Adirondacks Pike Fishing |
One of the major species of game fish in the Adirondacks
is the northern pike. Pike exist in most of the freshwater
lakes and river in the Adirondacks. They range in size form
very small to very large and when I say large they are one
of the largest of the freshwater game fish. Typically they
are caught form 18” to 30” inches long. They are
long in shape and have many rows of teeth.
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Where to fish for Pike |
| Pike love weeds, absolutely love them. In the spring you will
find many large pike left over from the post spawning period
in less then 10 feet of water around weed beds. As the water
temperature raises larger pike will head into deeper water but
small pike in the 18 inch size class will stick to the weeds.
Pike like most fish seem to like drop offs and rocky ledges,
look for some weed beds on the edge of deep water and also where
streams empty into lakes. |
What to use fishing for Pike |
| Everyone has favorite lures for pike fishing; old school people
will suggest dare devil spoons and buck tail spinners, both
of which work well I try to avoid treble hooks. First off I
don’t like picking weeds of my bait every other cast,
secondly I don’t kill the pike I catch so a single hook
is preferred. I would say the deadliest pike lure made is a
large bright colored spinner bait. I find a fast retrieve right
across the edges of weeds works great. I have also found that
trolling spinner baits fast works well too. |
| Probably my second favorite lure would be large rubber stickbait;
I personally prefer a 6” slug-go, with a 12” inch
wire leader. I have found a big fish will inhale the slug plus
a few inches of line so the 4-6 inch leaders don’t cut
it. This can be rigged almost weedless so it can be jerked thru
all kinds of cover. I found these lure work the best in the
spring |
| My last favorite method for pike fishing is trolling artificial
lures usually a shad rap or similar bait. This can be very effective
but trolling is boring. |
What tackle to use for pike fishing |
| For awhile I was under the delusion that you need heavy tackle
or line to fish for pike. I used spider wire braided line and
it was pretty cool never having to worry about getting snagged.
The I took a few fishing trips in the Florida Keys on one of
these trips I caught a bull shark that was about 7 feet long,
you can see a video
of it here. On 20 pound test line. Boy did I feel stupid
out there using 40lb spider wire some itty bitty 30 inch pike.
Last season I used nothing heavier then 8lb test and light action
spinning gear. This year I am trying ultra light gear with 4
lb test. I mean fishing is supposed to be a sport right? Give
the fish a chance. |
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