muskie vs pike follow

[stewart]

I'm not a regular muskie fisherman, but I know a figure eight is standard when you have a follower. However, for a following pike are other moves better , such as jiging, then a figure eight?.

[HerbB]

You can get away with a lot more when Pike fishing than Muskie fishing. Stopping or slowing down a lure will almost always cause a Muskie to lose interest whereas a Pike will often hit a bait that does that. And a Pike will hit a perfectly executed figure-8 just like a Muskie too. But, generally speaking, Pike aren't as much into following as Muskies. For some reason Muskies often just like to follow the baits without any intention of eating and Pike more often usually either hit it or leave it alone. Just my experience.

[too many pikes]

Lets remember that pike are greedy little fish. They almost always are willing to hit when they follow. Often on jerk baits if I let the bait float up or let it rise near the boat, will be all it takes.
Once they expend the energy to follow it seems like they want to conserve it by eating something. Canadian pike that have been released a few times may demonstrate a different attitude.

[divani]

too many pikes, would you like to take that back? Pike are not lil' critters. My best one is 45" and a friend took 47 northerns of over the 40" mark this year, 20 of them were even over 44" and three over 48"! Pike are great fish and they strike very aggresively too. My medical bill (for the heart-attacks I suffer every time) is rising sky-high!

Now about that figure 8, over here in Europe that doesn't seem to work. Pike take off at the first sight of the boat or the angler. Also the noise and splashing from the rod rather put them off than attract them to the lure. But as Herb said, a pause or a suspending lure does often get taken. I even had a pike grab my lure about a foot above (yes, you read it right) the water. I had my jerkbait above the water because I was casting from the shore in a small drain. There were pike hunting everywhere and I was making up my mind about which pike I would cast at when this 70cm pike shot forward out of the vegetation near the shore and leaped out of the water snatching my jerkbait successfully. I caught it but it scared the ##### out of me!!

[stewart]

Little pike always seem to hit, like someone wrote, but I guess I had in mind when I wrote the bigger ones. Maybe big pike develop an attitude more similar to muskies? I guess the consensus is that a pause is the key with those big pike follows?

[HerbB]

A pause seems to work the best for me, but then I like using spoons when pike fishing. I'll just let the spoon flutter a little and then give it a jig and that will often get a pike to hit. Not always, but sometimes. But I've also had big Pike come up and grab a bucktail in the middle of a figure-8 while Muskie fishing too, so one never knows for sure.

48 inch Pike? Now that is a big Pike anywhere. I sure wouldn't mind seeing a few pictures of some of those big Pike you all catch over there in England. We don't have many Pike that big here in MN. 45 inches seems to be the upper limit on most bodies of water here.

Good luck.

[kmon]

Unlike HerbB I've never had a pike on a figure 8. My experience echos some of the other contributors, motion by the boat spooks em. But the jig or drop back on a big spoon or a spinnerbait can be very successful.
Divani, what's the weight on some of these 40"+ european pike?
On my brother's lake (kawartha region, ontario, canada) apparently some guy had a 50" go 25 pounds. My brother had a 19.4 lber go over 40" (it was pretty tired by the time it got to the boat, so it was a quick weigh and then away). This is huge for our area.

[Waterwolf]

I think that LARGE PIKE are a totally different animal than their little brothers. Their mentality seems to be much similar to a Muskies. I have caught BIG PIKE on figure eights, and they act just like a Muskie.
Just my .02 cents.
Have a good one!
The Wolf

[DocEsox]

I have caught alot of 10-20 lbs pike fishing in Canada and have had strikes right at boatside but usually from a fish below the boat. My experience is overwhelmingly they see the boat or motion in the boat and turn away. Usually some kind of hesitation in the presentation gets them to strike...I usually am using big a## lures for them too...Jacks Whackers and AC Plugs in 9". Used one I made that was over 12" with the plastic tail that throttled the big uns a few years ago. They don't seem to have the "I can take it or leave it" attitude musky display.

Merry Christmas,
BrianW