LATE FALL PIKE - PART 2

Author's note: This is part two pf the Late Fall Pike blog I started yesterday. I hope it help you locate some angling excitement. As a side note, Michigan's bow hunting season for deer starts Wednesday, October 1. I'll be out in the woods in a little spot I set up earlier this year. I call it "Birch Hill" since it is covered by fallen and live birches. It is a small two acre rise of higher ground surrounded by marsh, swamp, and similar low ground. I've got a treestand set about twenty-five feet up a big spruce there, and I hope to have something to say about it in a day or so on this site. Stay tuned to see how the season opener goes for me!

DRESS FOR SUCCESS

When you are heading out this late in the year, dressing like you were going ice fishing is a good idea. One-piece snowmobile suits, knit caps, gloves, and waterproof, insulated boots are best. Wearing a life vest – or at least keeping one out and ready to grab – is a good precaution. Remember that having a “throwable” floatation device at hand is mandatory on most waters. This usually means a floating cushion in the boat where you can get it instantly.


RIGGING FOR HEAVYWEIGHTS WITH SHARP TEETH

Just a couple rigs are needed to work this opportunity. Among the most basic is a “pike-sized” slip float set-up. I like to put a string stopper on my main line, then pass the line though a large Thill brand (Lindy Tackle) Center Slider slip float. Next, I run the line through an egg sinker weighing from one-quarter to one-half ounce (larger float, larger sinker). Finally, I tie on a thin, twelve-inch steel leader and clip a single, heavy-duty size 1/0 to 3/0 hook to the snap on the leader. This rig is suitable for use with four to six inch suckers or chubs, which are lip or back hooked. Some anglers prefer to use a small “Quick-Strike” rig consisting of a single hook on a steel leader, backed by treble hook positioned about three inches away from the single hook. All components are available at tackle shops. Quick-Strike rigs are sold in packages, with bait-hooking instructions in the package. They are recommended for bait exceeding six inches in length.

This rig is best used where you have a well-defined underwater target to work such as a log pile, rock hump, or fish crib. Set the stopper to hold your bait about two feet above the cover depth, cast upwind of the target from an anchored position, and allow the breeze to drift your bait over the “strike zone”. Each time your rig has drifted downwind past the spot, reel in and cast to the upwind side again. When finished with one piece of underwater structure, find another.

The other rig I like is a common weedless style skirted jig in a one-half ounce size, tipped with a four inch roach, chub, or sucker minnow. These jigs are typically used by anglers chasing largemouth bass during the warmer months. Again, tie a thin steel leader to your main line, and clip the jig to this leader. Cast beyond the target, and retrieve the jig using big, slow hops up off bottom, with the jig free-falling” back to bottom after each hop. Another proven tactic is to cast out, allow the jig to sink to a level just above the cover, then shake the rod tip while using a steady, slow speed retrieve (no hops). This makes the jig’s skirt twitch and flair out while “swimming” along. Both techniques can trigger fish, so mix up the action.

Upper Midwestern states can offer some great late-season pike fishing opportunities. Big waters like the many bays found along the Great Lakes are great starting points. I’m confident you’ll get some new stories to tell around the campfire!

Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008