There is nothing more exciting then looking out of your ice house and seeing a flag bouncing back and forth. Running to the flag is a blast, and it is something we love to do in the winter. Catching a big Pike with your hands is a awesome feeling and I want to share some of the things we do to catch these toothy beasts. I will run through:
Location
Where does a guy start when he wants to have a day full of flags with his buddies? I like to pattern pike the same way I do during the open water season. Figuring out where the bait fish are that the pike are chasing is the first step. Pike thrive in the cold water temps which can make them easier to catch if using the right presentation in the right areas. Typically, early ice the weeds in lakes still hold some oxygen and big leaves that the smaller fish relate to. Therefore, I like to set a tip up line along a weed edge. Depending on how many guys I have with me, we will set a few flags in the weeds, and some out in the deeper water outside of the edge. Pike like to cruise, which means they will cruise on the weed edge, inside, and out side of the weeds. This is why tip-up fishing is so fun, because the more buddies you bring with, the bigger area you can cover and try out different set ups to pattern these beautiful fish.
This photo shows some of the areas I like to target. The blue pins show where I would set a tip-up. The white shows deep water, and the light blues is the weeds. Having some flags on the weed edge is key. Also notice the random pin inside the middle of the weedy bay.
- Location
- Bait Presentation
- Misc Tips
Location
Where does a guy start when he wants to have a day full of flags with his buddies? I like to pattern pike the same way I do during the open water season. Figuring out where the bait fish are that the pike are chasing is the first step. Pike thrive in the cold water temps which can make them easier to catch if using the right presentation in the right areas. Typically, early ice the weeds in lakes still hold some oxygen and big leaves that the smaller fish relate to. Therefore, I like to set a tip up line along a weed edge. Depending on how many guys I have with me, we will set a few flags in the weeds, and some out in the deeper water outside of the edge. Pike like to cruise, which means they will cruise on the weed edge, inside, and out side of the weeds. This is why tip-up fishing is so fun, because the more buddies you bring with, the bigger area you can cover and try out different set ups to pattern these beautiful fish.
This photo shows some of the areas I like to target. The blue pins show where I would set a tip-up. The white shows deep water, and the light blues is the weeds. Having some flags on the weed edge is key. Also notice the random pin inside the middle of the weedy bay.
Bait Presentation
What bait to use? What size? How do I set them up properly? At the end of the day, its hard to use anything other than a sucker minnow from your local bait shop. I am a believer in a live sucker vs. a dead bait. Many people will argue with this, but I just continue to use what has given me high success over the years. As a general rule of thumb, a sucker minnow in the 6-10 inches in size will produce fish. If the situation calls for it, we will upsize to bigger minnows. When I am rigging up these live minnows, I wont use anything other than your basic quick-strike rig. Check out some of the rigs that I will be using this winter to catch some big fish. http://www.waterbeastbucktails.com/rigs_41.html Another question I get a lot of is where in the water column should you place your bait. Breaking it down, a pikes eye is on the top of their head so naturally the feed from the bottom up. I keep it simple, if I am fishing in 16 feet of water, Ill put the minnow halfway down in 8 ft. We have even caught fish with the minnow down literally 2 feet under the ice. With one kick of the tail you would be surprised how far a fish can travel to strike a bait. A 8 inch sucker minnow, with a quick-strike rig, halfway down the water column is how I set 90% of my tip-ups.
This fish below was caught on a quick-strike rig with a 8 inch sucker minnow placed halfway down in 16 feet. Patterning these fish can be easy if you pay attention to what is working and not working. You have to explore new things and try it out to know if its a bust, or a hot pattern!
What bait to use? What size? How do I set them up properly? At the end of the day, its hard to use anything other than a sucker minnow from your local bait shop. I am a believer in a live sucker vs. a dead bait. Many people will argue with this, but I just continue to use what has given me high success over the years. As a general rule of thumb, a sucker minnow in the 6-10 inches in size will produce fish. If the situation calls for it, we will upsize to bigger minnows. When I am rigging up these live minnows, I wont use anything other than your basic quick-strike rig. Check out some of the rigs that I will be using this winter to catch some big fish. http://www.waterbeastbucktails.com/rigs_41.html Another question I get a lot of is where in the water column should you place your bait. Breaking it down, a pikes eye is on the top of their head so naturally the feed from the bottom up. I keep it simple, if I am fishing in 16 feet of water, Ill put the minnow halfway down in 8 ft. We have even caught fish with the minnow down literally 2 feet under the ice. With one kick of the tail you would be surprised how far a fish can travel to strike a bait. A 8 inch sucker minnow, with a quick-strike rig, halfway down the water column is how I set 90% of my tip-ups.
This fish below was caught on a quick-strike rig with a 8 inch sucker minnow placed halfway down in 16 feet. Patterning these fish can be easy if you pay attention to what is working and not working. You have to explore new things and try it out to know if its a bust, or a hot pattern!
Misc. Tips
One helpful tip that most Pike anglers do not do, is get out nice and early. The night before, pull out a map of your lake and look at locations to fish. Figure out a plan and get out nice and early. Typically, we have everything set up and ready before the sun rises. Notice how dark the photo above is, that flag went off before we had anything set, most anglers would have never caught this massive fish due to sleeping in. Maximizing your day is important. Time on the water is the one thing that increase your chances. You never know when that hot feeding window will be! Stay tuned for reports this winter, if you have any questions, jump over to the contact page and fell free to let me know! Keep those flags up!
One helpful tip that most Pike anglers do not do, is get out nice and early. The night before, pull out a map of your lake and look at locations to fish. Figure out a plan and get out nice and early. Typically, we have everything set up and ready before the sun rises. Notice how dark the photo above is, that flag went off before we had anything set, most anglers would have never caught this massive fish due to sleeping in. Maximizing your day is important. Time on the water is the one thing that increase your chances. You never know when that hot feeding window will be! Stay tuned for reports this winter, if you have any questions, jump over to the contact page and fell free to let me know! Keep those flags up!