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Jigging for Pike In Spring
| Jigging For Pike In Spring BY TIM ALLARD Jigs catch just about anything that swims, but excel with certain fish—northern pike being one of them. Jigs are an excellent bait to work along bottom when pike are shallow in spring. Here's where to find spring pike and how to fool them with jigs at the start of the season. SPAWNING MOVES Northern pike are considered a cool-water fish. Their mating ritual takes place immediately following ice out sometime between April and early May depending on latitude; the optimal temperature range for spawning is between 40 to 52 degrees Fahrenheit. Spring flooding and high water levels contribute to pike spawning habitat. Typical zones include: marshes, swollen creeks, back bays, sheltered shorelines, and flooded land. Pike prefer soft bottoms for spawning, such as sand or silt, mixed with new, emerging vegetation or plant debris, like bulrushes. Knowing the location and timing of northern pike spawning will help you catch them come season opener. Fish will linger in the shallows in close proximity to these mating locales for a few weeks. Basking in the sun and drawn to shallow, warming waters. Here, pike replenish their strength after the rigours of spawning while also taking advantage of various food items found in the skinny water. BAY AND FLATS—TOP EARLY SEASON SPOTS The first few weeks of pike season I concentrate my casting efforts on shallow water regions. Protected bays off of rivers and lakes are one of my top spots. The best bays will be near spawning areas. Bays in front of a marsh or a feeder creek are classic early-season producers. Pike will recuperate in the bay after spawning in the flooded shallows. Northern may also hold on sand areas near shore or the bay's entrance points. If the bay has a deep hole, pike will often station in it during foul, cold weather and at night. Shallow flats between six and 12 feet deep will also hold northern. Again, these areas are best when close to spawning grounds. |
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| JIG OPTIONS Small jigs work well this time of year. Pike don't discriminate little baits. I regularly catch incidental northern when targeting other species, like walleye, using jigs. Spring is the time of year when three- to four-inch grubs, shads, and soft-plastic jerkbaits on a 1/4-ounce jig head catch plenty of springtime pike. Bucktail jigs with the same characteristics are just as deadly. Be sure smaller-sized jig heads have a strong hook. Thin wire hooks could bend under too much pressure when battling large pike. Also, a drop of high-strength glue applied to the jig collar before completely treading on the body holds plastics in place, preventing them from sliding down the hook shank. DRAG 'EM When pike are sluggish during early, cool mornings a drag-pause retrieve along soft bottom areas works well. Sand and mud don't hold many snags so maintaining bottom contact isn't an issue. Dragging the bait also kicks up a silt trail, which often attracts pike. Pike eat anything appearing vulnerable. They feed on frogs burrowed in the mud, so dragging baits along soft bottom bays, flats, and shorelines is an excellent spring tactic. SIGHT FISHING TIPS In spring you can sight-fish pike in calm conditions. Toss jigs past the fish. Then work it into the strike zone. Hopping the jig might trigger a reaction strike, while in other situations pauses and jiggles are better for sluggish fish. Always look for structure and cover. Sunken logs, small dips in the bottom, weed edges, and boulders all offer ambushing advantages. Cast jigs to these zones even if you don't see pike near them. Last year during an early season outing in ripple-water conditions a friend of mine tossed his bait to what he thought was a log. Well the log had teeth and an appetite; it ended up being a decent pike worthy of a few photos. DEEPER WATER HOLDS FISH TOO Don't neglect slightly deeper water near spawning sites. Good zones are entrances to weedy bays and their bordering points. I concentrate on areas up to about 15 feet around spawning sites. Cast jigs into the shallows and work them along bottom. Also count down jigs, and then swim or hop them through the water column for cruising, active fish. BEST SPRING JIG FISHING OUTFITS To cast light jigs at the start of the season, use either a medium-heavy spinning or baitcast rod as you're rarely fishing near heavy weeds or wood cover. Going with an ultra-fast or fast action rod ensures you can toss these jigs a considerable distance while maintaining accuracy for sight fishing scenarios. Be sure though the blank has plenty of backbone to muscle big pike. On my spring outfits I use 30- to 40-pound test teamed with nine- to 12-inch, multi-strand wire leaders. Fluorocarbon leaders in the 60-pound range are also effective in clear water scenarios, but check regularly for nicks that will weaken the leader material. Spring is an exciting time to angle pike. So try some different jig options this season to score plenty of fish at the start of the season. |
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Tags: pike, spring, jigs, fish, jigging, bait, northern, work, catch, anything
More Tags: Northern pike, When pike, food items, plastics, TIM ALLARD,
Region: Wisconsin
Categories: Fishing > Freshwater Fishing
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