Home Forums Fishing Freshwater Why can't I catch pike?

Over the last couple years, I have had countless pike follow my lures. Even a slight hit sometimes. But they never will latch on. We went fishing this afternoon and I found a little cove with tons of pike in it. I was using a big #5 mepps and they would follow it but nothing else. Tried slowing my retrieve, stopping my retrieve in front of them, speeding up, tried 10 different lures, but nothing. Tried everything from swimbaits large and small, different colored spoons, jig heads with plastics, spinnerbaits, rapalas, etc. I'm gettin mighty frustrated. Any ideas or tips?

Try square bill shallow diving cranks baits. I like the KVD 2.0 in Sexy shad. And try to rip it away from them. Yank it and then stop and reel up the slack. Works for me. That and a blue and white spinnerbaits.

Here's a hint: stop watching the followers. They follow because they are interested - but when you see them you invariably change the retrieve. Which causes them to lose interest.

Look away. Close your eyes if you have to. Do anything BUT watch for followers. Just tie on a red/white spoon, reel steadily and hang on. Change retrieve speeds if no hits in ten casts, but don't watch!

Thanks guys

two other approaches. First, you can try the Figure 8 move - stick the rod into the water with 1-3 ft of line out and make a figure 8. Might be able to find something on You tube. This can work - they don't like the sharp turns and bite. It works for me maybe 25% of the time. A long rod helps. Big wide turns.

Plan b is to go to a neutral bouyant lure. When you see the follow, stop the lure. Let the fish look it over. For a minute if you can wait that long. At least 30 seconds. Then a slight twitch - just make the lure shiver once. They can't handle that!

While you are waiting, take time to loosen your drag. . Having a pike > 5# on a short line is a real hoot!

I suspect the pike are avoid your presentation for a couple or reasons. Early in the season, they are in back bays feeding on dead fish laying on the bottom after ice out. The other reason is they are spawning and looking to move an intruder - your lure - outside of their spawning area. I saw this phenomenon in NW Ontario on a sheltered bay years ago. My Son had the same muskie follow his lure right up to the boat at least a dozen times. Only later did we read that in the case of muskies, they will remain in an area after the spawn to drive off intruders.

I suggest you try a dead bait presentation and see if you start hooking more pike. Here is a good article on getting started with early spring pike and dead bait.

Click Here

This is what I was taught a few years ago. Slow it down and make a big loop or figure eight. We also stop the retrieve, let the spoon start to sink and jerk it forward a bit combined with changing the direction of the spoon at the same time.

Have you tried using any kind of a trailer? Uncle Josh's pork rind is the old classic, and has fooled many pike. When I'm having a tough time getting the pike to cooperate I go to what's worked in the past. Pretty tough to beat a red and white Daredevile and if that doesn't work, stick a piece of white or chartreuse pork on it. There ain't a self respecting pike in the world that can pass up anything that's booger green and smells like it ought to be eaten.

This time of year I swear by suspending jerkbaits as others have metioned. Work a crank, pause and twitch retrieve. If you notice a follower, pause for a second or two and give it a few gentle fleeing twitches. This method significantly increased my spring hookups.

Stating the obvious, but unless they are in gin clear, shallow, sunlit water, or they have been badly spooked, pike usually will freight train the bait.

When the bite gets tough I go to a very light headed jig head (but with a larger hook) and a white or yellow power grub twistie tail.
The lighter head allows a slower retrieve, and I try to give it some erratic action.

Yet to see this fail for post- spawn toothies.

In calm, shallow water within 2 weeks of ice out, johnson silver minnow - as big as you can find - will get them. Another approach is/are buzz baits - surface spinners. They will flat out smash them. get the titanium ones as the others will never run right after a gator chews them. A bass oreno is also a good choice. When there is little other forage available, pike are in the shallows looking for something to eat. Surface lures are the most fun, assuming you don't get too shaken!

I catch all my pike fishing for large mouth with either a rattler or crank bait (3-8ft) diver on a slow but steady reel. Maybe it is just blind luck but it sounds like you are trying too hard.

Try a "five of diamonds" spoon, yellow with red diamonds and brass coloured belly, they seem to be a killer anywhere we have used them.

just say.... Im fishing for walleyes, or im fishing for musky and you'll have more than you care to count

Deertracker,

I am on the other side of the divide from you in Montana.
I have had my best luck on pike with a white willow leaf spinnerbait in about 5' to 10' of water over weed beds that are a couple of feet below the surface.

The pike like to hide down in the weeds and the spinnerbait does a great job of drawing them out.

Earlier in the season before the weeds get to tall I troll a Daredevil spoon over the tops of emerging weeds.

I always replace the treble with a large siwash hook, it fouls less weeds and is easier to get out of that toothy mouth.

This guy took a spinnerbait a few days ago.

As the season moves on, you may find yourself catching a higher proportion of small pike - aka snakes or snot rockets. Two ways to fix that. One: use larger baits/lures. Scare those snot rockets away. Second: fish deep. Pike are cold water fish and as the water warms, the big boys move deep. We have whitefish in our lake. They are down 65 -75 feet. You can see them on the graph. Every now and then there is a submarine following the pack - a big pike!