Rapala for pike
 

Wondering what everyone’s go to rapala for pike is? I’m looking to stock up on a bunch for a Minnesota fishing trip this year in addition to a bunch of Ken Thompson I already have. Trying to expand past a red n white and five of diamonds although it is hard to argue with results!

If Rapala made spoons, would they be Sven Thompson's?

I don’t know if you even have to look for a special rapala for pike!! If it rattles I’m sure it will work. Man I hate pike!!!!

I guess with all the variations is it better to use the original floating or count down, shad rap, husky jerk etc… was thinking of floating just to cast over weed beds and reel out to try and not get caught up. I’d rather fish for pike then trout any day of the week! Lol:argue2:

Rapala peto is probably one of the best big pike lures rapala makes. The twitch rap glide bait is good too

In all honesty there is much better option for pike lures than rapala

Really a big soft plastic paddle tail swimbait rigged weedless on a weighted owner beast hook is hard to beat.

I own a ton of rapalas and they sit in my shop when I go pike fishing. Even the two I recommend don’t get tied on my line anymore really. Right next to all the spoons I own in a large assortment of brands and colors

There is just better options

I have had good luck with these. Take the back hook off and put an extra ring on the front hook. Two rings in tandem makes it harder for the fish to twist the hook out.

https://www.rapala.ca/ca_en/super-shad-rap

Oh and the large Williams Whitefish spoons, although it is like cheating, using those.

https://www.rapala.com/us_en/origina...ldSku=us-F13PK

This guy over weeds

I have a box full of Rapala Peto, Otus, and Haku lures that get used quite a bit for big spring pike, but they aren’t cheap to stock up on. They make a small and larger version of the Peto and the small one is pretty good for most size of pike.

I would second getting some paddletail softbaits and add either a stinger harness or a 1/2-3/4 oz heavy duty swimbaits jighead. Casts a mile, is relatively weedless with the hook up, cheap, and effective. Also easier to pop out a single than double trebles.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...4c1782cf8e.jpg

Here’s a pike tooth stuck in a Rapala Otus after a missed strike.

SS


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Xraps work too:sHa_shakeshout:

https://www.rapala.ca/ca_en/x-rap?childSku=ca-XR12CLN

But these are great...Cisco kid....


https://suick.com/product-category/cisco-kid-by-suick/

Whatever you do don’t limit yourself, get a few of each brand, color, size etc....ain’t cheap but so many times I have seen people fishing while others are catching by having the right lure available.

Nothing wrong with Len Thompson #4 or smaller too:)

I got a stash of Williams as well. Always used spoons for like just wanted to try something different.

Original Floater in Silver (black back) is my go-to. I think it is the 4 3/8 inch, F11. The yellow perch colour is a close second.

grab a few buzz baits and spinner baits for fishing the heavy weeds, and dont forget your heart meds. they tend to do a lot of aerials when they hit them :sign0068:

Spinnerbait should be in every pike fishermen’s box. It’s crazy how few pike fishermen in Alberta use them. The Joe bucher slop master with a flashabou skirt would be my top choice

Very nice.

A few folks have mentioned the original floating Rapala - I agree, though I have had more success with those in F3 size on trout with slow retrieve near shore.

I think a larger size of floater, or XRap would be my play for Pike.

I use the f7 on several well know trout streams in Montana with great success on rainbows and browns. (Bonus is the disgusting look the fly fishing crowd gives you!)Use a rainbow brown or Brooke trout pattern.

Am I the only one that remembers... Rapala DID make spoons? Weedless spoons that got hit quite a lot, but had an absolutely abysmal hook up percentage. Later they started putting trebles on them, but I never did try that version.

For actual Rapala lures I've used the F18, Super Shad, and Rattling plugs with good success in the past. In more recent times the classic balsa wood plugs have been bad for losing their lips, and I've never liked their plastic plugs that much.

For Rapala-like lures that are excelent, last year I started experimenting with saltwater plugs that are popular with the Striper/ Surf fishing crowd on the east coast. The Yo-Zuri hydro minnow, and Daiwa SP minnow both proved to be very effective... with the Yo-Zuri being the best in my situation.

With an assortment of spoons, a few soft plastics, and a couple spinnerbaits you can catch pike almost anywhere. For me to carry cranks they need to be able to work in a situation where the afore mentioned lures do not... which I've never really found Rapala's to do. The Hydro and SP Minnows can be fished on a very slow retrieve, in very shallow water, with lots of long pauses, which IS something those other lures wont do very well.

I know these folks personally (brother and his wife). This is top notch stuff, very full bucktails and high end components, you will not be disappointed.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...f-34ae23d39b0c

Link doesn’t work

Hmmm. works for me, maybe you have to sign in?
I logged out and still got it?

Got a bunch of similar lures too, funny last trip to Manitoba my son used them to pull up two great gators suspended in 30 fow....we thought dropping them down slowly for what we thought were lakers turned out to be pike....they work.

Again if you limit yourself regarding tackle well ya might just be fishing....

Says this listing no longer exists when I tap on it

Can't go wrong with Len(#0) the only ones I have not caught fish on are the green and the blue silver premium. Another spoon option is the Mepps Cyclops the big ones ironically the blue/silver is killer on this spoon the flow yellow is great too. The Mepps are my preferred later in the summer when the fish go deeper.

I have been throwing a 6" bomber long a KO for a few years now, fire tiger, perch, and blue-silver, for me fire tiger catches 75%.

Big soft plastics I throw a 6" bass shaped soft plastic with an external rig fantastic pike candy. white, pearl silver, something fluorescent, Something dark

For the life of me, I have not had much luck with spinnerbaits, the hookup rate is just so awful. I tried a small musky(#8 iirc) in-line spinner last year I need more of those.

I use lipless, rattlin Rapalas in all four seasons. They cast great, they jig great and they catch me a lot of Jacks. Not just the Rapala brand but Cotton Cordell and Rat-L-Trap make lipless, rattlin, cranks. The Rat-L-Trap 1 oz salt water size is fantastic. I prefer the blue chrome variations. They're great on walleye as well.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00...e?ie=UTF8&th=1

Bonus is always a good thing :)

If I am missing strikes on spinner baits it’s often just a matter of slowing down or add a stinger

Double 8’s and even 10’s in a flash style bucktail work well. My buddy has been hounding me about the fact I don’t sell my double 8s after he did so well on them when he did his fly in trip in Northern Alberta lol

Some brands suck because of cheap clevis so they don’t spin well. Musky mayhem bucktails suck. Musky munchies makes great bucktails but their prop style run deeper, spanky and Dadsons are good. I know a few small guys who make good ones too. For pike I find a lot of the musky bucktails run deeper than I like so I make lighter ones that run higher

I have offered to teach my buddy how to build the bucktails I make and post them up for him if he wants so they might become available in the future. I just want to focus on other designs instead of assembling wire baits

Not dissagreeing with anything you say, I've been using spinnerbaits for pike since the early 90's with great success. But... a Len Thompson, hook swapped to a single, is very nearly as good in weeds as a spinner bait. It catches about as consistently, casts further, is far more durable, and has a better hookup percentage. Yes you could add a stinger to the spinnerbait, but at that point the LT is actually beating it in the weeds.

There are definitely situations where a spinnerbait will shine but I use spinner baits less than I used to, generally opting for a spoon or inline spinner with a single hook instead... that said, I'd never go pike fishing without bringing a couple.

Fishing from a canoe or kayak especially, I always troll a spinnerbait when padling from spot to spot. They work at any speed, wont twist your line, and generally dont get hung up. The ultimate "toss it out and forget about it" trolling lure. Particularly in dirty water situations, for whatever reason, I pick up a high percentage of my fish this way.

Spinner bait is just another tool that has its time and place. If I really want weedless I go with soft plastics rigged weedless

Too each their own on the LT spoon and I realize they work but like I mentioned earlier I don’t even carry spoons of any sort for pike anymore. I own tons of them in multiple brands, sizes, and every colour you can think of too. For lake trout, trout/char in general, and salmon I use spoons but not for pike. I have even banged out my own spoons in the past

These days my pike box consists of mostly different lipless jerkbaits/gliders, soft plastics, and bucktail/spinnerbaits. 0 spoons 0 crankbaits and outside of some small soft plastics that is what most out there use.

Everyone develops their own fishing style and if it works it works. The funny thing is lure choice is often influenced by the region more than anything. My pike box looks very different than most albertans pike tackle and I often get funny looks over the lures tied on my line but I am catching fish

One thing I want to try more is underspin jigs and chatter baits, my theory is that some of the misses are the fish hitting the blade so these two bring the blade and the hook closer together.

I have a hard time working slowly after the water has warmed to over 65f speed has almost always produced better for me.

Rapalas for pike ICE FISHING
 

If you don't mind sharing, what are some of your favorite baits and rigs for ice fishing pike and walleye around Calgary.

For me I have jigged with Rapalas, jig head and a minnow, the odd Len Thompson, and a variety of mismanaged/testing of a number of combinations....etc

Thanks