Still learning

[Florida Boy]

I tell you what I love catching piks ( or florida muskie to me and my friends) but i cant seem to be able to do it with any consistancy and there aint no one around here that i can find who targets em, any suggestions

[chris]

it is very hard to catch them with consistency. in the spring and fall i like to fish where the pads will be in the summer and when the pads come in i like to fish humps and drop offs and some times deep weed lines. use smaller baits in natural colors. another thing to try is small to medium shiners on a floating rig dragged behind your boat a a slow speed. i catch alot on small crank baits for bluegill. my best producer is a size 8 rapala x-rap in purple and gold.

[thomas j swank]

I havn't fished for pike in many years but I never had a problem catching them with six to seven inch shiners on a bobber. Fish the edge of fairly deep weeds. I like noisy lures in the 5" size early in the morning, fishing from shore to the break. I like to eat these guys too!In the summer fish early.
Tom

[John Sheehan]

Thomas- Pike and Pickerel are similar but not the same Is your advise for Pike ,Pickerel or both?

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Just thinking out loud, but the pickerel has to be considered an apex predator. That said, there are going to be fewer of them in a given biotope than their prey and lesser species.

I've caught them in both Minnesota  and here in the South. In Minnesota, they could be depended upon to be around submerged trees and off points that drop to deep water.

In Florida, I recall catching a lot of them. They were usually in 4-6 feet of water, and almost always near weedbeds and other structure - I hung them when fishing for bass and bluegill.

I say "near," because I seemed to hook them away from the cover. I believe it was because they were waiting in ambush for their prey. It seems that the place to find the hunter is where he hunts.

[John Sheehan]

My brother did great and caught about 5 Picks on a purple Flutter spoon one day and I was getting skunked with another flutter spoon .Thanks for reminding me about the color "Purple"

[John Sheehan]

Yup ,brother Greg and I saw this first hand yesterday ,in terms of small baits at late year pad areas!   Good advice Chris! Where ya been? 

[John Sheehan]

Find the waters where Pickerel are most predominant......here in NE NJ small ponds and lakes are easiest to fish and find the pickerel consistently .LAKES in a boat : I've suceeded with trolled Crankbaits @10-12' in cold months like April and November as well as spoons 20' and up.
Ponds from shore spring thru fall: Rapalas,Jersey Rigged worms,3" swimbaits , Johnson silver minnow and Sprite spoons. Weeds are the ambush places .Finding the depth and perfect situation takes time

[John Sheehan]

Acme Little Cleos and Shad King Flutter spoons from shore score piks as well

[Florida Boy]

the only place i can find the little cleos is the bass pro out in orlando, when i get a chance im gonna head up there and grab a couple, any particular colors you would recommend and how should they be retrieved?

[John Sheehan]

Clear water I use the blue stripped /Silver one ...muddy water I use the Orange Stripped/ Gold lift and drop on long casts ...gotta warn you I lose my share of spoons fishin from shore though ...Got a 19" Pickerel today 11/24/10 on a 1/4 oz Acme Shad King Flutter spoon in siver /Brown Trout pattern

[John Sheehan]

WRIST SNAPPING THE CLEO OFF BOTTOM AND LET IT FLUTTER BACK IF FISH ARE CLOSE TO BOTTOM...IF FISH ARE UP NEAR TOPS OF WEEDS ,OR TO CALL FISH UP OUT OF WOOD COVER,LONG FLUTTER SPOONS LIKE THE DARDEVLE FLUTTERCHUCK OR CHUCKLETT AND THE ACME SHAD KING

HEAVY SPOONS ,DARDEVLE,KROCODILE ETC. FOR WHEN FISH ARE SUSPENDED OVER DEEP WATER

[Florida Boy]

well so far the only thing that has worked for me is small live shiners im wonderin if the pond im fishin just dosnt have that big a population of em in it, i know it has a healthy population of snappin turtles lol