How to catch bass, but avoid pike

[MuskieBait]

I don't buy the argument that if there are pike in the area they will scare the bass away...or if pike is found in the lake other fish will be gone.

I can list (off the top of my head) 10 waterbodies I've fished where there are very good populations of bass and pike cohabiting in the same waterbodies, both big (like Bay of Quinte) and tiny (lots of them I've fished over the years). I've also caught bass and pike from the same area while fishing on anchor or drifting down a weed line.

Heck, we caught more bass last time on our muskie trip than we caught muskies...and we saw a good number of 30-40" muskies. Bass and muskies were in the same bay.