Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Fishing Forum :: HELP! Looking for big pike :)
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MTYinz |
mastertangler: "Well I must sheepishly admit I have very little early spring experience in canoe country. One would expect to find pike shallow but who knows for sure. The big girls might set up shop on the first break out from where they spawned with the smaller males lingering in the shallows. Thank you so much for the info! I really appreciate it. I think I will follow your advice and bust out some larger profile lures to target the fat girls! Anything over 40" and I'll track you down and send you a Christmas card haha |
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MTYinz |
The Great Outdoors: "Good time of year for big pike, best way to catch them is to hook a frozen Smelt on a plain hook with steel leader and cast from shore or a dock in about 4 to 12 FOW. Thank you for the info! Do you hook the smelt behind the dorsal, through the lips, or some other place? Thanks again! |
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MTYinz |
I've been reading and seeing that many folks anticipate a later ice-out than normal. With our trip being scheduled for the last week of May, can anyone provide some insight on how colder water temperatures might affect pike fishing? Should we think about bringing some slower moving bait presentations? Also, I've been thinking about bringing some large profile weedless swimbaits - i.e. paddle tail Mag SwimZ by Z-man, to target pike up tight to shallow structure and have the ability to troll them as well. Does anyone think this is a good or bad idea, and what colors should I be trying for BWCA pike? I assume perch/firetiger are safe bets, but I'm unsure of the main bait forage these pike are feeding on. Thanks for your help! Let's hope we see some nice spring weather soon! |
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bobbernumber3 |
walllee: "All the above is great advice . This post got me thinking about all the “big” Pike I have caught. The funny part is my 3 Pike over 20 pounds have been caught fishing for Walleyes with 6 or 8 pound test, small jig, or plain hook , and no leader. Luck plays a big part in fishing ." Yep... fishing for walleye with a jig and no leader! 43.5" |
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illini79ps |
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bfurlow |
The chain can be a bit tough for fish. Because of the motors/noise/residents it gets more fishing pressure and can be a tough bite. There are some really nice places on Newfound that I have caught some larger fish. There are a few bays near the narrows that are full of downed timber - some big girls back in there. Sucker has a lot of good structure in there and tends to be a pass through lake for people heading to prairie portage. Spend a bit of time working 'fishy' looking areas in 8-12 feet with jointed rapalas worked like a jerk bait, or inline spinners. Once on Basswood - stop by the falls just after the portage. Drag larger minnows 18-24 inches behind a properly sized split shot. Go SLOW - you will feel it bump the bottom - this is a good thing. You will feel a tick - when you do, slowly move the rod tip back toward the bait while maintaining pressure and set the hook. Rice Bay, Wind Bay, Hoist Bay - all will be holding fish. Look for deeper water close to shallower points and work a crankbait or inline spinner along breaklines. That time of year, look for emerging weeds especially in areas with a lot of dead-head timber. The wood will warm the water a little and bring in bait fish. Bigger fish follow - husky jerks, smithwick rogue, jointed rapala, inline spinners are all good baits. Good luck!!! |
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CrookedPaddler1 |
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bfurlow |
CrookedPaddler1: "I would highly recommend hiring a guide your fist day out. That way you can see what structure and water depth the fish are hanging out in. After that you will have a good idea of where to go and what presentations are working the best." +1 - I used a guide up there the first time out and it helped a lot. You also get the benefit of a shore lunch if you want. |
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nofish |
You should be able to cover a good amount of water with a variety of presentations throughout your trip so I'm sure you'll get them dialed in. |
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MTYinz |
This forum is a great resource! I'm planning a trip to fish the Moose Lake chain & Basswood lake with my dad and brother the last week of May. We are flying in from PA, and this will be our very first trip to the area. We are all avid fishermen, and the real focus of the trip will be to track down and catch big northern pike. We will be staying with Latourell's Outfitters on Moose Lake and using their lodge as our base for the week. We will be using a boat/motor setup. I have seen some good information that seems to point to Basswood Lake. Any additional info on specific areas to check there or in the Moose Lake chain (Moose, Sucker, Newfound) as well as tactics for that late May time frame would be very helpful! We would be so appreciative if any of you experienced folks can help point us in the right direction to successfully target some nice northerns. Any suggestions are welcome! Thank you for your help, and we hope to see you out there! |
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QueticoMike |
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mastertangler |
Big lures need specialized gear and light musky tackle is a requirement for the 8 oz lures. Troll them in 15ft of water or toss them out from the reedy bays (cabbage weeds typically are out from reeds). I like 50 or 65lb braid and 10ft of 60lb fluorocarbon tied via an FG knot. Black or Rugen Destroyer will put the big ones on the end of your line. Send me a Christmas card with a picture as a thank you ;-) |
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MTYinz |
What type of structure should we look for to narrow down where to troll in late May? Speed recommendations? How shallow do you cast these big baits? Do you throw any other colors, or are you confident in those two colors mentioned? Sorry to ask so many questions, I only troll a few times a year so I don't have a ton of experience with it. Thanks so much for the information! |
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MTYinz |
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mastertangler |
As with all fishing different lures at different times and different situations. Take my most recent Isle Royale trip. In one bay filled with cabbage weeds the pike would not touch the Shadzilla. I would toss the big lure out and it would land like a sink hit the water and not even a sniff or a follow. I knew they were there because I would see them. But later in the week at another another bay with the same 8 ft weeds I could catch several big pike in a few hours tossing the Shadzillas so go figure. Here is the strategy I would employ out of a tin boat. One caster is tossing shallower and the Shadzilla user is fishing in the ten to 15Ft range. I would also be absolutely certain to run the Shadzilla whenever I was underway via the motor. I like big lures for big pike. I get that elephants eat peanuts but common sense should tell someone that from a pikes perspective it's a losing battle to chase something which costs more energy than it provides. A few other pike offerings which I like is the Mepps marabou musky lure, the super shad rap in perch and a Kalins black Octo grub on a sand eel jig head by Hogy lures in the 1 oz in the burple color. I like the 8" grub fished on wire (Knot-2-kinky handmade in 15lb test) and the rest fished on 10ft of 60lb fluorocarbon tied via an FG knot. |
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QueticoMike |
MTYinz: "Thank you for the info QueticoMike! I'm not sure the run all the way to Jackfish Bay will be possible for our day trips into Basswood. Do you have any recommended water in the eastern portion of the lake stateside? Thank you for the lure recommendations, I will be sure to bring them along!" If you can't make it that far, which is too bad because there are big Jacks in that bay, try Wind Bay. Early in the spring big pike will be set up in the back of coves. Look for moving water into certain coves. Slow moving soft plastic jerk baits have worked the best for me in those areas. |
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The Great Outdoors |
Use a bobber to hang it a bit off the bottom. You can use this on the Moose chain or Basswood. Good luck. |
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MTYinz |
QueticoMike: "MTYinz: "Thank you for the info QueticoMike! I'm not sure the run all the way to Jackfish Bay will be possible for our day trips into Basswood. Do you have any recommended water in the eastern portion of the lake stateside? Thank you for the lure recommendations, I will be sure to bring them along!" Thank you so much for the info! We will search the shallows in Wind Bay for sure. Thank you! |
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walllee |
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Savage Voyageur |
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