Monday, February 28, 2011

Fall fishing can be hot for really big pike

Dan Baughman
Ron Wink

To the best of my knowledge, the record for number of 40+inch pike caught in one boat goes to two anglers who fished at Bow Narrows Camp in late September. They caught and released 16!


Their technique was to cast #5 Mepps spinners and white spinner baits on the deep side of weedbeds.


Another system that can work wonders at this time of year is to fish with dead bait and bobbers. That's what my brother-in-law Ron and I were trying when we got these dandy pike in late September. Incidentally, we used 5/0 circle hooks and hooked all of the six lunker pike we got that morning right in the corner of their mouths as always happens with these hooks.
We had started out trying to get some fish for lunch. By noon all the pike we caught were enormous so we gave up dead bait fishing and headed to a protected weedbed where we figured there would be mostly small fish. Ron's first pike, caught while casting a spoon was yet another lunker. We actually returned to camp for lunch empty-handed and had to tell the girls that all the fish were just too big to keep!
The key to late-season pike, I think, is to vary your method as the day progresses. Dead bait seems to work best in early morning. Once the sun comes up, switch to casting or trolling. We'll give you tips on where to do each once you're at camp.


Fall is when I get to do most of my fishing because we're not as busy then. That's a pity because fishing can be some of the best of the season.


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