Jigging Spoons for Pike?

[Ten Horse Johnson]

Has anyone tried vertical jigging large spoons (or other lures) for pike? Was wondering if this would be a different way of reaching fish other than casting or trolling.

[fishincrazy]

Originally Posted by Ten Horse Johnson

Has anyone tried vertical jigging large spoons (or other lures) for pike? Was wondering if this would be a different way of reaching fish other than casting or trolling.

I caught some hammer handles deep jigging for eye's one year.Never really thought about using it as a method to catch pike but it worked.

FC

[wallydave]

My biggest pike have been caught while jigging for walleye.Nothing like a big pike on an ultra lite!! If your on the fish pike seem to hit almost anything!

[v-bay gord]

I've caught some big pike jigging spoons for lake trout in the fall, so yes, I think it would work other times as well.

[jsmyers]

I've wondered the same thing, even wondering about the butterfly jigs used in salt water.

Haven't had a chance to try it out, but here are my thoughts:

I've read about rip jigging for pike, usually along drops in rocky structure, from maybe 15' to 35' in the summer. What I read was about using swimbaits with heavy jigs. I would think that a fast sinking spoon, jigging spoon, large blade bait, or large lipless crankbait might be another option for the same sort of presentation.

So instead of trolling repeatedly over the point or around the hump or casting diving crankbaits toward the shallows, you position the boat over deep water, and cast the lure onto the shallow shelf. Then retrieve it will large sweeping hops, letting it settle back near the bottom until the lure is under the boat (or nearly so).

The article I read (In-fisherman I believe), if I remember correctly described it as a technique to use when pike are active in identifiable locations but deep.

**I found the article, though I can't read it right now:
http://archives.in-fisherman.com/con...ng-deep-pike/1

Here is one about ice fishing:
http://www.in-fisherman.com/2011/11/...gies-for-pike/

[bigvenison]

You might try this -- for many yrs I guided for northen pike on L Erie [Long Point Bay] -- big pike move into deeper cooler water as the water warms -- try using a large gold williams wabler -- use a weight to keep it close to the bottom -- make sure you jig ultra slowly and be ready to react for what at times feels like a small fish hitting-- whether this works in northen lakes I have no idea but it sure did on the Ontario waters of L Erie with tons of pike boated -- good luck

[jsmyers]

Originally Posted by bigvenison

You might try this -- for many yrs I guided for northen pike on L Erie [Long Point Bay] -- big pike move into deeper cooler water as the water warms -- try using a large gold williams wabler -- use a weight to keep it close to the bottom -- make sure you jig ultra slowly and be ready to react for what at times feels like a small fish hitting-- whether this works in northen lakes I have no idea but it sure did on the Ontario waters of L Erie with tons of pike boated -- good luck

Cool!

Three questions:

1. How big of fish did you generally connect with there?

2. What kind of weight did you use?

3. Where you just dropping it straight down and vertically jigging or casting and retrieving?

[bigvenison]

Great questions --my charters ranged from about 4 guests to sometimes 12 when I used my bigger boat--Most of the fish were from 8-16 lbs or so with the average about 12 I suppose when fishing in waters 15-20 deep--best pike I saw was 22 lbs --there is a real art to catching large pike in deeper waters as you have to try and let your lure hooks catch the bottom as you slowly drift --obviously too high a drift makes it hard to be close but newer idead fishermen and guides might have better ideas how to do this -- anyway use only enough weight to get to the bottom -- depending on speed of drift I would use the right heavy split shot just above the williams -- we would either anchor in one spot and cast or drift along a weed bed or sand bar drop off which allows you to cover a bigger area -- -- you might say we were slowly reeling more than jigging but I have seen many caught by those who didn't want to be bothered casting and just jigged over the side of the boat -- when casting or drifting each turn of your reel might take about 5 secs for one turn --take your time it will pay off with some huge pike