I Tried Some Open Water for Pike 3-20

I put on my waders and fished one of the inlets on the West side. Thanks to the rain, I got out a little later than I planned. I was surprised to see there was some fish activity on the surface out along the deep ice line. This was out beyond my casting distance and I can throw a 5″ swimbait on jig head a long way. I did bump a fish on one cast; I know it was a fish because a scale was impaled on my hook. I spooked two large fish in the current flow on my way back to shore. I forgot my headlamp and it was to dark to see what they were at that point. I’ll probably give it one more try before the season closes.

All I brought with me were plastic swimbaits. If I go again I’ll bring a rods rigged with chatterjig swimbait combo, a spinnerbait, and possibly one of those Super Shad Raps. Anybody have any other lure suggestions for me.

Was the pike season extended on Milly this year?
DT

Yes, pike season was extended on ML.

I might suggest using a white slug-go. I see them used in Canada all the time on tv. I think they are hard to convince to bite this time of year.

deertracker wrote:

Was the pike season extended on Milly this year?
DT

Through the 29th for angling.

Spoons! Love throwing spoons for pike early. Seems to be a forgotten lure. But you can pause and add a jigging cadence to slow your retrieve.

jon amundson wrote:

Spoons! Love throwing spoons for pike early. Seems to be a forgotten lure. But you can pause and add a jigging cadence to slow your retrieve.

Thanks for the suggestion. I haven’t used a Daredevil type spoon for at least 10 years, maybe even 15 years or more.

When I was young the northerns loved the chrome/blue stripe in the Wharf channel.
DT

Tip the Daredevil with a white twister tail.

Sluggos do work very well up in Canada.

It’s not the most fun way to target ice out pike but on Devils we would mop up fish on a quick strike rig with a weight and a smelt or herring. We would always go up there with intentions of casting for them but those set rods would always be rocking, so it was hard to cast for them!

Well I got out again today. I didn’t see any fish activity but I caught/snagged 2 sticks, a piece of wood, and this thing.

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Is that an eelpout fingerling?
DT

deertracker wrote:

Is that an eelpout fingerling?
DT

Possibly, but my group of Facebook advisors thought it was a frog tadpole.

It looks like a tadpole to me. BTW smelt make excellent bait for pike. You may also want to try a very low jerk bit approach using say a husky Jerk or X-Rap. Go slow on the pause. That’s how I get most of my early season pike.

Ben Brettingen wrote:

It’s not the most fun way to target ice out pike but on Devils we would mop up fish on a quick strike rig with a weight and a smelt or herring. We would always go up there with intentions of casting for them but those set rods would always be rocking, so it was hard to cast for them!

X2 the big pike are lazy and don’t want to chase. We had same experience, love to cast but this method produces big pike.

Bass Pundit wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>deertracker wrote:</div>
Is that an eelpout fingerling?
DT

Possibly, but my group of Facebook advisors thought it was a frog tadpole.

Awful early for a frog tadpole isn’t it? Also looks a little big to me for a frog tadpole. I am leaning toward pout fry. I netted a bunch of them last spring in the wharf channel and that’s what they looked like.

Sure as heck looks like the bullfrog tadpoles I used to catch as a kid.

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Sure does, but I have a hard time believing frogs or tadpoles are out on March 29th in a mostly frozen lake. And I have never seen a bullfrog at Mille Lacs in the 30 years I have been there. Very well could be a tadpole, just can’t believe they would be out that early.

Here is a baby eelpout pic

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