Creature baits...

[manitoubass2]

Although walleye and smallies have my heart (and sometimes crappies), last year I started fishing northern pike from shore quite abit.

I mean, after all, when your fishing these gems, your almost always gonna hit some pike too, so I figured why not???

So, Last spring I got ready for the ice out pre spawn/spawn period. My mind set on actually learning how to target these fish and hopefully get some bigger ones in doing so.

So after almost two full years of experimenting on Rainy river (fishing pike at least twice a week), I have some baits that really really produced.

I was kinda shocked, because I never seen/heard of many people actually targeting pike with creature baits??? Which seemed odd, because everyone knows pike will hit almost anything, especially with a good presentation.

So, what worked best??? Well, my favorite has to be the Berkley crazy legs chigger craw in black/red fleck. Texas rigged on a 3/0 wide gap hook with a 1/8 oz weight in the belly. You can fish this rig in any slop, at different depths etc. The belly weight in the hook keeps the bait from flipping over too, so it's pretty smooth to fish. Only downfall is you can't cast it very far, but for the most part, I'm targeting shallow water pike anyhow. And this bait is amazing for searching the shoreline.

Another bait that worked great was the chigger toad. It displaces alot of water, and can fish the water column well. But my favorite way to fish it was top water as a frog. It was similar to the hollow body frogs in action, but the hook ups are way better, especially if your using a rod in the 6'6" to 7" range. It's also meaty, and stays in place great, and it won't get water logged after a few big bites. Pike will hammer this bait hard!

After two years, I'm set on a 6'6" med. heavy rod, an Okuma Avenger spinning reel with 15lb braid(I prefer Suffix 832 so far). The line holds up great, easy to get outta thick veg, and will handle big pike safely to shore where you can land them. The rod, most would tell you is way too short, I disagree. It allows multi presentations, and handle the hook set awesome. No problem getting big fish in.

Sometimes I'll use snap swivels, sometimes tying direct.

Anyone else using these style baits to fish pike???

I had alot of fun learning to fish these aggressive fish. I'm looking forward to this spring and learning even more... Searching for a new PB should be alot of fun!!!

[MichaelAngelo]

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[manitoubass2]

Another thing I like about the Berkley crazy legs chigger craw is it's easy to tinker with. For 1/8oz and 1/4 bass jigs I can trim the body to fit the size of the jig. Sometimes I cut the claws on the bait too to make them flap a little more realistically. With one bait I can modify it 3-4 different ways.

I also like the coffee scented Strike King rage tail craws in watermelon red, especially in clearer water. I like a bigger hook for these baits, as they are a bit meatier than the chigger craw. A number 4 or 5 works better for this bait.

The Berkley Havoc Craw fatty was another craw I liked last year. Watermelon candy was the most productive color for me. I rigged this with a bullet weight that I painted black, then went over it again with some nail polish I have that matches the purple, pink and turq. hues of the bait.

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If you can find a creek running into a river, and its nice and shallow with little current. Fishing creature baits on a shakey head and just letting them flap off bottom works really well. In my experience, appendages that will float above the bottom are key.

If you have creature baits that are abit too bulky to have a float to them, add some trout bait to the appendages to assist them upwards. Another little trick I figured out just tinkering around, lol

[Woodsman]

Great input on rod length. I have caught pike with my 6 ft.

[MichaelAngelo]

I'm new to buying tackle, so all my topwater is done by my rapala f-7 floating stick bait. It's remarkably deadly for shallow water bass.

manitou, have you used this lure? How do you find soft/hard lures compare for topwater?

[manitoubass2]

(03-09-2012 12:26 AM)MichaelAngelo Wrote:  I'm new to buying tackle, so all my topwater is done by my rapala f-7 floating stick bait. It's remarkably deadly for shallow water bass.

manitou, have you used this lure? How do you find soft/hard lures compare for topwater?

Are you talking about the original floater? Or some other stick bait?

Either way, the problem with these older style Rapala lures is that there tough to cast from shore. Most of them are too light to be very effective. They will catch fish, but give me an X-Rap over this bait, or even a Flat Rap. These two baits have awesome colors, they fish really really good, and you can cast them far!

Soft lures/hard lures are both really effective. But if your shore fishing, I'd put money on it that you'll catch more fish on soft baits than hard baits. It's also cheaper and far more versatile. You can change colors, alter the appearance easily, fish the whole water column, there is just so much more options.

But stick baits etc def. have there place. And can be deadly on pike when there less active and you fish them slowly.

[MichaelAngelo]

(03-09-2012 11:01 AM)manitoubass2 Wrote:  [quote='MichaelAngelo' pid='361' dateline='1331267198']

Are you talking about the original floater? Or some other stick bait?

Either way, the problem with these older style Rapala lures is that there tough to cast from shore.

Yup the original floater. And yup it weighs like NOTHING lol. Good to hear it's not just me that finds it too light to cast haha.

I've used to a lot in the canoe though when fishing shallow lilly-padded areas.

I will definitely look into creature baits that can be texas/weedless rigged. What do you think for Pike? A big soft-plastic swimbait?

[photo_rob]

I really like pitching crayfish plastics, or football jigs but the Gary Yamamoto creature baits look awesome for larger presentation

[dannyhan83]

I always used a spoon or crankbait, but never thought of the creature lures. I've heard that the frog works pretty good. Guess I have to buy that and give it a try.

[manitoubass2]

(03-14-2012 02:12 PM)dannyhan83 Wrote:  I always used a spoon or crankbait, but never thought of the creature lures. I've heard that the frog works pretty good. Guess I have to buy that and give it a try.

I had a few days last summer fishing the shallows with a frog where pike were just all over that frog.

I couldn't get good hooksets though from a distance. My longest rod is a 7ft., and it still didn't make much difference.

So I bent the hooks on the frog just abit, so they pointed just a smiggen upwards.

I went from landing maybe 2/10, to about 6 or 7/10.

Big difference. I think I heard that tip from Iaconnelli???