With winter not knowing what it wants to to this year we are really limited on where we can fish. The areas that we would generally be fishing this time of season do not have safe enough ice conditions for us to travel on. After fishing Whitefish for the past couple of weeks we decided to make a trip for Northern Pike today.
Here in Door county we target two different areas to fish for Northern Pike. Early in the season we will target the backs of some of the bays where there is still some live weed growth that is where we find the most consistant action for active pike. As the season progresses and the ice pack thickens the weed growth begins to die that is when we begin to seek out different areas.
Keep in mind that the bays always have potential for producing northern pike but as the season progresses the larger pike tend to change locations. Later in the season we begin to target large flat areas that generally consist of sand these areas have deep water close by and also have sporadic weed growth and occasional rock reefs that create current around them.
Today we targeted a large flat area that was close to deep water. We drilled many holes covering the entire area from shallow to deep. We caught fish both back shallow and close to the deep water edge. We used large shiner minnows both on tip-ups and Automatic fisherman. For those who have not used the Automatic Fisherman they are a tool that is worth checking out. The Automatic fisherman is the answer to catching more fish that would normally grab baits and drop them. When a fish grabs a bait it is instantly hooked and then brought in on a rod and reel.
Paul Delaney
Late-Eyes Sport Fishing Guide Service
(920) 421-0896