Targeting Northern Pike

Targeting Northern Pike

By Steve Weisman

It seems like we ice fishing enthusiasts all have our favorite species of fish that we target. From panfish to walleyes to northern pike…all can be readily caught in Iowa’s waters. One of the more prolific gamefish that is often overlooked is the northern pike. Yet, no matter what we are fishing for, it seems we all run into this freight train of a fish! Anglers targeting panfish in bays with good weedbeds are more than likely to find northern pike cruising the area in search of an easy meal. Most of the ice fishing occurs in the northern third of the state, and a lot of lakes and ponds host good populations of northern pike.

Living in the Iowa Great Lakes, I have lots of opportunities to catch both panfish and northern pike. What a lot of anglers will do is target both panfish and northern pike by jigging with tiny baits for the panfish and placing a second line off to the side to entice a pike bite. For anglers who want to add another line, they can purchase a license that allows three lines per person.

Game Plan
Success begins with a solid game plan, which can change as the winter season progresses. Early in the ice season, look for weedbeds that will hold bluegills and crappies. During this time, options are to set up as shallow as 3-4 feet and up to 10-12 feet of water, wherever the best standing weeds are located. If you marked good weedbeds during the open water season on your GPS, these will be good spots to start the search.

Mobility is a major key to success. Before starting, I often drill several holes and then use my underwater camera (Vexilar Scout) to search for both bluegills and pike. This helps put you on fish. Not all weeds will hold panfish, so it takes moving until they are located. If the fish don’t bite or if there are no fish, move. This does not necessarily mean moving to the other side of the lake. No, it means moving a little deeper or maybe further along the weedbed or weedline. Although this can be a tedious task, it’s better to take the time rather than sitting up right away in a spot and not having any fish activity.

At the same time, structure like points, breaks, rock piles and humps are classic examples of structure that will have pike in the area. Things can change as the ice season goes. Here in the Iowa Great Lakes by mid-winter on West Okoboji or Big Spirit, for instance, the bigger pike often move into deeper water, say a rock pile or a deep weedline up to 20-feet or so on West Okoboji and up to 12-14 feet on Big Spirit.

At late ice, things change again. Pike are getting ready to spawn, often times spawning beneath the ice. In preparation, they will move to areas where water is flowing into the lake. On Spirit Lake, this means the Buffalo Run area, Little Spirit area and Hale’s Slough.

A common practice for anglers targeting pike is to use tip-ups with a big fathead minnow or a lively chub for bait. Everybody has his/her own strategy, but common practice is to spool the reel with, say, 20-pound braid and then use a Bigtooth Rig made by Clam Outdoors (www.clamoutdoors.com).

A common approach is to take one of the hooks and secure it just under the skin just behind the dorsal fin on one side. Then do the same thing with the other treble hook on the side. To help attract the pike, some anglers will clip the tail off where the tail meets the body of the chub. This gives a ‘blood’ scent trail, and if a pike is in the area, it’ll come to the chub. It’s not necessary to get the bait on the bottom because pike often cruise up off the bottom.

The Bigtooth Rig is a quick strike rig, so it is important not to wait a long time to set the hook. When the flag trips, get over there and lift the tip-up out of the water, letting the pike take the line (don’t want them to feel resistance). While doing this, strip off some extra line in case it is needed if the pike is big and makes a strong run. Set the hook when the fish is making a run and then work the fish toward the hole. The big key is to take your time as the fish gets near the hole, and get it to come up the hole. Once started, you’ve got it!

Another Approach: the Walleye Snare
Sounds like something a trapper would use, doesn’t it? Well, it’s not. The Walleye Snare is one of the hottest presentations going in the ice fishing world. At a recent ice fishing weekend extravaganza, I happened to talk to Chad Loreth, owner of the Iowa Great Lakes Outdoors, Inc., guide service. Loreth, who has been a fishing guide for the past five years, told me, “I can’t wait until this ice season. The Walleye Snare is designed and built by JT Outdoor Products (www.jtodp.com) to be the ultimate ‘dead stick’ on the market. It is going to be awesome for both walleye fishing and northern pike fishing.” Loreth was adamant that I shouldn’t just take his word for it, but that I should check out the many YouTube videos on the Internet. “Really, Steve, you have to give Joe Bricko, owner and designer of the Walleye Snare, a call.”

So, I did my research, checked out several YouTube videos and then gave Bricko a call. This is what I found out…I think you will find it an interesting story…What I found was an ice fishing system.

Bricko is your typical Minnesota ice fishing nut. Of course, Minnesotans have been using dead sticks up there for years. However, when you leave the confines of the heated ice house, the intense cold makes anglers figure out ways to keep ice holes open so they can use their dead stick outside. Bricko says, “Back in the mid-90s, I went with a friend and his grandpa up to Mille Lacs, and there I was introduced to the Mille Lacs Box that helped keep the ice hole from freezing over. Guys had made an enclosed wooden box and often times used charcoal as a heat source. However, that wasn’t very efficient, so my friend’s grandpa used a dual mantel lantern. The trouble is they were so cumbersome.”

Over the years, Bricko kept thinking there has to be a better way. Reflecting back, he says, “About six years ago, I began developing the HOT-BOX TM. Then when my dad retired as a Design Engineer with Toro Company four years ago, we really got serious. After a lot of trial and error and a lot of protoypes, we now have the HOT-BOX TM.” It’s made of lightweight aluminum with a thermo plastic base and hinged on all four corners so it can fold flat and fit into a five-gallon pail. It uses a small propane disposable tank and a stainless steel mantel that increases its durability. It will keep holes open to -20 degrees.

Personally, I’ve used a dead stick for years, and there have been many times it has been the top fish catcher. However, the trouble with a dead stick for me is having the walleye or northern pike grab the bait, feel the pressure before I can grab the rod to give the fish some line. Too often when the fish feels this pressure, it then drops the bait. That or the fish will slam the bait so hard that I have no chance to even grab the rod. Even with these problems, I continue to use the dead stick because, well, it works.

With that in mind, Bricko and his dad began to develop their own dead stick rod. They goal was to have a rod that had a “loadable” tip and a solid backbone. Enter the Walleye Snare Rod, the ultimate dead stick. Bricko says, “Where the traditional dead stick requires the angler component to set the hook, the Snare rod often times does it all on its own.”

This 36-inch rod is designed as a blend of both fiberglass and carbon, which allows engineers to perfect the action of the blank. According to Bricko, the key is the nitinol (nickel & titanium) blend flexible end almost like a sensitive spring bobber inserted right into the flexible rod tip. He also notes that their nitinol blend holds its rebound effect down to -30 degree temperatures. The nitinol tip has an orange ball at the end that serves as a strike indicator. This system works well for both walleyes and pike. Bricko suggests using a splitshot (just large enough to keep the bait down) and either a lively shiner, fathead minnow or chub for bait.

When set up on one of JT Outdoor Products patented rod holders, the Walleye Snare Rod will slowly load when the fish takes the bait. Not able to feel any resistance, the fish repositions the bait in its mouth and starts swimming away. The rod’s flexibility allows the end to continue to bend even to the point of the tip reaching the water. Bricko says the key is, “The moment the fish starts to feel some pressure, it’s often too late and it darts away. With this rod, the darting action then ‘Snares’ the fish. The angler is often watching the rod load up at a distance as the spring bobber disappears into the hole! This gives him the time needed to get to the rod.”

To check out this style of fishing, just google the Walleye Snare and you will find several YouTube videos. I can see why Loreth is exciting to try this on the Iowa Great Lakes this winter.

So, there you have it: two different ways of targeting northern pike through the ice. No matter your choice, though, always remember to do your homework and make sure you are fishing areas where pike will be roaming through!