Hitting the rocks for pike
I’ve mentioned the great fall pike fishing that we have several times in recent years and my approach to catching these toothy critters but I have so much fun with it, we’re going to hit it again.
A couple falls ago, while filming an episode of the Lund Ultimate Fishing Experience TV show with my wife Shelby, we had an incredible couple of hours on Lake of the Woods, using suspending jerkbaits to catch pike after pike. These were all big fish as well, we had fun.
When most anglers think about catching pike, they think weed beds. That is the case for numbers of fish but big pike, especially late in the season, get on main lake rock piles where they are focused on eating larger prey. I like to hit the biggest points and reef systems that stand out on a map. From there, fish the windy side of these structures and keep moving until you start making contact with fish. They’ll often school up, where you can catch four to six fish off of one edge. Most of my efforts are in the six to twelve foot of water range.
I like to use oversized bass jerkbaits, with a heavier action bass rod. My go to rod is a G. Loomis 893 NRX+, a 7’5” rod that has enough length to make a long cast, yet is soft enough not to tear hooks out of the fishes mouth. I like using 15 pound fluorocarbon line and a homemade wire leader to prevent bite-offs.
Fish the jerkbaits fast in a jerk-jerk-pause fashion. You can troll these baits as well to cover more water and find sweet spots. Hit the rocks and have some fun this fall. This bite is fun, the pike are big and aggressive and we run into the odd musky as well.
In addition to pike and bass, fall fishing offers excellent opportunities for all species, with the potential for the biggest fish of the year as our fish prepare for another long winter. Get out there and have some fun before things tighten up! Share your catches on the Hooked social media pages!