Whats the best lure/bait for Pike/Pickerel?

[EllisOnCayuga]

Trying to gather more information on Pike/Pickerel fishing.. just started to fish for those two specifically, if anyone can help me out it would be greatly appreciated

[zach]

if i were just fishing pike/pickles it would tough to beat a #5 mepps, a daredevil and a spinnerbait imo. a light leader is a must w/ these small lures though. toss in a minnowbait and you could most likely fish all year w/ those 4. live bait could get very expensive w/ those pickles. i'd stick w/ lures.

[old man]

ditto what zach said. there are ungodly numbers of pickerel in front of cayuga state park. i would also suggest a johnson silver minnow and a red eye in nickle.

[EllisOnCayuga]

Thank you both so much for the tips, I'm headed to Bass Pro tomorrow right after work and snagging a little bit of all that.. lol Thanks again, I'll post pictures with results!!

[solgrande]

Bomber long A in firetiger,mepps #5 in black w/org blade and mepps little wolf in firetiger(3/4oz)!!!Those are my go to`s.Ooops..well maybe a white spinnerbait with tandem willows and a trailer hook(a MUST)with white trailer and org tips or plain white will do.If i could take 4 lures these would be it for me.

Bob S-sol

[old man]

i see your home port is cayuga state park. from the launch head across the lake and a bit north until you get into the weeds. throw any of the baits mentioned and you'll be good. you can get 50 a day if you want to. you'll get a couple small pike in the mix and maybe a stout largemouth. if you want bigger ones go to seneca and do the same thing. unlike pike and muskies pickerel are allways eating and they're stupid. if only they grew to 20 lbs!

[EllisOnCayuga]

Thank you all for the suggestions. Once the weather is a bit nicer, I'm going to hit up North Cayuga with those mentioned. Appreciate all the help!

[chowder]

Start working your way up to the trestle. Work the weed beds that have openings in them. Learn how to read the weed beds as they change from spring to summer. Set up w/ the following rigs, use them in succession until you find a working combo, work it until it stops firing. 1. Spinner bait setup (blk,white,green,etc) 2. Super fluke setup (white) 3. Jerk bait/crank bait setup (change colors & shapes), and sometimes it's worth trying a topwater presentation, especially real early and again near dark.

[Believer]

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.

[panfisher]

I have found that all Esox family members like anything... I've caught and seen them caught on anything and everything! From fine, expensive lures to redworms under a bobber. They will and do interbreed in some waters where they coexist (such as Seneca lake, where you can pick up smallies, northerns, chainsides, and an obvious pickerel-pike cross on the same black 3 or 4 inch grubs on 1/8 oz jigheads from the same boat at the same place... What a blast!) That "same place" would be in 3 to 8 fow near shore on either side of the lake north of, say, Roy's Marina... smallie territory. There are nice muskies in that lake, as well. Wherever you fish, pike family members do seem to be attracted to bright colors, particularly anything with orange or red on them. Anything flashy will work...Rapalas, Silver Minnows, Daredevils etc. The largest pickerel I ever caught, a 4.5 pounder at the south end of Canandaigua in 12 to 15 fow (33") was on a 6" natural color Creme nightcrawler on a 1/4oz jighead on the bottom while working on largemouths! How about a nice 8 pound northern at the north end of Seneca on a torn, small piece of redworm under a bobber! Try to work something on or near the bottom....fish as if you were targeting bass or walleyes in medium deep areas; maybe with weeds. Guys trolling for salmonids have caught 20 pounders in 60 fow. This year,already! Good luck!

[NitroMusky]

you should try a second chance plow

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[zach]

muskies in seneca? try again........ i know every lake and stream in NY that has muskies and seneca isn't one of them or i would fish there. nitro- those pickles would try to spawn with that plow instead of eating it, unless we have unique "black widow" strain pickles that eat their mate after spawning.

[NitroMusky]

silly zach...remember:

all Esox family members like anything... and everything!

and don't discount the elusive ' seneca muskie' either

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[stoutner]

I agree with everything said. #4 or #5 Mepps spinner with Red/White/Brass blade and Yellow body seem to be the Mac Daddy for me. I agree that you could literally catch 50 pickerel in a medium length day. You'll also grab a few bass and perch when fishing that combo.

[EllisOnCayuga]

Thanks guys you are all a huge help! Just a thought, wouldn't Cayuga better suit a larger northern than Seneca? I thought it was THE lake for Pike/Pickerel? However, I think I will try north Seneca, maybe around the Crow's Nest outlet.. Definitely gonna try the Mepps spinners, Daredevil, Rapala. I'll take pics and let you guys know how it all goes, finally some good weather this weekend.

[jkarol24]

I dont fish pike without some 3/4 oz cleos and 5.5" shadalicious swimbaits on the big O'

[joejv4]

I have found that all Esox family members like anything... I've caught and seen them caught on anything and everything! From fine, expensive lures to redworms under a bobber.

Yep... if it moves past them, they'll try to eat it. I've caught them on 2" crappie tubes, soft plastic stick baits (think Senko), spinnerbaits, Thunder Sticks, Red-eyes, Daredevils, rooster tails, 4" bass tubes, Wiggle-Warts, Rat-L-Traps, Rapala floating minnows, you name it.

The biggest challenge is to locate them and get your bait in their face. I like finding weed beds near a drop-off and working the outside edge first, then if that's not productive, working the inside edge.

[joejv4]

I have found that all Esox family members like anything... I've caught and seen them caught on anything and everything! From fine, expensive lures to redworms under a bobber.

Yep... Esox are not picky at all - if it moves past them and it's anything less than half their size, they'll try to eat it. I've caught them on 2" crappie tubes, soft plastic stick baits (think Senko), spinnerbaits, Thunder Sticks, Red-eyes, Daredevils, rooster tails, 4" bass tubes, Wiggle-Warts, Rat-L-Traps, Rapala floating minnows, you name it.

The biggest challenge is to locate them and get your bait in their face. I like finding weed beds near a drop-off and working the outside edge first, then if that's not productive, working the inside edge.

[zach]

pickles aren't picky, pike aren't to picky, muskies are so picky it isn't even funny so not every esox will hit the first thing that goes by them. it could be the right bait but wrong color or whatever for muskies. pickerel could go extinct today and i wouldn't care.

[jkarol24]

agree with a #5 mepps, with the addition of 3/8-3/4 oz little cleos in silver/blue as well as 5-6" swimbaits and 3/4 oz strike king red eye shads ( although any rattle trap type lure will call em in). If its flashy, pike will eat it