Winter Tip-ups for Northern Pike
By Jon Falch, Why Fish Staff Member
"TIP_UP!!!!!" is yelled from the guy sitting in the driver’s seat. Three grown men bail out of a pick-up and take off running like Olympic athletes towards a bright orange flag waving above the snow. As they approach, the t-post is spinning out of control. The ice that has formed is broken, and the tip-up is raised. Late Ice is a great time to fish for Northern Pike (Esox Lucieus). Hand to teeth combat is an adrenaline rush that is hard to match. Pike are like every other fish; they need habitat and food to live along with reproduction to sustain population.
In late winter pike start to more into staging areas getting ready for spawn. This means that they will be moving towards shallower water and spots that warm up quickly underneath the ice. When reading a lake map to find possible pike location you want to look for shallow water areas that have very little slope, preferably on the north shore. 6 inches to 7 feet seems to produce lots of fish. This spot will warm up each day with the sunlight and bring in baitfish, which the pike will follow. Also look for sharp breaks just below these, spots where depth will jump 2-5 feet in a short distance. The sharp breaks will act as an ambush point for prey as they travel to and from the shallows to the deep water in the morning and evening. Inlets or channels that flow into a lake and river are good places to look as well. Fish patrol the channel sides and shallows that are right mouth. In these locations fish the sides of the channels and the shore banks on either side.
Without a doubt, the northern pike is a voracious predator. They can consume three to four times their weight through out a year. Besides smaller fish, its diet includes frogs, crayfish, small mammals, and birds -- almost anything within range. In winter downsizing your bait selection isn’t always necessary, but may be the key to triggering bites. Commonly used baits for tip-ups are: Frozen smelt, herring, shad, sardines and hotdogs. Live baits that are used include: Fatheads, shiners, creek chubs and suckers. Check you local laws to see what baits are legal in your area.
Frozen baits are typically rigged on a treble hook and place anywhere between 6in below the ice to sitting right on the bottom. It is good practice to use a 4-8inch leader above the hook to prevent bite offs. To help attract fish, attach a stinger hook to the top of the leader and tail hook a small fathead or crappie minnow. This will create vibration and add flash to the bait.
Treble hooks, single hooks and English hooks are commonly used to rig live bait. Hook the bait through the back or tail with the point or the hook pointing towards the head. Place a weight above the bait 6-18 inches. The further you move the weight up the more the bait will swim around and create vibration and glitter. When fishing at night use a Glow in the dark hooks or place a bead just above the hook. This makes your bait more visible at distance.
When approaching a flagged tip-up, look for the fish to still be pulling line out. Break all the ice that may have formed on top of the hole. Slowly pick up the tip-up making sure that line can still be let out. Grab hold of you line and slowly draw it up till you feel tension. Once Tension is felt, SET THE HOOK and hold on. Play the fish a little if he wants to run let him, and then draw him back in again. Always try to keep a little tension on the line. Once the pike is at the hole, turning his head so that he come up can be a little trick and take a few tries. Most pike will almost swim out of the hole when their head gets started out of the hole. Anglers also use Gaffs or Bogagrips to get the fish through the hole. This eliminates the chance of cutting you hand on the gills or dorsal fin.
"TIP_UP!!!!!" is yelled from the guy sitting in the driver’s seat. Three grown men bail out of a pick-up and take off running like Olympic athletes towards a bright orange flag waving above the snow. As they approach, the t-post is spinning out of control. The ice that has formed is broken, and the tip-up is raised. Late Ice is a great time to fish for Northern Pike (Esox Lucieus). Hand to teeth combat is an adrenaline rush that is hard to match. Pike are like every other fish; they need habitat and food to live along with reproduction to sustain population.
In late winter pike start to more into staging areas getting ready for spawn. This means that they will be moving towards shallower water and spots that warm up quickly underneath the ice. When reading a lake map to find possible pike location you want to look for shallow water areas that have very little slope, preferably on the north shore. 6 inches to 7 feet seems to produce lots of fish. This spot will warm up each day with the sunlight and bring in baitfish, which the pike will follow. Also look for sharp breaks just below these, spots where depth will jump 2-5 feet in a short distance. The sharp breaks will act as an ambush point for prey as they travel to and from the shallows to the deep water in the morning and evening. Inlets or channels that flow into a lake and river are good places to look as well. Fish patrol the channel sides and shallows that are right mouth. In these locations fish the sides of the channels and the shore banks on either side.
Without a doubt, the northern pike is a voracious predator. They can consume three to four times their weight through out a year. Besides smaller fish, its diet includes frogs, crayfish, small mammals, and birds -- almost anything within range. In winter downsizing your bait selection isn’t always necessary, but may be the key to triggering bites. Commonly used baits for tip-ups are: Frozen smelt, herring, shad, sardines and hotdogs. Live baits that are used include: Fatheads, shiners, creek chubs and suckers. Check you local laws to see what baits are legal in your area.
Frozen baits are typically rigged on a treble hook and place anywhere between 6in below the ice to sitting right on the bottom. It is good practice to use a 4-8inch leader above the hook to prevent bite offs. To help attract fish, attach a stinger hook to the top of the leader and tail hook a small fathead or crappie minnow. This will create vibration and add flash to the bait.
Treble hooks, single hooks and English hooks are commonly used to rig live bait. Hook the bait through the back or tail with the point or the hook pointing towards the head. Place a weight above the bait 6-18 inches. The further you move the weight up the more the bait will swim around and create vibration and glitter. When fishing at night use a Glow in the dark hooks or place a bead just above the hook. This makes your bait more visible at distance.
When approaching a flagged tip-up, look for the fish to still be pulling line out. Break all the ice that may have formed on top of the hole. Slowly pick up the tip-up making sure that line can still be let out. Grab hold of you line and slowly draw it up till you feel tension. Once Tension is felt, SET THE HOOK and hold on. Play the fish a little if he wants to run let him, and then draw him back in again. Always try to keep a little tension on the line. Once the pike is at the hole, turning his head so that he come up can be a little trick and take a few tries. Most pike will almost swim out of the hole when their head gets started out of the hole. Anglers also use Gaffs or Bogagrips to get the fish through the hole. This eliminates the chance of cutting you hand on the gills or dorsal fin.
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