Where the pike?

[Duddytri1]

I have a good 50 years going to TI every fall for pike with the boys. Pike has waned with the onset of zebra mussels and the last 2 year been poor.   

This year did not catch a pike b/t 5 of us and 3 solid days of casting, trolling or sitting on bait.  Did have one strike and a follow but nothing else.   

We caught some awesome smallmouths but a couple of days. 3-5 pounds.  Any ideas on where they are at?  Spoke to a local and he blamed it on Cormorants eating all the small fish as he has not seem much in the way of small fish in Eel Bay and surrounding areas.  

[Kingfisher06]

Same decline or shift in habits in the golden crescent. Dont know why...maybe the increasing numbers of pickeral, maybe theyre chasing different bait in different strata. Have caught some large fish open water trolling eyes and there are spots in the spring where we still catch lots, but the spots I grew up throwing mepps over have definetly changed.