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Okay, what about the whole fisherman's myth about how after 12-1 in the afternoon, pike just stop biting all together? Basically nice the water gets too warm. Dad and I went early and were on the lake about 8, and between the two of us on a rather hot, smokey morning, we caught 4 little pike each. Just fishing off shore, dragging lures from shallow to deep.
What is your suggestion for FALL pike? Its September here In Saskatchewan and its still pretty warm, but cools off once it gets dark. Dad and I had good fun on a new lake, we headed to the shady side, found the dropoff depth and he let the good old 5 of diamonds fly! He caught 4 and I caught 3 on my favourite chartruce and blue sparkle soft plastic swimbait minnows. Dad got the numbers but I got the bigger ones. 😁
@@astral__7590 - Think of 80lb braid as having the equivalent line diameter of 17lb monofilament. When you fish with casting reels, having a larger diameter braid makes it easier to handle, avoids the line “digging in” after fighting a fish, and offers extra insurance against abrasion (braids biggest weak point). I use 80lb on 400 size Shimano baitcasters and go down to 40lb on 200 size Shimano baitcasters.
@@astral__7590 We just got back from our Canada fishing trip - my wife used 50lb braid on a Shimano 4000 size spinning reel and has been successful catching Pike up to 43" on that setup. I wouldn't hesitate to go down to 40lb, but I don't think I'd go down to 30lb. The insurance that heavier braid provides is worth it to me and I don't see a benefit of going lighter.
Thank you for such a helpful and to the point video! As someone who has always been taught “pike a super durable or indestructible”, I’m glad to see a different opinion and some solid animal handling. 😊
I’ll give you a quicker tip when outdoors put your rod behind your knees and hold outboard each leg, then with the rod behind your knees spread your knees apart. Your legs are stronger than your arms by far and the rod comes apart with more control also, Easy Peasy
I have found on my trips to Northern Canada a Baitcaster with 17lb Berkley XL mono has worked perfect with a 20lb steel 9 inch leader and I don’t ever remember loosing a fish because of my line choice. My largest Pike 47 inches with many into the 40;s. I have thought about using Braid but only for increased casting distance. Mono has the most stretch which I think helps when the fish surges buy the boat. Hope to see you up North. TC
We like to use a net to land pike. On several occasions, I have seen pike go beserk when lifted out of the water with the treble hooks being impaled in thumbs and wrists. This in turn can lead to a trip to the hospital followed by a tetanus jab with a massive needle!
In the 70's I used to think catching 20lb plus northerns on 6-8 lb test was special. So wrong. Use at least 18-20lb test and therefore a reel that accommodates enough of that weight line! This way the big northern's don't get too tired and then die days or weeks after you release them. It is possible a 20 pound, 40 inch northern is 40-50 years old, and they just don't have the reserves to survive a 15-30 min fight.
I wish I saw this reviving technique when I caught my first pike a month ago I thought he was dead when I kept him in the water for 5 mins and he went on his side
I caught my first pike yesterday and i also wish i had seen this. I didnt know about the gill grip and the fish was so slippery so i ginda tried to let the fish jump of the hook and it worked but the fish kinda ripped a little bit of the "skin layer" or whatever it is. Hope he is fine now.
What I tend to do is look at the recommended mono diameter for the equipment I have (I get a lot of hand-me-downs) and buy braid that meets that diameter requirement. Most rods I've come across have recommendations for the monofilament size on them near the handgrips. This way I get maximum line strength while maintaining casting distance and the line not messing up the guides. I fish straight braid so I don't have to deal with leader knots knocking my guides, so if you're planning on trying long leaders on doing it that way could've be an issue with some baitcasting setups. There is a risk, albeit a rare one worth bringing up if you do this, of snapping the rod if your test line is way too beefy than your rod can handle and you either hit an unforgiving snag trolling quickly or you hook into something way too big for the rig (in my case a massive carp on a panfish setup being fished too deep) and attempt to manhandle the hell out of it. I've only messed up like that a couple times over the course of my life and in both instances was on fairly old gear (both had 6+ years of abuse on them). Not sure if any of that helps, but my personal preference is to use the max diameter the equipment I'm using can handle based on my guide size.
No, there are several expert fisherman who tell people to do it this way instead of the gill plate. The main thing is to not let the fish thrash its head around and both methods work. This way, if the wish does thrash, the teeth on the gills doesn't give you a bad cut.
I live in pei and I hook a lot of big brook trout. I never ever got a mouse to work. I’ve landed brookies over 8lbs and hooked bigger. I tie some pretty different patterns I came up with that I’d love to try there. What the price to fish there
Fantastic just sorted out my telescopic.rod which was stuck tried pulling this rod with my mate wouldn't move tried your ice trick after 10 minutes it pulled apart so easy cheers
Good information . The heavier line rating rods , ie a 10# also help make the fight shorter as you have a bit more control . This is important as a fish that's used too much energy in the fight , can die , especially if Piking in the warmer months . This is why most Pike Anglers fish from October to November , up till around March to early April . I have read many comments from guys using 7 weight rods , with lightly dressed fly's , but I'm sorry , that is asking for a dead Pike . They may look tough , but are actually not so tough at all . An 8 # rod is fine for Canals and smaller fly's , or as a backup when in a boat , but ideally you want the 9 or 10# to get some distance with larger fly's . Good video 👍
Great introduction! At 1.30 you talk about the sink tippets. Do you have a good sink tip to recommend, that would work on a 8 or 9 wt rod for those huge flies? I searched the net for some, and they all seemed very loooong ... 👽
Just lost my first Pike in many years, because the line was too weak. Was fishing for perch, but got a big pike, which snapped the line after a long fight. I will try with braided line later on today, and hope the Pike has gotten it's strength back.
