepts of what prey looks like, how it acts in the water or b) Around a specific material without preconceived concepts. Ask yourself… What does the bait look like, size, color, shape, which materials might work best, hook selection, material selection &… |
|
|
Kayak Fishing for BASS $29.95 In this video, Capt. Ken demonstrates the Banjo Minnow, and his homemade custom Frog lures, as well as an array of soft plastic action tail lures buzzed over the surface of weedy, shallow water from a kayak in central Florida lakes. See what happens above & below the water when big lunker bass move into the shallow grass in the spawning season. This video is crammed with incredible footage of unde… |
|
|
Fly Fishing Adventure, Patagonia Sea Run Browns $17.99 The Rio Grande, shared by both Chile and Argentina on the Island of Tierra Del Fuego is one of the most productive anadromous fisheries in the world! The river starts in Chile and runs eastward for 50 miles or so before crossing the border into Argentina and eventually emptying into the Atlantic. Sea Run Brown Trout fresh from the ocean take a wide variety of flies and even on rare occasions, a dr… |
|
|
9.75in Butterfly Net W/30in Bamboo Handle (Asst. Neon Colors) $12.95 9.75in Butterfly Net W/30in Bamboo Handle (Asst. Neon Colors)… |
|
|
Livebait Jigging Minnow Jig 2 3/4^ 5/8oz Luminescent – Yo-Zuri Lures R785SLS, Fishing Lures & Lure Kits YOZURI LIVE BAIT MINNOW JIG, 2 3/4″, 5/8OZ, SINKING MINNOW, LUMINESCENT…. |
|
|
Livebait Minnow Jig 1 3/4^ 1/4oz Blood & Guts – Yo-Zuri Lures R784-RCTM, Fishing Lures & Lure Kits YOZURI LIVE BAIT MINNOW JIG, 1 3/4″, 1/4OZ, SINKING MINNOW, BLOOD AND GUTS…. |
|
|
Hypark® Mino-Mizer Battery Eliminator AC Adapter $11.97 Hypark Mino-Mizer keeps your bait fresh and frisky. Minnows aren’t cheap. You don’t think the guy who owns the bait store drives a Cadillac because he made some good investments, do you? Well, here’s how to make your expensive bait last longer and be more effective. It’s called the Mino-Mizer, and it can turn any cooler or livewell up to 20 gallons into an oxygen-rich environment that’ll keep your… |
|
|
James Emery – Standing on a Whale Fishing for Minnows $13.09 Disc 1:New WaterIn A Secret PlaceCobalt BlueStrings Of ThreadTexas Koto BluesCrepuscule With NellieStanding On A Whale Fishing For MinnowsArc, Into Distant LightBlack Diamonds And Pink Whisper… |
|
|
The Pocket Guide to Tricks That Take Fish (Paperback) $9.85 Seasoned fisherman Harold Blaisdell shares the secrets he`s discovered over yearsof catching trout, bass, salmon, pickerel, pike, and more. You name it, he`s caughtit. Here you`ll find tips for catching trout with worms or minnows, attracting lakesalmo… |
|
|
Striper/ Super Slammer 36-piece Fly Set $47.99 Great gift idea for the fly fisherman in your lifeSelection offers Deceivers, Deep Minnows, and moreFlies among the top five patterns used for stripersEach fly hand-tied for exceptional quality |
|
|
The Adventures of Max the Minnow $10.76 Max the minnow is a small fish who thinks he must be big in order to be important, but then he learns that the best thing he can |
|
|
Max the Minnow (Board) $9.89 Max the minnow is a small fish who thinks he must be big in order to be important, but then he learns that the best thing he can |
|
|
Fish Is Fish $6.92 In this story, a minnow wants to follow a tadpole, but the tadpole becomes a frog and migrates to the land. In the end the minno |
|
|
Fish Is Fish $16.82 In this story, a minnow wants to follow a tadpole, but the tadpole becomes a frog and migrates to the land. In the end the minnow learns that he`s happier being himself than imitating others. |
Please leave a Comment