Jigging for Large Pike in Deeper Water?

[pegasis0066]

I was watching a DVD loaned to me by a friend that was about catching large pike in the summer. According to the DVD, big pike leave the weed beds and other shallow areas (unless they are very near deep water) for deep water (20 to 40 feet) - around island points and other type structures. And maybe the most effected way to catch these pike is by using a 1/2 to 1 ounce jig with a large, flashy plastic tail.

Anyone have experience with this technique in the summer.

[NemegosendaRiver]

I haven't used this technique specifically, but I will say that all the big pike we catch (38 and over) are all caught off the deep side edge of the weedbeds we target for walleye. Always. No exceptions. There are plenty in the 28 -35 range caught in other places but for the really large fish, this is the rule.

[RSH8]

We catch many of our pike while jigging or bottom bouncing with spinner rigs for walleyes. Usually these are not the biggest ones, have caught some up to 32 inches, but many of our keeper pike up to 27 inches have been caught this way. We use a heavy mono leader (20 or 30 lb test), which is not usually bit off.

[pegasis0066]

The video wasn't about jigging for walleye and hooking pike - they were specifically targeting big pike.

As I recalled the DVD, they casted the jig out and "jerked" it up about 4-8 feet off the bottom. Maybe this is walleye fishing, but this is new to me in terms of "targeting" pike.

[v-bay gord]

Pike can also be suspended over deep water......trolling works for these guys.

[pikepaul]

Trolling is the way to go. It takes time but the reward is great.
Paul

[Mr. Sauger]

Yes, I’ve jigged up a few water wolves from the deep. We were targeting lake trout in a Canadian Shield lake. Depthfinders marked lots of fish 30-40’ down on 60 fow (at first I thought it was a thermocline). Dropped a ½ oz jig with a large plastic tail and started lifting and dropping about 2”. Whammo, they turned out to be larger pike (over 30”). On average much larger than the snot rockets in the shallows. This was on a late afternoon in July. I suspect they were feeding on suspending (pelagic?) fish.

Another time on Rainy Lake we were trolling spoons. My buddy some how manages to get a birds nest in his baitcaster with around 30 feet of line out. We drifted in deep water (around 50”) while he picked at the tangles. What a panic when something BIG grabbed his spoon. This pike also was over 3’. We picked up a few more just vertical jigging daredevles and red eyes.

Keep an eye on the depthfinder while motoring from spot to spot. If you start marking fish drop something big and heavy down there. We call weeds the nursery.

If you want to search for them trolling is the way to go. Twist a rubber core sinker in front of the diving crankbait to get it deep.

[downriverbob]

I have actually caught more big pike trolling in LOTW than by any other method. Some have been caught while trolling for lake trout. My wife and I will troll during the middle part of the day to get a break from casting for muskies. Usually we use deep driving crank baits (some that run down in the middle 30 foot level) and in-line planer boards. Attached is a picture of one that was in the mid-40 range caught trolling nightcrawler harness on a downrigger !

BOB

[pegasis0066]

I too have had more luck trolling, however if they are a little deeper (20 plus feet), how do you get down to that level?

I just bought a few big lip rapala-type lures that when trolled are suppose to go down to 25-30 feet. Any other ways to go that deep?

[thatvoodoothatyoudo]

Ditto trolling BIG salt water metal billed sinking rapalas ~ 30>40 ' deep in NW bay of RAINY Lake (can't recall the name). The big pike were associated with rock points and sunken rock islands with ~ 80 of depth close by. Bright bluebird day , water absolutely flat, no wind and about 80 degrees. No active smallmouth or walleye so we thought we would find out what the big hooks were on the graph. We caught fish every pass for about 4 hours and would never have lasted the afternoon without sunscreen and a cooler full of contraband.
best regards,
JBP

[Nimstug]

On a Canada trip, I bought a few 3/4 oz. silver jigs thinking the walleyes might find that appealing. OK, wrong again, but caught a lot of pike with them off points in 20' of water. I thnk they had silver 1 ouncers in a bin too. If I were going deeper than 20', I'd go with the bigger ones

They don't sell silver jigs around here. I found them in a baitshop in I.F.

Hope you have a safe trip.

Nimstug

[downriverbob]

Luhr Jensen Hotlips Express will get down below 42 feet on about 240 feet of line, probably a little lower on Fireline or simliar types of line. Actually I have caught a lot of suspended lake trout along with pike trolling deep diving cranks on planner boards.

BOB