What makes the best pike fishing lures? Pike will hit any lure. Yet, there are lures the fish hit more. You can improve your odds of landing pike with better choices in lures.
It is true, that pike are not picky when active. People catch pike on panfish lures, catfish baits, and everything else. Successful pike anglers take a different route targeting the pike. They use certain baits in specific sizes. It does make a difference in how many you will catch.
If a waterway has a high population of pike. The right lure will see higher catch rates and likely bigger fish. In bodies of water with fewer pike. The right lure choice is a matter of success or failure.
Pike are known to like flashy lures. The flash is highly visible making the lures an easy target. Plus the lures emit more vibrations than other lures. This is a win-win combo for pike anglers.
Spoons are one of the oldest lures people use for fishing. These lures wobble through the water making flashes that bring in fish. The sizes make a difference. In general spoons, 3 1/2 to 5 inches in length work well. The lures come in casting and trolling types.
Spoons are best when run slower. A fast retrieve makes the lure rise to the surface. The slow retrieve is enticing to the fish. A pike takes advantage of easy meals. If running fast use trolling techniques. Trolling uses weights to keep the lure down.
Run the lure along the edges of weed beds and rocky shorelines. The pike lay in wait to ambush prey. Pockets in the weeds or rocky points are common spots the fish uses. It is best to work the whole area, the fish do move in search of prey also.
Inline spinners will catch any type of fish. A few spinners need to be in your pike tackle box. They take up little room but have big results. Using a spinner does mean buying good quality. The low-cost models tend to have the blades hang, not spin.
You do not catch fish with a bad spinner. If the blade does not spin, it is not working. The blades send off vibrations or thumps. This alerts the fish it is in the water. Once the fish is close they use their sight for striking the lure.
The flash looks like fleeing bait. Pike being aggressive will hit the lure. You can have slight variations to the flash. There are different colors and hammered blades. Hammered blades make the light flashing off the blade diffuse, scattering it more.
Spinnerbaits use blades also. Yet the design with the body below makes a larger profile. The blades do the same as with an inline bucktail spinner. But, you have the body with a skirt that pulsates. The skirt adds more visual action to the lure.
Spinnerbaits come with more options in blade types. You find Colorado, Willow Leaf, and Indiana blades on spinnerbaits. The lure comes in lures using a combination of 2 blade types. Colorado is seen approaching and a Willow leaf makes a side view.
The type of blade affects the speed you run the lure. Colorado blades have more lift. You can run these lures slower for deep presentations. Running faster keeps the lure higher in the water column.
Willow leaf blades have less lift. Use this type for faster retrieves when wanting to keep the lure down deeper. It is easier to run the different blades for depth control. Focusing on cranking while fishing takes attention away from your enjoyment.
Spinnerbaits in the 1/2 ounce to 5/8 ounce sizes are the best choices for pike. There are larger spinnerbaits. They tend to be harder to cast and retrieve. The two sizes mentioned work well in any waterway.
Shop for Spinnerbaits on Amazon
Soft plastics have appeal to pike also. The medium size soft plastics are a favorite of bigger pike. These are lures in the 5-7 inch range. The larger musky lures do not work as well.
The soft plastics for pike look like baitfish. The large Bull Dawgs and others are not well suited for pike. A popular and productive lure is the Z-MAN DieZel MinnowZ paddle tail swimbait. They come in 4 and 5-inch sizes. You rig the soft plastic on a swimbait jig head.
The jig heads come in a few sizes also. You can cast and retrieve or jig this lure. It is one of the no wrong ways to use it lures. Try different retrieves to get different actions.
The lures in this category tend to be classics. In other words, the lures have stood the test of time and proven to be effective. Pike anglers throughout the world use these lures because they work.
The larger jerkbaits and crankbaits work well for pike. The crankbaits allow going deeper. A jerkbait gives you a stop-and-go erratic action. I do suggest using Rapala, Smithwick, and Strike King lures in these types. The lures are of good quality and come in size and color options.
The Husky Jerk, Super Shad Rap, Super Rogue, and others in the 5-7 inch range are the better pike lures.
Shop for Jerkbaits and Crankbaits at Bass Pro
Pike attack top water plugs also. The Jitterbug and Whopper Plopper are two topwater commonly used for pike fishing. A Zara spook is a great lure to try also. You want the larger Jitterbug, and Plopper about 4-4 1/2 inches, and the Zara Spook is around 5 inches.
Pike hit any type of lure. Choosing the right size helps catch more and bigger pike. You have options in the types of lures. The range of options allows you to fish the whole water column.
Musky fishing can be affected by various factors. Including water temperature, weather conditions, and the…
Fall is an excellent time for musky fishing as the cooler temperatures. Plus changing conditions…
When it comes to freshwater gamefish, few species capture the imagination quite like the musky.…
If you're an avid angler, there's nothing quite like the thrill of catching a musky.…
When it comes to fishing for musky, choosing the right musky lure can make a…
When it comes to musky fishing. Choosing lure colors can make the difference between landing…
This website uses cookies.