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treehorn
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06/17/2021 08:49AM  
My trip in mid/late July will most likely be on Long Island Lake. Info I've gathered is that it mostly (almost exclusively?) holds pike and lake trout. I don't have much hope of getting into the LT that time of year.

Soooooo...I'm happy to target pike. We love eating them, and fighting and releasing the occasional huge one is fun as well.

I guess my question is what type of line & leader should we be using? Please try to be specific (maybe a picture?)...because I've gone into tackle shops thinking "I was told to use mono, should be easy to find" only to find myself totally overwhelmed by the options of line available.

And any favorite lure suggestions are welcome as well. I know pike are known to hit almost anything, but if you've fished Long Island and had success with something in particular, hit me with it!

Oh, and let me know if I'm wrong about the intel on Long Island holding mostly only pike and trout.

Thanks!
 
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Savage Voyageur
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06/17/2021 09:53AM  
For line on my Pike and Musky rods I use 50 pound Power Pro braid line with a titanium leader. The reason I use 50# is because it is very thin and strong for getting out of rocks, or underwater sticks. Some of my favorite lures are Mepps #5 musky or Pike killers, Rapala Super Shad Raps, One Oz spoons 5-o-diamonds, and red white, 6” Jake lure, top water spinners, 110 size Whopper Plopper, and inline #8 double cowgirl blade Spinners.

Don’t forget about your rod reel set up.

You want a reel that can retrieve at a high rate of retrieval, like 6.2:1. You want a fast retrieve to get the blades spinning and action on any lure. I use the Abu Garcia Revo Toro Beast 60 for my Pike reel. It also is effortless tossing around big blades and stick baits all day long.

You also want a rod of at least 7’6” that can handle up to about 4 Oz lures and 30-50 pound line. The rod power should be medium heavy, the action should be fast.

With 50# braid, titanium leader, fast reel, and a medium heavy rod you will have the correct equipment to get deep hook sets. You also will be able to hook, boat and release fast because you don’t have to play the fish out. You can horse it to the net and get a picture then back in the water all in a couple on minutes. Small rods, small reels, small line size and you need to play the fish for minutes before you boat it. You stand the chance of killing it with too small gear.
 
06/17/2021 10:07AM  
Do you want to cast, troll or both? What equipment do you have now?
 
treehorn
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06/17/2021 10:52AM  
AmarilloJim: "Do you want to cast, troll or both? What equipment do you have now?
"


Probably both. And, honestly not really sure what I have.
 
06/17/2021 11:12AM  
This message has had HTML content edited out of it.
treehorn: "
AmarilloJim: "Do you want to cast, troll or both? What equipment do you have now?
"



Probably both. And, honestly not really sure what I have. "
I catch plenty of pike with my walleye and LT tackle. Not sure you want or need to purchase anything especially for pike. Definitely use a leader though.
 
06/17/2021 12:24PM  
Shimano Stradic 4000, fenwick 2 piece med heavy rod, 12 pound Trilene clear XL line, 24 inch titanium leader.... #4 mepps silver spinner, or Vibrex.....
 
cyclones30
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06/17/2021 12:40PM  
I'm a fan of braid like Sufix 832 or powerpro or others. 20 plus is fine, and some sort of leader w/ swivel on the end. That's if I'm specifically targeting northerns. And if so...usually on a baitcasting reel like an Abu Garia Revo or similar and medium or maybe MH rod.
 
06/18/2021 08:32AM  
Here are the three lures that have consistently caught us the biggest pike in the BWCA.

*note* We typically go in July so most of the time the giants are in deeper water reefs or points or sometimes even out in the basin

1. Strike King Pro Model 8XD or 10XD (25 ft diver rattle crank bait)



2. Storm WildEye Swim Shad Bait, 9-Inch Pearl



3. Hands down the best success we have had but requires you to keep chubs alive is to create a "Lindy Rig" with larger hook and stinger hook and troll a creek chub with a bottom bouncer. We typically do this in the late summer or fall when it cools down and have had our best days on this rig. They just crush this rig
 
06/18/2021 12:06PM  
Make sure you take a purple descent deep tail dancer. It’s great for big pike and you might even tie into a trout even though it’s late in the year.
 
outsidethebox
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06/18/2021 02:35PM  
I've caught plenty of pike in my lifetime...only recall fishing specifically for them one time-about 60 year ago. We often used wire leaders when we thought there was a good chance of running into a northern. Otherwise, they have got to be the most indiscriminate attacker of lures/bait there is.
 
06/18/2021 05:17PM  
Great advice! All things I'll remember to keep those snot-rockets outta my canoe.
Big ones can be a lot of fun and memorable. But I am always glad when they get away boatside!
 
QueticoMike
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06/19/2021 08:34AM  
Northern Pike

The question here isn’t what lure to use to catch northern pike, but rather what lure to use to catch giant ones. There are not too many lures or locations that pike in Quetico do not desire. No matter what lure, when it was used, where it was used or even what type of fish being targeted, I have caught pike. The only time location might matter the most is in the very early spring phase just after ice out when large pike can be located in the shallow waters of a warming bay or set up at a flowing mouth of an incoming creek. Unless you are fishing extremely deep for lake trout in the summer, for the most part pike can found wherever else you might be fishing, no matter the species. The small to medium sized pike are generally found in the back of bays in the thick weeds, lily pads and wild rice.

What lures to use for pike is a simple one for me. Do you want to catch huge pike? Then use a big lure. The Heddon Lucky 13 in the bull frog pattern fits the bill. The Lucky 13 is 3-3/4” long and shaped like a fat cigar with a concave nose. The most productive way to use this bait is by “chugging” it on the surface. Basically you pop the lure with a quick snap of the rod. It is very similar to other “popping” lures, but displays a larger presence.

My personal three best pike were caught with the Lucky 13 in Quetico. A 45” pike came out of the Basswood depths to suck up my Lucky 13 on a nice September day a few years ago. I made a cast as far out as possible into the lake while standing on an island point during a canoe seat break. As with most floating top water lures I let the lure settle for a brief time before it was to be moved. While staring at the lure bobbing in the slight rolls of the lake this Loch Ness monster type head slowly came straight up out of the water and fully engulfed the plastic bull frog with nearly a wrinkle on the surface. I truly couldn’t believe what I had just witnessed. I reeled up the slack and set the hook. I was glad to be on shore and not in a canoe when landing that fish!

This lure has also delivered many smallmouth in the 4 to 5 pound range. Other popping type lures such as a Pop-R or Skitter Pop are similar, but smaller. When smallmouth hit these smaller lures, they don’t attack with the same aggressiveness they use on a Lucky 13. One fishing partner exclaimed, “smallmouth want to kill the Lucky 13 when they attack the lure!” Pop-R or Skitter Pop hits aren’t half as volatile.

The most popular lure for pike is the Dardevle Spoon. The 3 ½ and 4 ½ inch, red and white spoons work best. This lure can be trolled along shorelines or casted around bays. This lure is productive during all open water phases and has a unique wiggle and wobble that is hard for a pike to resist.

An effective method for fishing this spoon is called “slapping”. By casting this lure with a high arc and when it is about 2 or 3 feet above the surface jerk the line back towards you. If done correctly the lure will make a loud slapping noise on the surface. This commotion will sometimes trigger pike into a feeding mood. If the water is stained, try changing the lure color out to a yellow “five-of-diamonds”. The brighter colors will help the pike locate the lure after the slap on the surface.

The Mepps Aglia #5 size blade with a hair dressing works best for targeting pike in thick weed beds adjacent to deep water in the summer time. A varying slow to medium retrieve along the edge of weed beds should bring the pike calling for a taste of this lure. Increase your retrieval speed while casting over the top of weed beds to avoid bringing back in the “cabbage” with your lure. When you do feel weeds, try to jerk them off your lure with a quick snap of the rod. Sometimes this procedure will also trigger strikes by trailing northerns. If a pike follows the lure to the canoe without striking, leave the lure in the water and do a “figure 8” pattern with the lure, this will often times provoke a lurking pike. If this doesn’t work, try changing up the retrieve to erratic, starting and stopping the lure.

 
missmolly
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06/19/2021 05:05PM  
outsidethebox: "I've caught plenty of pike in my lifetime...only recall fishing specifically for them one time-about 60 year ago. We often used wire leaders when we thought there was a good chance of running into a northern. Otherwise, they have got to be the most indiscriminate attacker of lures/bait there is. "


^Agree^ I catch big pike on 6 lb. test while fishing for smallmouth.
 
mgraber
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06/26/2021 12:32PM  
missmolly: "
outsidethebox: "I've caught plenty of pike in my lifetime...only recall fishing specifically for them one time-about 60 year ago. We often used wire leaders when we thought there was a good chance of running into a northern. Otherwise, they have got to be the most indiscriminate attacker of lures/bait there is. "



^Agree^ I catch big pike on 6 lb. test while fishing for smallmouth. "


I agree that small pike (under 36 inches or around 10-12 lb) are indiscriminate, but large pike are anything but. Canoe country is full of truly large pike, but not many catch them. Personally, I try to avoid pike, but I know someone who takes pike from 40-48" every year from canoe country, his largest was 50.5" and a tad over 30LB. I do not believe 6lb test would be wise. I wonder if one persons "large" might be a bit different then another's ?
 
nulstatement
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06/27/2021 04:49PM  
I use 30lbs braid with 2 to 3 feet of a 20lbs flurocarbon leader tied onto the braid with a double uni knot. I swear by Williams wobbler spoons (the 4" largest size). I've caught 1 to 2 pike in the 30 to 40inch range each trip for the last few years using this setup. I do tie a snap swivel to the end of the flurocarben
 
DRob1992
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06/27/2021 08:17PM  
Ever read Lunkers Love Nightcrawlers? I followed the advice strictly for an entire trip one year. I caught the biggest and most Pike (and Smallmouth and Walleye, as well) during that trip. If you've never heard of the book, just Google it and you will most likely find the most important content in a few-sentence summary. It's very simple advice. All these other responses will get you hooked up with fish, too. Pike aren't picky.
 
missmolly
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06/28/2021 05:50AM  
mgraber: "
missmolly: "
outsidethebox: "I've caught plenty of pike in my lifetime...only recall fishing specifically for them one time-about 60 year ago. We often used wire leaders when we thought there was a good chance of running into a northern. Otherwise, they have got to be the most indiscriminate attacker of lures/bait there is. "




^Agree^ I catch big pike on 6 lb. test while fishing for smallmouth. "



I agree that small pike (under 36 inches or around 10-12 lb) are indiscriminate, but large pike are anything but. Canoe country is full of truly large pike, but not many catch them. Personally, I try to avoid pike, but I know someone who takes pike from 40-48" every year from canoe country, his largest was 50.5" and a tad over 30LB. I do not believe 6lb test would be wise. I wonder if one persons "large" might be a bit different then another's ?"


6 lb. test isn't wise...if you're fishing for pike. I rarely fish for pike, but they're still there and so I catch them. I consider pike over forty inches to be big. Here are two 6 lb. test pike caught on the one trip we took a net big enough for them.

 
mgraber
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06/28/2021 09:23AM  
missmolly: "
mgraber: "
missmolly: "
outsidethebox: "I've caught plenty of pike in my lifetime...only recall fishing specifically for them one time-about 60 year ago. We often used wire leaders when we thought there was a good chance of running into a northern. Otherwise, they have got to be the most indiscriminate attacker of lures/bait there is. "




^Agree^ I catch big pike on 6 lb. test while fishing for smallmouth. "




I agree that small pike (under 36 inches or around 10-12 lb) are indiscriminate, but large pike are anything but. Canoe country is full of truly large pike, but not many catch them. Personally, I try to avoid pike, but I know someone who takes pike from 40-48" every year from canoe country, his largest was 50.5" and a tad over 30LB. I do not believe 6lb test would be wise. I wonder if one persons "large" might be a bit different then another's ?"



6 lb. test isn't wise...if you're fishing for pike. I rarely fish for pike, but they're still there and so I catch them. I consider pike over forty inches to be big. Here are two 6 lb. test pike caught on the one trip we took a net big enough for them.

"


Nice!
 
Chicagored
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06/29/2021 01:22PM  
I prefer to catch eater size pike. I use a nothing fancy medium rod, 10 lb test and a wire leader. I have great success just trolling an original floating rapala with a bright color on it along drop offs or about 20 to 30 feet off the shoreline. Sometimes I will add a small weight above the top of the leader.
 
06/29/2021 10:23PM  
I start with a 7' spinning rod with 10lb braid. Attach ANY lure and you will catch pike, it's impossible not to. I fish for walleye and smallmouth. I've caught pike on a jig and leech under a slip bobber, beetlespin fishing for panfish, soft paddle tail, mepps aglia, booyah spinner blades, crankbaits both shallow and deep diving. Literally they will hit anything. Now IF you can find a lure that a pike won't hit let me know, that would be my new favorite lure :)
 
missmolly
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07/01/2021 06:57AM  
mgraber: "
missmolly: "
mgraber: "
missmolly: "
outsidethebox: "I've caught plenty of pike in my lifetime...only recall fishing specifically for them one time-about 60 year ago. We often used wire leaders when we thought there was a good chance of running into a northern. Otherwise, they have got to be the most indiscriminate attacker of lures/bait there is. "





^Agree^ I catch big pike on 6 lb. test while fishing for smallmouth. "




I agree that small pike (under 36 inches or around 10-12 lb) are indiscriminate, but large pike are anything but. Canoe country is full of truly large pike, but not many catch them. Personally, I try to avoid pike, but I know someone who takes pike from 40-48" every year from canoe country, his largest was 50.5" and a tad over 30LB. I do not believe 6lb test would be wise. I wonder if one persons "large" might be a bit different then another's ?"




6 lb. test isn't wise...if you're fishing for pike. I rarely fish for pike, but they're still there and so I catch them. I consider pike over forty inches to be big. Here are two 6 lb. test pike caught on the one trip we took a net big enough for them.


"



Nice!"


Thanks. I realize they look small compared to a lot of the pike posted at bwca.com, but our arms aren't extended and that makes them look smaller.
 
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