PIKE LURES

JUST WONDERING WHAT SOME PEOPLES FAVORITE LURES FOE PIKE ARE FOR THE MISSISSIPPI

You’ll probably get a strong mention of rattle traps. Otherwise plastics or spinnerbaits, whether a traditional bass spinnerbait or an inline spinnerbait, like a Mepps or bucktail of some sort. I don’t hear much in the way of crankbaits………….though I’m sure they get used and used successfully. I’ve personally had my best luck on pike with bucktails of all sizes or twister tail grubs with an inline spinner (Mepps Killer Combo w/plastic of choice). For the span of bucktail sizes, everything from 1/16 oz. to a 2 oz. has done well for me…………….just about everywhere! Rivers or lakes.

Post spawn pike getting active when the water temp warms into the mid 60’s tandem spinnerbaits are your best bet, they work over large flats were these fish cruise, when finding active fish you can change tatics and try anything including dead bait. Dead bait would be your best choice now if locate fish, they cant resist a dead smelt, it is natural for them to eat fish that have died during the winter and been realesed from the frozen water melt. Otherwise good sized rappalas either straight or jointed fished in a stop/go retrieve over sun soaked flats will work great along with daredevil spoons, red and white still has its place as #1 color……

Gotta get Frenzy mentioned here, those things are pike magnets.

Traps, spinnerbaits, roostertails, husky jerks will also do the trick. When the fish are inactive, try either plastic jerkbaits or live bait; ‘gills work well if you’re not in Minnesota.

Anybody ever topwater fish for pike in the river?

I’ve caught some really large pike on Bucher Topraiders early in the season. They work particularly well when it’s windy. Throw them when there is a weed flat adjacent to deep water.

This is going to sound odd and a little nostalgic but I will throw a Johnson Silver minnow w/ a green and white pork frog. The key to that bait is to retrieve it slow. The color and flash are deadly on pike wherever I throw it. I also agree with everyone else on their choice of baits. It’s all about confidence.

Blue Fleck beat me to it. My favorite is a big Johnson Silver Minnow but with a big white double tail twister on it. Drag slow through the weeds and brush. I had some great lake action last year on buzz baits. Northerns exploded out of the water just like the Large Mouth Bass. It wasn’t a fluke either. I caught a lot of them over a several day period that way in Northern MN.

FRIENDS

With a login name like mine “SKPIKE”, the “SK” stands for Saskatchewan, and “PIKE” for pike, I am bound in conscience to respond to this forum. I have had my BEST luck with a modified OLD BASS IN LINE SPINNER, it was called a “Bassackward”. If anyone has any of these lures please private message me. The lure had a double set of tandem hooks dressed in a purple over pink bucktail fashion. The big difference was that the front tandem was brazed to the staff of the spinner and the hair was tied backward which gave it more bulk in the water, I removed the back tandem as the lake I was fishing was C.P.R. and barbless, the silver blade did get mashed once in my tackle box and had a dent in it. To look at it you would have to say,”This ain’t going to catch anything”. Well it did and it is now retired to the graphite mount of the 53″ Catch and Release provincial record from 1999 -2000.

I had also had very good luck using banjo minnows, Firetiger and Black/Red bodies, fished like you would a dead smelt. In the clear Canadian waters it was neat to watch the big guys sloooowly crusie up and stare at the bait on the bottom and than suddenly inhale it in – turn and slooowly cruise away until the circle hook set in the corner of their mouth. I was blessed a second time using this method with a 51″.

Mepps #4 and #5 in char/orange rubber skirt and #4 and #5 Blue Fox in blue chrome are very good too.

The HOT bait at the lodge I went to is another BASS bait. the MANN’S MINUS – 1. The shollow running ability 2′ to 3″ and LOUD rattle of this bait put it in the same class as the rattle trap.In five days of fishing I had over 30 pike over 36″ and uncountable numbers of smaller ones using these methods. All most any color worked but the firetiger and chrome colors had an edge.

I have used the MINUS -1 with success in the backwaters of the river.

Top water fishing for Pike is a definite BLAST. I use larger Zarra Spooks and smaller Muskie top water baits.

My biggest river pike is a 32″ caught on a Rapala deep diver PERCH over the corner of a wing dam.

Well, I only have to wait about 15,000 minutes and I and my two sons will be joining some of you on the river for the first time this year.

50+” inchers are the product of C.P.R. and practicing C.P.R. will allow our grandchildren can know and enjoy what we have.

SKPIKE
Roger Budny

Well i tell you what, it isn’t my favorite lure but it is the one that #$%^ gets me the most mad as you can tell, A hair jig, i don’t konw how many times i have had that thump on the drop and all of a sudden when you go to set the hook it is just like you have no line on your rod the northern has already inhaled the jig and snapped you off before you could say boo. i hate it when that happens.

Can you post a picture of the lure you’re searching for (beat up spinner)?

Possible that some enterprising FTR reader will break out the jann’s catalogue and see what can be done.

Go buy a few $20 dollar baits and you are sure to get bit off by a pike..

Speaking of good pike lures for Canada. When we go after ice out 6″ Suicks are incredible big fish lures, some guys I fish with will only throw this lure, but they will still score there 20# pike! The black and white suick being the best color

HERE IS THE THE # FOR BASS ACKWARDS LURES
BOB COWART 210-508-8551 THIS MAN SHOULD KNOW THE LURE YOUR LOOKING FOR!

picked up several nice northerns on pool 8 last year with #5 meps spinner red/white also on #18 Rapala original floating minow in Gold/Brown.

Have done very well on large pike and muskies om spooks and buzz-baits

Dustin had the opportuntity to loan out his net for an emergency assist and followed up by weighing the 24# Pool 4 pike on his digital scale for a fellow angler on Wednesday. Ask him what that guy was using and get a bunch of those!…lol

The boat I let borrow my net also caught another pike but much smaller in the same area. These guys were just using plain ol’ jig and minnow combo for walleye’s.