Pike bait

[Newicyy]

So being this is my first season on the ice, what would people recommend for pike bait? I know a local shop that sells frozen smelt, Scheels has suckers (though from what i understand they'd have to be dead before I can use them on a lake), and I've heard hot dogs?? Clearly I've never done this before....

 

[Jiffy]

Go to Devils Lake...you don't even need bait.

 

[fj40]

I use tip-ups for pike with smelt on a Norwegian hook.

 

[luvcatchingbass]

Tip ups with a variety of smelt and hotdog with a treble hook shank pressed through the center, add a tail hooked fathead to one treble for a little bit of motion to either setup. you want your bait as horizontal as possible.

 

[scrotcaster]

hotdogs, cheaper the better,,$0.99 and your set.. it will feel bizzar hookin em up but it works.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Ive had the best luck with smelt, tried red hotdogs before and never got a bite. Also never had much luck with herring, if you can get fresh/local smelt, they are the best! Sometimes Ill take a smelt and crush with my boot into the snow/ice around the hole and then toss it in also, gets a lot of oil and fishy smell into the water, kinda like chumming, seems to help.

 

[Lou63]

dye some smelt with red food coloring and try that looks like a bloody wounded fish

 

[bowcarp]

cheapest greasiest hot dogs you can find

 

[bigcatpike]

Half a cheap hotdog or smelt

 

[NDSportsman]

So being this is my first season on the ice, what would people recommend for pike bait? I know a local shop that sells frozen smelt, Scheels has suckers (though from what i understand they'd have to be dead before I can use them on a lake), and I've heard hot dogs?? Clearly I've never done this before....

They all work. Hell pike will even eat chicken bones, tough to get on a hook though

 

[3Roosters]

Put on an expensive walleye lure and light line should do the trick.

 

[wby257]

When I use a hotdogs I drop it on the bottom and a Northern will scoop it right up.

 

[Davy Crockett]

If I am targeting Northerns I'll throw smelt on a norwegian hook and a minnow on a sweedish pimple , I'd say 50/50 but I catch a bonus walleye or perch on the sweedish pimple. Best of both worlds.

 

[Chas'n Tail]

Seems like for me that the best way for me to pick up some northerns is to target walleye or perch.

 

[Davy Crockett]

Seems like for me that the best way for me to pick up some northerns is to target walleye or perch.

I catch them by accident but I bring them home.

 

[Brian Renville]

Some days smelt, some days herring. I really gotta try the hot dog thing just to say I did it. I unhook a treble from the steel leader and push it through the bottom of the smelt and hook it back on if I'm keeping the pike for sure. If I don't really plan on cleaning fish I'll use a circle hook. Seems like you might miss a few more but still a pretty good hook up percentage. Works better with a jigging pole with the drag set a bit instead of letting it freespool.

 

[Velva_zv21]

I got my pike bait started for the season.

 

[Kentucky Windage]

I got my pike bait started for the season.

What do gators like more, suckers or sausage fingers?

 

[CatDaddy]

Seems the best pike method is to set a dead stick in the permanent, "fall asleep" (pass out), and wake up to a tangled mess of all your lines. Always an adventure when you're buzzed and 3/4 asleep.....give it a whirl! Basic crappie or walleye setup will work just fine.

 

[Velva_zv21]

What do gators like more, suckers or sausage fingers?

Well I've had my sausage fingers bit before when I wasn't being careful... lots of paper towels and electrical tape to fix them up afterwards, then fishing the rest of the day trying to keep the paper towels and tape bandaid dry is fun