Looking For Advice

One of my lifetime fishing goals is to catch some good size Northerns. I live in Southern Pennsylvania where they are not as common as in the great lakes area. Next week I will be fishing on lake Marburg, a local lake with a reputation for holding big Pike. I will have a pontoon boat to work with, and will be there for the afternoon and evening. I won't have any depthfinder or fishfinder to work with. I do have a map of the lake which shows which area's have produced pike in the past. I have my basic gear together, Including medium heavy rods, appropriate reels and line, and wire leaders. I am planning on doing some trolling and some live bait fishing using bluegills. Any general advice would be welcome, plus one specific question. If you had to choose between an original Daredevle, a Johnson Silver minnow with a grub trailer, or a mepps musky killer, which do you think gives me the best chance. This is probably the only shot I'm gonna get at this this year for money reasons, so any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks guys!

If you are going with live bait, go big. Keep in mind that esoconids can swallow prey nearly 2/3 of their own body length, digesting the head while the tail remains out of their mouth. Gills will work, but I also prefer suckers because they tend to be grabbed more aggressively as the pike doesn't have and spines to worry about. If you go with that 5" perch, you could have an annoying time with small pike, not to mention any other predators living in ced lake, not to mention bigger fish swallowing the bait immediately. Also remember, big pike and small pike are quite different beasts. Small pike prefer warmer, shallower, weedy areas, whereas large pike become cold water creatures, avoiding the warmer shallows during warm water periods. If its hot, best to start out and stay deep. If you are able to locate cool springs, or areas where colder rivers/creeks drain, they can be gold. Otherwise, find the thermocline and fish that zone. I love the Johnson silver minnow when fish are shallow and have probably caught more pike on them than anything (while pike fishing that is), including biggest ones I have landed (50.5" is my best). That said, I think a swimbait may currently be the best option out there, period. Can be fished at any depth and through most cover, come in a huge variety of sizes and the pike devour them. Also there tends to be one large hook to deal with, giving you and the fish a safer release. Also single hooks allow for all the power of your hookset to be delivered at one point, making penetration easier than baits with multiple hooks. Deep cranks are also great, as are big jerkbaits, I just really don't like all the trebles I have to deal with when a pike eats them....more dangerous for me unhooking and also more likely to damage the fish as they can be taken deeply with regularity. I also catch a surprising number of very good pike on a dropshot every season. Probably not the best bet for targeting pike, but if you have the proper rod, they are almost always hooked perfectly in the beak. I seriously cant recall the last pike that broke me off on a dropshot, and thats hundreds of pike I'm talkin' about landing over the years on 8lb fluoro with no leader.

I always do well with Spinnerbaits. They dont have to be gigantic. Just your regular bass size will do. I like the terminator brand. They dont get all bent up like other baits. I always use a plastic teaser trailer on my spinnerbait hook. That will up your numbers of fish. The great thing about your bass style spinnerbaits is theyre relativly weedless so you can drag them through lilly pads as well as burn them over weed flats. Thats where the pike youre looking for are gonna be hiding. i use sufix832 line and never get bit off but if youre using mono and want to use a leader, slip a split ring on the wire before you clip on the leader. This will keep your leader clasp from sliding down the wire on your spinnerbait.

Imo, tandem spinners with a grub trailer. Smaller rapala twitch baits work well. Firetiger colors, black and gold, blue and silver, always seem to work. You could always use the live bait(minnows) with a "lindy-rig." Good luck to you and catch a monster!

I was out fishing for smaller pike using mepps #5 spinners. I was using a medium action baitcaster spooled up with 30 # power pro. But when I would get fish on, they would almost always come off. I respooled with 10 # mono and didn't have trouble. Was my drag set too tight? Or was just the no-stretch braid yanking the the treble hook out of their mouths?

For me and trolling for Northerns,,,nothin works better than Buck Perry Spoonplugs and wire line....no stretch,,,gets down deep,,,great action,,,and depending on the size of the spoonplug you can accuratly gage your depth

Countryboy, Sounds like you have good ideas on casting and live bait fishing as the combo makes good sense. If you can find some 4-6" perch they are always a good choice for under a slip bobber over the side of the boat while casting. Use circle hooks and hook near the tail, they will struggle more and more movement is good. Try clipping the fins of the perch also as this makes them swim in circles which is a a sign of a wounded bait fish. Good luck. Pike are a thrill. SM

for money reasons johnson minnows and daredevils are affordable and great lures. I wouldnt spend to much time in one spot either. if you work the weeds and weed edges like stated before you can keep on casting every ten feet all the way down. if you get some action stick around for a little bit. cover alot of area and come back through if you think it looks like good cover for them. I love throwing bucktails. i caught more pike on musky killer and inline spinners than any other bait, but if your not going to use them alot they can add up a bill fast. I like to use your everyday bass baits as well. top water frogs, buzz baits and bass spinners, white, black, orange, firetiger, gold and/or siver blades. There's alot of baits that you can use for multiple speices so your not limiting your tackle to one or two. Talk with the guys at the bait shop or anyone else you can on the lake about how there doing and using. good luck and let us know how you do. make sure your using steel leaders, pike arent a picky fish, make some noise and if there in the area and hungry they will usually hit just about anything.

Another tip: If your fishing even with Braid use a leader.I N. Canada last year I didn't have a leader on and,he pulled,then I pulled,and then he pulled and was gone. It took off the plug and hookup.It probably swollowed the plug and it's teeth cut the line.My drag was set loose but it was right under the boat pulling straight down.

If you're going to troll, get some Daredeviles or Chippewa Spoon knockoffs in five of diamonds and firetiger patterns and some floating Rapalas in perch colors or firetiger. Troll around 4 to 5 FOW or fairly close to shore. You should find some cruising northerns willing to bite. Since you don't have a locator, also try to troll the outside edge of the weedline using deep diving Rapala Shad Raps. Once again in perch and firetiger patterns. If still fishing with live bait, fish the outside edge of the weedline again and use sucker minnows instead of bluegills. At least, those are the techniques I use up here in Minnesota and Wisconsin.