Ice Fishing - Pike Jigging

[Dave P]

Howdy Fellas,

Heading out for some pike fishing soon, and was wondering how you guys would set up a rod for jigging.

Ill have a tip up with some dead bait on it, but want to jig another hole for something to do.

Anything in particular I should be doing or using?

Some heavy test line, with a longer wire leader, and a big jig head?

Just looking for any advice to give me the upper hand on some buds haha.

Thanks!

Dave

[Fishwhere]

Hey Dave,

Youre going to get lota of different ideas from everyone. This is assuming you already know the spots and depth approximately you will be fishing....

I like bucktails either a 3/8 or 1/2 ounce - something brighter. Theres rattling jigging spoons which are nice, or without rattles that are lighter and more of a flutter action to them. Honestly as long as you have bait you should be ok. You should find out what their preference is pretty quick regarding the action and whether they like it moving, sitting relatively still, or any combo of both. Start with a hook you are conifent with and you like the action and go from there.

You can bang it off the bottom and get it churned up a little bit, and work it up the water column a few feet off of the bottom and then back down. If you are able to see the fish either down the hole or on the camera will help you pTtern what they like the most. I would keep switchng it up with size, color, and style of hook until youre happy with the results - all just playing around and figuring it out. On a small side note i always use bait for pike. Large minnows if you can get them, or just a chunk off of your other bait for the tip ups will work too.

Good luck!

Good luck

[Angler]

There is multiple ways you can jig for Pike.
My first suggestion would be, forget about steel/ titanium/wire leaders. Get yourself a spool of 30-40# Flurocarbon leader line. This all you need. This stuff is strong, just keep an eye on it, probably will have to retie it once in awhile, after many fish caught. You will have more bites with fluro carbon, 100%.
I use it on tip ups as well.
You can use different jigs from 1/4 to 1 once. Cut minnow's head off and put it on the hook, so jig head becames minnow head kinda. This is working for me always. Also could use some heavy spoons, five diamonds etc. I caught a bunch on jigging raps and rattlings too. If you see that bait doesn't work well, offer it something else. Don't be scared to expirement.
Good luck!

[NSR Fisher]

Think big and flashy if you're not getting hits on the tip ups. If the tip ups are going off constantly, change your jigging presentation to something slow like a buck tail jig or a simple jig with a smelt. Just try and match the mood.

I've had really good luck catching pike on large jigging rapalas, just jig your rod lightly, slightly rotating around the circumference of the hole, it makes your rap swim in little circles down below and the pike absolutely love that kind of motion. Up and down doesn't trigger them as much as a bit of side to side, at least from my experience. Usually I just tip the bottom treble of the rap with a small minnow head to add a bit of flavor, you don't want too big of a piece of bait or it will mess with the swimming action of the rapala.

I would use fluorocarbon leader rather than wire, because when you're ice fishing the Pike have a lot of time to really inspect your bait and a lot of the time they see the wire and turn away. Flourocarbon is almost invisible in water, and you can get away with using 80 pound flouro if you're really concerned with breaking off, though something around the 40 pound range is usually fine for most of Alberta. The more you lower the pound test the more bites you will get, but you also have to re-tie your leaders more often when they get chewed up. I've caught 10 pound pike on 15# Flouro, its all about a little bit of finesse and taking your time

[ROA]

Jigging spoons like a Swedish Pimple with a minnow hooked through the back with 2 trebles is my go to for pike and walleye. I like to have a dead stick with a larger bait like a herring nearby as well when going for larger pike. The bigger girls like the large dead baits but get attracted in by the jigging rod.

[Fishwhere]

Sorry i forgot; 10 - 15 pound of a superline such as fireline, or any other brand you like will work. Then either a steel or titanium leader, or the fluorocarbon route if you prefer that.

[dwedmon]

I do the same thing - jigging spoon with a minnow hooked on 2 of the treblepoints. I use a williams whitefish but really anything big and flashy will do. I then jig within 10ft or so of my deadstick bait so if the jig draws in the fish but they don't like the amount of movement on the jig they can hit the deadstick instead
.

Originally Posted by ROA

Jigging spoons like a Swedish Pimple with a minnow hooked through the back with 2 trebles is my go to for pike and walleye. I like to have a dead stick with a larger bait like a herring nearby as well when going for larger pike. The bigger girls like the large dead baits but get attracted in by the jigging rod.

[rem338win]

28-36" heavy rod. 18" flourocarbon 50# leader. 3/4oz jig or bucktail with a smelt hooked thru the head being the eye or wonky.

Smash the bottom hard a coupe times then suspend and twitch. Give it time then smack bottom again.

Or use a Williams jigging spoon. Silver and blue. Hit bottom then flutter it.

Enjoy!

[Dave P]

Thanks Guys, def appreciate the replies!

[PlayDoh]

I’ll put on a sinking crankbait, and let it hit bottom, then rip it up a couple feet to really rattle.
I’ll do that a few times, and wait a min. If I don’t see anything right away, I’ll pull it out and hook a minnow on both trebles, head to head with the lure. You can still rip it a bit, but not as hard and it won’t make the same vibrations.

I’ll use this especially if the water isn’t clear. It gets their attention for sure. Good for walleyes too.

That or a 3/4 jigging spoon , with a 8 inch leader between the lure and the treble, tipped with a minnow. Drop it down and lift it till the minnow is just off bottom. Once and a while I’ll let the spoon bounce on the bottom for a bit. Kinda looks like a fry is chompin on a dead minnow off the bottom, and the noise attracts. That’s more a walleye tactic but pike will take it too.

I’m sure you could jig a boat anchor with a minnow on it and a pike would take it at times.
If your after monsters you want a quick strike rig, and self made ones are the ticket.

I use 20 braid line and no worries about jack teeth. Heavy flouro works, but it’s not cheap.


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[mikebossy]

can be as easy as a 3/8 once plain undressed jig with a minnow, if you jig that in front of a moving pike he's more than likely to bite it, caught a 44 inch pike just this way in Wabamun, while looking for bigger whitefish

[NSR_RAT]

I always have a rod ready with a 1/4 jighead and a minnow ready to go when nothing else seems to get pike/walleye to commit, if they won’t take that then there’s not much else they’ll go for in my experiences, after trying everything else lure wise I’ll jig a minnow and a lot of times I’ll get pike come out of nowhere and attack the minnow when they wouldn’t hit anything else.

[Daslogster]

I have always used a northwoods whistler jg tiped with minnow or smelt. Barely any movement causes flash and with a stinger hook, solid hookups.