PeeWee Pike

[FinsnFur]

I posted this a couple minutes ago and for some reason the picture was trashed as it uploaded. All blurry. Anyway getting a lot of these things wish they were bigger. Wouldnt mind chewing on some Pike fillets.



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[pitw]

Do you use a leader?  I've lost more hooks to that size Jack than any other.  We call it, "Just tickled it".

[FinsnFur]

No I dont Barry. I try not to give them enough time to get it in their mouth any deeper then the initial bite either though.
The second I feel it, I swing for the fence to keep the line away from thier teeth.
I'm not a big fan of leaders because I don't like the way they snag every little piece of moss and seaweed that comes in contact with them. Plus I think it sabotages the natural appearance of the bait or lure.
It does cost me some tackle from time to time lol.
Today I had one pop it like a pair of scissors. My line went limp the second he hit it.



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[Okanagan]

FWIW I have a theory on pike cutting leaders.  Trolled or cast and retrieved swim lures are prone to being cut off by pike and need a steel leader.  But IME pike rarely cut off a jig slowly bounced back toward shore on or near the bottom.  I think it is the way the pike takes the lure in his mouth.  They seem to bite jigs from behind with the front of their lips, but they often slash spoons and swim lures from the side, biting the head end of the lure and cutting the leader if it is not steel.  It is all a numbers and odds game, and sometimes I can fish spoons for an hour or more without having one cut off, and then will have three in a row cut.  But  don't recall ever having a bottom bounced jig cut off.

I fished pike from shore almost exclusively using jigs the first few springs I had a chance to fish for them.  I disliked steel leader, hardly ever used it and I don't think had a single pike cut a line.

Then I had a chance to fish pike from a boat, trolling spoons and other lures, plus casting and retrieving spoons.  Zowie!  Without a steel leader they cut lines one after another.  I use steel leaders in such fishing now, though don't like their bulk, weed snagging and the way they dampen action. Fortunately pike are not usually picky and discriminating eaters who want a size 18 fly presented delicately.

[nastygunz]

I use steel leaders sometime but usualy just heavy braid holds up pretty good.  I use these on my heavy pike flyrod:

https://www.cabelas.com/product/RIO-Toothy-Critter-Hand-Tied-Leaders/743499.uts?productVariantId=4998775&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=04689291&rid=20&ds_rl=1246492&ds_rl=1246531&ds_rl=1247882&ds_rl=1252079&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1-K7zuLi6AIVhYCfCh15lAT7EAQYHCABEgIzjfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

[Hawks Feather]

I use steel leaders sometime but usualy just heavy braid holds up pretty good.  I use these on my heavy pike flyrod:

You use the 45 pound wire ones don't you?  I mean, why mess with the little ones when you can have the big ones.

[nastygunz]

We got gator pike up here   when you're fishing and you see other fish jumping straight out of the water into the air you know there's a monster in the vicinity 

[FinsnFur]

I use steel leaders sometime but usualy just heavy braid holds up pretty good.  I use these on my heavy pike flyrod:

You use the 45 pound wire ones don't you?  I mean, why mess with the little ones when you can have the big ones.

Jerry LoL [emoji23]

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[FinsnFur]

You might be onto something Okanagan.
I knew that Pike like to grab their prey from the side. But I've never thought about them grabbing bottom hopping jigs differently. Makes sense though

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[Okanagan]

Nasty, I got the idea from you to use skookum braid for a short leader when fly fishing for pike.  It has been a couple of years or so since I fished pike and only did a little with the fly rod but it worked well.

Jim, re how a pike hits jigs vs spoons, a guide I fished with in Northern Saskatchewan thought there was probably something to the idea.

  And to ramble on as I often do...  the (former guide) was Cree man, superb outdoorsman and guide to the point of being a legend in that region.  He passed on last year, a good friend gone.  B. was a tough throwback bush Indian.  He would hunt caribou in -40 with no camp/sleeping gear at all, though he said having a little piece of tarp really improved his spruce beds.   A youngish game warden checked us once, and when the officer got ID from B, he suddenly became deferential, all but bowed at the honor to meet this man he'd heard about.  Downright funny.  B. was guiding fly fishermen on a huge lake in N. Canada when a cute Icelandic girl came to work at the lodge.  She asked who was the best fly fisherman, then asked B to teach her.  Smart gal.  They got married and had as fine a family as I've met anywhere.

Doggone it, I hate death, miss friends like B. and as an afterthought, it is Easter and I am glad that the Resurrection says that it won't always be like this.

[nastygunz]

 Speaking of braid a couple of years ago I ordered a roll of braid from Walmart instead of sending me one roll they sent me one case with 10 rolls 

I did have an ethical dilemma about that but it only lasted for about two seconds 😇

[FinsnFur]

[emoji23] lol!

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[Okanagan]

Speaking of braid a couple of years ago I ordered a roll of braid from Walmart instead of sending me one roll they sent me one case with 10 rolls 

I did have an ethical dilemma about that but it only lasted for about two seconds 😇

I could take it off of your hands and conscience...   

[pitw]

I don't know Oke, I've done a lot of casting for walleye outta a boat and them little hammer handles can snip a hook like a doctor doing a circumcision.   I rarely use a leader unless I'm targeting big pike and that's just the way it is.