Best Pike Bait

Just Wondering what everyone uses, I've used smelts, squid, anchovies, and herring. If what you use isnt on the choices please select other and let us know!

whole chickens !!
















usually a GO-To for me is large or regular smelt, always served me well.

haha ya what bigbore said, sometimes a back leg off a cow is good too.

id say anchovie is my favorite, perfect size, and nice and smelly!

I find it doesnt really matter a whole lot as long as the Bait is big and SHINY. I dont fish for pike anymore without using a bait over 6 inches long.... Big Bait = Big Pike as they say:b
I have 7 days off coming up and Ill try and prove what they say..lol Lookin for mr.30 pounder!!



Barbwire

smelt gets my vote..they caught me my biggest ever..

16.5 lbs....I don't have a pic but then I don't have anything to prove...:rollin

Raw deer meat.

pulled the minnows out of the freezer from last winter, checked out the freezer burnt and flaking bait and thought what the heck either try it or stay inside, sure enough the year old bait worked like a dream. The next day i picked up some fresh bait from the corner store and tried it. The luck not the same until i switched back to the old faithful freezer burnt bait. Goes to show ya pike arent picky i guess!!
hill

THE BEST PIKE BAIT I HAVE FOUND IS SUCKERS 6-12 INCHES LONG.I CAUGHT A 34 POUNDER A FEW WINTERS A GO USING THEM.THEY ARE QUITE SOLID AND STAY ON THE HOOK WELL.

I have used small tullibee on a "C" hook with good success on Lac La Biche, Pinehurst, Touchwood, Square, and Seibert.

One vote for 6-12'' suckers, amazing how even a 2-3 pound pike will hammer one. My biggest ice fishing pike is a mere 12lbs though so i may be off by a bit, i have caught a ton of pike in the 7-10 pound class using this method however. The biggest pike i've ever seen landed was caught on a anchoive, Just broke the 35 pound mark and was pulled out of 4 feet of water.

i like smelts or shrimp from a shrimp ring. a buddy of mine goes to the pet store and buys cheap gold fish. let there water cool off slowly so they don't go into shock. set them on a live bait rig and sit and wait.

ever try adding food coloring to your smelt or minnows, works great I like to use yellow with a small drop of green let it sit over night

Does anyone make up their own quick strike rigs for dead-baiting pike? Any tips or tricks to pass along?

I found this link HERE with alot of good info on making your own. Just wondering if anyone has any tips based on first hand experiences on what does / doesn't work....

For pike, i have a box full of assorted leaders from 3'' to 36''. I add a treble on a small leader near the tail of the bait and a treble where that leader attaches to the main line near the head of the bait. Works great and makes hook removal easy as one hook can be easily removed and reatached once pulled from jaw. Best method if your fishing large baits as well due to leaders being adjustable. Just watch your pant leg with the two trebles.

ULTRAlite,
I make my own Quick-Strike rigs, and it's quite easy.
You'll need; black nylon-coated wire, connector sleeves, Berkley crimping pliers, treble hooks, and swivels. Everything is at the Fishin Hole, and inexpensive. I measure 15" of wire (my preference), put swivel on, bend wire in half, crimp. Then put a hook at each loose end of wire, bend and crimp.
Harder to explain than actually do. Saves alot of money, and takes very little time. You can make them as long or short as you like.

I try to carry big smelt, herring, & anchovies if possible. A few years ago I fished 3 ice tournaments and each tournament a different bait worked WAY better than the other 2. I would really like to get a supply of 7-12" suckers though, I only have small ones. I love dying the baits RED, it looks so good in the water, but I haven't really had better or worse days with it. Try making your quick strick rigs with red trebles. I use nothing but barbless, quick strike rigs for pike.

none, where I fish in the winter is open water ( river) so in the slow sections I pull out a kastmaster and let it rest on the bottom. Pike aren't very smart.

Thanks for the Link on Pike Rigging I'll be trying it.

Smelt works for me,bigger the better, 8-10 inchers. I've tried the quick-strike rigs but really wasn't for me. I make up my own rig consisting of a 1/2 jig. I attach a(I think) #4 treble to the jig with a 6-10 in length of rabbit snare wire. Using the treble as a stinger hook. The weight of the jig sinks the bait faster + also holds it upright making it look more natural. The length of the wire between the jig + treble depends on the length of bait. I have several of these rigs made up ahead of time, depending on what size of bait I'm using.
By using the snare wire, I can tie a knot in it when I attach it to the hooks.

hey bardfromedson,

pretty sure your buddy isnt allowed to fish live goldfish under a tipup or i'd be all over that :rollin

Sure hope those goldfish don't survive if they get loose. That could be a disaster.

Good ideas, thanks. I'm not allowed to use baitfish where I am right now.

Smelts aren't considered baitfish if thats what you mean. Can't believed everyone overlooked the goldfish think, not reccomended.