Pike bait?

[MuskieBait]

Not really necessary to tip the lures with bait. Sometimes tipping a lure with bait will throw the action off on the lure, especially lures like crankbaits and jerkbaits.

Spoons and spinners are a bit more forgiving in terms of tipping them with bait, but if you use too large a minnow, it can again throw the action off the lures.

The water is still cold. I would suggest fishing a deadbait under a float or slowly working soft plastic jerk shads or suspending crankbaits. Focus on shallow areas where water warms up faster...dark bottom is better than light bottom. Areas with immediate access to deeper water is good since fish can slide up onto shallow areas to sun and feed, then slide back to rest in the deeper water.