In the past, I've had great luck fishing for pike with smelt and bobbers. I used swedish hooks. I don't remember having mortality problems or lots of deep hooks. But there is one study that claims that swedish hooks have mortality problems.

What do y'all recommend?

I also use slip sinkers and circle hooks to fish with smelt on the bottoms of the lake. That works okay but I like the sight of a big bobber being pulled under the water...

Swedish hooks

I like to use these in a 7/0 size with ciscoes, smelt or, suckers. I can only remember 1 or 2 gut hooks with many dozens of fish.

Gamakatsu Circle hook

buzz17: "I like to use these in a 7/0 size with ciscoes, smelt or, suckers. I can only remember 1 or 2 gut hooks with many dozens of fish.


Gamakatsu Circle hook "

How do you hook them? It seems that they would sag like crazy if you just ran this through their back and hung them below a bobber.

I do use this exact hook when fishing dead smelt on the bottom...

Good question.
I have used salted smelt a few times and we put 3 or 4 on a hook at a time hooking them in multiple places. They were quite mushy. I usually try to go through the head or gill plate. The biggest pike I have seen caught in the bwca happened when reeling a bobber in to check the smelt clump. The fish hit a few feet from shore, pieces of smelt dangling off the hook. It was over 45"
I have also used a rubber band to help hold the bait to the hook when they thaw out and get soft.

I use a quick strike rig, that way I can set the hook immediately. Have never had one hooked badly, plus my hooking percentage was higher.

Quick strike rig

timatkn: "I use a quick strike rig, that way I can set the hook immediately. Have never had one hooked badly, plus my hooking percentage was higher.


Quick strike rig "

I saw somewhere that QS rigs have to have beads to be legal in Minnesota. I didn't understand that. Can anyone explain?

Read the rules to decide for yourself the interpretation, but my understanding is that adding beads or the little plastic flippers makes it a “lure” and under a different set of rules for multi-hook. There is also a 9-inch limit between hooks that could be interpreted for a quick strike rig.

yes, quick strikes have to have a blade or something making them a lure in MN. its well past dead bait season in my eyes. after about May 5 I'm fishing cranks and spinnerbaits if I want to catch pike.

Actually from now until sept most of our big pike happen accidentally while fishing walleyes, many of them on crawler harnesses.

Many times it is best to not suspend the Smelt with a bobber when fishing for Pike, but just let it sit on the bottom.

The Great Outdoors: "Many times it is best to not suspend the Smelt with a bobber when fishing for Pike, but just let it sit on the bottom."

Yea but not as fun. Once when fishing Lac Suel we had the old fashioned red and white bobbers the pike smacked them so hard the centers would pop out. That was so fun to see.

T