Believer

Wow. Spinning gear for esox isn't my thing; but I like to talk pike set ups. I'm cheap too. Don't spend too much. In any event, when I go out for Northern, I like to have a 6'6" baitcaster for lines 8-20 lb. with 14 lb. mono on an Abu Garcia 5500C3. I use this to throw 1 oz. spoons, Mepps Muskie Killers, etc. I also take a 6' baitcaster for lines 15-25 lb. with 20 lb. mono on a Abu Garcia 6500c3. I wish this rod was 6'6", but it isn't. I make do. This handles larger spoons over 1 oz., 6" Depthraiders, 6" Believers, etc. Finally to throw the Mepps Giant Killer I must have a 6'6" Gander Mountain Muskie rod for lines 15-30 lb. This holds a Shimano muskie reel and 65 lb. Power Pro.

How I would regulate muskies and northern pike: Muskies: Trophy Water (St. L., etc.), 48" limit. One fish per day. Inland Water: 40" limit. One fish per day. Open season, June 1 (?). Close season, December 1. Northern Pike: Trophy Water, 30" limit. Two fish per day. Inland Water, 25" limit. Two fish per day. Open season, First Sat. in May; or May 1. Close season, December 1. There would be a lot more pike around, if they weren't hammered through the ice. A 54" limit is unreasonable. Only giants get that size. Most don't come close. Even the girls.

I've seen videos of the Berger rig and would like to TRY it. Try and fail. Try and fail. And then maybe get it right. Does anybody use the Bucher Depthraider? The 9" Grandma? The 8" Jake? These are the lures I think about when considering the Larry. But the only thing I can conclude is that it is a hard place.

Here is a good question for an early spring day: When fishing the St. Lawrence River for muskies, what is the (a) best bait, (b) best size, and © favorite color?

Remember, this is a hard bait question. Not throwing anything under 6" (hey, you gotta hope) give me: Shallow: 6" Bomber Long A; 6" Jake; and 6" Grandma Medium Depth: 6" Believer Deep: 6" (Baby) Depthraider, jointed.

Okay, in a prior post we talked about favorite spoons for pike: Why not go further? What is your favorite hard bait/lure (including size and color) for northern pike applications in shallow water, medium depth, and going deep? Hey, its still winter.

Wow. Lots of responses. I don't know why I like these lures; but I do. Maybe its the simplicity of using a curved piece of metal to catch fish. My basics are all one ounce: Dardevls, Len Thompsons, Mepps Cyclops, and Luhr-Jenson Crocodiles. I haven't tried the Luhr-Jensons yet, but look forward to it. I've got some larger ones: Lindy Gator Spoons; 1 and 1/8 ounce Len Thompson; Cabella's Casting Spoon; and Lucky Strike Half Wave. Haven't tossed the Lucky Strike yet. Look forward to it. Would love to be on a lake where you only toss the big metal all day. But wouldn't we all. Oh well...

Just curious--in the dead of winter. What is your favorite make, size, and color spoon for northern pike?

Keep the New York State record where it is. The discrediting of Arthur Lawton's fish, decades after it went in the books was itself not credible. Unless someone could examine the actual fish, weigh it, and say it did not wiegh 69 pounds, 15 ounces, why should we disbelieve what was once measured and recorded. I think the discrediting thing was done to put the record somewhere else. In his memoir, Before I Forget, St. Lawrence River angler Len Hartman said--if I remember correctly--that the Lawton fish was taken to Albany for weighing. Can anyone say it wasn't? Is it sound to argue that an angler as serious as Lawton was would cheat on a fish's weight to get his name in a record book? I don't think so.

All the ice anglers will hate me for this, but who doesn't think that the open water pike fishing would be better if the pike season closed on December 1? Don't these fish need a rest from pursuit? The other question is, what would be wrong about decreasing the pike creel limit to two fish per day, at a minimum 25 inches? Would there be more fish? Bigger fish?

Cool.

I just want to correct a technical point. I think the McNair fish was caught on a 10" Jake in black perch; not the 8". (Not to be pedantic.) The Larry has taught me some harsh lessons. If I were going back--when I go back--I would fish around the shoals. I would be using the Jake (I don't have any 10"ers), the Depthraider, and the Believer. Because the water is so clear I would be using natural colors. When I got the yen to cast, and I always do, I would be throwing the 9" Grandma or a Depthraider up to the edge of a shoal. Black perch looks like a good color to me; so does a sucker finish. One thing I might try is throwing a bulldawg around the edges of the shoals. Reportedly, a guy caught a dandy of a ski while doing this in June of 2009. Good luck. The Larry is a heck of a place but it's not easy.

Old Man: Great day. From afar it looks like Conesus is a good destination for northerns. Or is it?

Thanks all.

From afar, it seems most of the folks who fish Seneca, Cayuga, etc. and post here are after trout. Well and good, and the best of luck to you. But I'm wondering--having never been on either of these two lakes--whether there are many northern pike caught on these two lakes, or the other Fingers? Do the trout fishers pick any up when they're trolling? Do people target them through the summer? Is there an autumn pike bite? Thanks.

Bucktails: Silver blade, black tail Gold blade, brown or yellow tail Firetiger blade, black tail (a sleeper, especially for pike) Cranks: Firetiger (for dark water) Perch (white belly for clear water, orange belly for dark water) Sucker $9 Bass (see Drifter Tackle version) Silver shiner (Grandma version) Black Perch Crappie

I never caught a pickerel because I don't live in their territory; and don't want to go there. But I can give some hints on pike. Spring and autumn when the fish might be in shallow, I like to start with a 1 ounce spoon. Eppinger Dardevl, or Len Thompson, are good brands for me. Colors: red and white; yellow five of diamonds; silver; fire tiger. Len Thompson just came out with a "flame" (bright red) and brass combo that I want to try. For spinners, give me the Mepps Muskie Killer and Giant Killer. Silver blade and black hair; gold blade and yellow, brown, or firetiger hair; firetiger blade and black hair. Minnow plugs: the 6" Bomber Long A in red head, silver/white body, an easy target for the esox in spring. Going bigger, the 6" Jake, or 6" Grandma in silver shiner or firetiger. You can also try the Rapala Husky Jerk in size 14, but the hooks look small to me. If the fish are down deeper--summer--I'd throw or troll the 6" Baby Depthraider or 6" Believer from the muskie arsenal. Really, anything in the 5" to 6" range is worth a try. I like a slender profile for pike. Good luck.

I know the feeling. I lost my first big--maybe trophy--musky to an inadequate knot. I thought the clinch knot was enough. It wasn't. Go to the Trilene knot. You won't lose any fish because of it.

"Kinda scary..." You must have been terrified. I have a fourteen footer too. As soon as I see whitecaps, I head for shore. If I see them from shore, I don't go out. Stay alive.

Here is a nice off-season--for open water people--question. Has anyone had any success casting or trolling the Lindy Gator Spoons for northern pike? Or, by chance, for muskie?

Can anyone else offer a point or two?

I'm a long way from either lake, but curious as heck about the northern pike fishing in Lakes Seneca and Cayuga. How are the numbers? What about size? How do you approach these fish? Springtime in shallow water? Summer much deeper? Shallow again in the fall? What presentations/lures seem to work? I've never been on either lake. Thank you for any information.

I was wondering... Can anyone give any hints on the presence of northern pike and muskies in the Lake Ontario bays of Jefferson County: Henderson Bay, Black River Bay, and Chaumont Bay? Are they there? Which are the best seasons? I presume spring is best for pike. Am I mistaken? How do you go about it? What type of lures? Does casting work? Thanks for any help.

Thank you Scott and Larry. I like the KISS method. It accords with everything else I do in the outdoors.

I am an absolute beginner--with question about spring trout fishing on the big lake or in the bays south of Tibbets Point. 1. Can brown or lake trout be caught by straight-line trolling (no downrigger)? 2. I presume spoons and minnow baits (like rapalas) would work. But what size/weight spoons? What color? What size minnow baits? 3. How deep do you have to get to catch fish in April-May? 4. What weight mono line do you recommend? Thanks for any help.