Got skunked on a lake packed with pike.

Wish I could name the lake, but its small and my friend who told me about it would kill me.
Lake is a shallow fertile medium clarity type lake. I fished breaklines, points and a saddle area-set tip ups in 4-12fow. Thought about trying the entrance to one of the 2 slough areas but they seemed too cut off from any deep water, so like 200 yards of 5 fow before it breaks to 10. Did not see much evidence of other people fishing this lake so maybe it turns off in the winter.
Any ideas?

Bait? Were you using anything besides tip ups? Jigging at all? Marking anything? A small lake stacked with predator fish usually means not much for bait fish so you would think they are eating and or hunting all the time.

ya didn’t use fundogs for bait!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Try 4’ down over 20’+ (or deepest area). Sometimes they cruise open water eating suspended crappies. Use big shiners. These are usually the biggest pike too.

Can you post a map of the lake without a name? Might be good to see the structure and breaks.

Sometimes you just skunked. If it was during or right after one if the recent fronts they may have just shut off for a bit.

I was using suckers and shiners-did not go over the deep basin(30′) Basin is next to a point, could be good. I would tell the person who posted (me) to put a camera down-those cameras are great for pike, they show the weeds, if the fish are suspended, give you lot of info in skinny water and pike are attracted to it.
My small camera is broken and my big one was too much with all the other stuff to carry into this lake-I would find a way to bring it next time if I go back.

You could always try this.

aggressively jig a #6 rippin rap near your setlines/tip ups.

Need to use hot dog….preferably Johnsonville’s

SoDak Fisher Guy wrote:

Need to use hot dog….preferably Johnsonville’s

I have had great luck with Costco’s Brand. Plus you get 48 of them.

I actually ran into this issue the other day! Super clear lake full of pike. Fished it both ice and open water in past a fair bit and have done very well. Caught a ton of pike in same area this fall. Setup on steep break with shallow water near and well as easy deep water access. Saw one perch in spear house and nothing touched the tipup all day. It was dead and very odd. I’ve ice fished it in past and have seen and caught many many fish. Only thing I could think of was the crazy weather patterns we have had, changed the fish’s behavior or they moved out to deeper water. But that’s how fishing goes sometimes. It’s called fishing for a reason!

Should I go back or try something new? Submit your vote, I;m on the fence

I think your friend doesn’t want you to tell anyone the lake name cause that would ruin his joke on you that it is really just a fishless mudhole.

SoDak Fisher Guy wrote:

Need to use hot dog….preferably Johnsonville’s

Johnsonville hot dogs hanging from a Frabil tip up…somewhere a loud TV fishing show host just got a chub.

Jeremy-he does like to play jokes, usually not about something like that. I had 2 trips out there this summer, went in the morning till about noon, both trips we got over 50 fish (lost count) mostly pike with bass mixed in. All sizes with the biggest fish in the 35” range. I will try to post a pic (tech is not my thing)

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Was able to post a pic (big deal for me!) good looking pike is still swimming, had fun catching a bunch of pannies yesterday so maybe I’ll give the pike a rest ’till summer.