Category: pike

Hello Italo!As always, I’ll start by thanking you for answering all of my questions in the past. I’m still a fairly new angler but I’m figuring things out with assistance from experts like you!Here is my latest questions: next weekend my buddy and I are fishing the Moon River area in his boat. I’m a shore angler and I always struggle to find the fish when I’m away from the shore. Do you have any tips on finding smallies and pike in that area at this time of year? I also hear there are epic musky in that basin. We won’t have any electronics onboard so we’re a little hampered that way…

Posted on August 19th, 2022

Hi Alex, thank you for your kind words. The best advise I can give you is to fish by casting from the boat to shorelines especially in bays, rocky points and any open-water structure you can visually see (islands, rocky outcrops, etc.). Any weeds in bays should hold pike and possibly even some bass. The same goes for the open-water structure.

I would suggest one of you cast a 3/8 oz white spinnerbait with smaller willow-leaf blades and the other cast a crankbait that dives to 10′. If you start hooking more fish on either presentation, then both switch to that presentation.

Hope you have a great time…God bless you.

Make sure to check the fishing videos on our Italo Labignan YouTube channel and if you have any questions just email them to me at Ask Italo throughout our www.canadian-sportfishing.com website.

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Good morning Italo,I am trying to plan out my first ever ice fishing trip and was wondering if you had some pointers for this lake. Orangeville Ontario – Island LakeCurious where you would fish and what gear you would use. Thanks in advance,Jason

Posted on January 18th, 2022

Hi Jason, Island Lake is well known for producing Pike all season long and through the ice. I would fish 5-7′ water near weeds with a tip-up or set line and live minnow. You can fish one line with a live minnow and use a 3/8 oz fluttering spoon on a jigging rod. While your set-line waits to get a strike you can cut several holes around it and alternate jigging the spoon in each one. Pike like to feed around weeds all season long and finding green weeds will be a key. For some of the bigger pike, try and find weeds in deeper water.

Make sure to check out our Italo Labignan YouTube channel and subscribe to it and to our Canadian Sportfishing Weekly Newsletter on our www.canadian-sportfishing.com website.

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I want to fish lures in Jordan harbour for pike and bass. Any spot suggestions and are there any lures/ colors that work well.

Posted on June 11th, 2021

Jordan Harbour has pretty murky water.

vibrax spinner

The best lures to cast & retrieve there around the shorelines are an in-line spinner like a Vibrax #3 or a Jointed Rapala #11 in a bright orange color. You can use any color of Vibrax spinner since they give off a lot of vibration going through the water. Chartreuse or black blade will work best in the turbid water. Cast it our and reel it in slowly but still fast enough for the blades to rotate

Jointed Rapala Pike

Fish the Jointed Rapala slowly in shallower water or around any weeds just below the surface or deeper in slightly deeper water. The “broken-body” action also produces a lot of vibration which works great for both species in turbit waters…God bless you.

Make sure to check the fishing videos on our Italo Labignan YouTube channel and if you have any questions just email them to me at Ask Italo throughout our website.

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Hello Italo,I am going fishing at Bark lake in Barrys Bay for walleye and pike season opener this weekend. I have never fished the lake this early in the year as I usually go up there in July and august and troll for Walleye in 16 to 20 feet with worm harnesses and crankbaits. This trip I hope to catch a Lake trout because I have never caught one before. Can you help me as to what depth and structure I can find Lake trout, Walleye, and Pike in and when baits work best? I have been watching your show with my dad since I was little because my dad played football with Henry for the Ticats back in the day. It has taught me so much about fishing, thank you for all the great lessons!All the best,Tyler Scholz

Posted on May 9th, 2021

Hi Tyler, glad you have been enjoying out TV shows for years and the they have helped you catch fish!

I have only fished Bark Lake, ON in the fall and the Walleye we caught were pretty deep using vertical jigging spoons in 40-50′ water. We caught quite a few Smallmouth Bass fishing humps and points in deeper water that came up to 18′ and also on the large flat at the north-end of the lake where all the stumps are.

Early in the year I would expect the Pike & Walleye to be shallower. I would target the north-end of the lake either casting crankbaits or fishing jigs/plastic grubs in-between all those stumps.

I caught Lake Trout trolling with wire line along the 40-70′ drop-off in the deepest part of the lake and also south, just up from the dam. I have a feeling that if you flat-line troll with a Rapala (J13 or Trolls to 20′) along that 30-50′ break you should hook into some. I know Bark Lake has some pretty big Lake Trout. Hope you have a good trip and that you continue to enjoy both our Here’s the Catch! and Canadian Sportfishing TV series…God bless you.

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Hi Itao ,I’m heading to the Whales Back area on Lake Huron for a week July 24 to 31,do you think th pike fishing will still be good in the bays or will the water be too warm for them. I’m thinking the walleye fishing will be an evening shoal bite. Thanks for your help,God Bless.

Posted on December 12th, 2020

HI Russs, it’s a little too early to second guess. The surface water temperature there in July can vary between 63-75F depending on how late our spring thaw is and June temperatures. I have a feeling the bays will still produce good Pike fishing. You may just have to check and weed/rock areas as well as just shallow rocky structure breaks without weeds to see which pattern will produce.

Walleye should be on the shoals early/late in the day but also check out the rocky points that extend out from shallower bays. They could be cruising in the 10-20′ range there all day long. Good areas to troll either harnesses or crankbiats on the breaks…God bless you.

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Hi Italo,I’m heading to Big Bay on the BOQ next week.Do you know if the pike have moved back into the weedy bays yet,also at this time of year, is drifting worm harness’s or is a jig and minnow the way to go. Thanks,and I love both your shows.

Posted on September 10th, 2019

Hi Russ, if you are looking specifically for pike you are better off fishing Smith’s Bay, Wapoos, ON just south of Picton, ON. Best presentation to use for them there is to either cast 1/4 – 3/8 oz. spoons, Vibrax #4 spinner or a Rapala Husky Jerk #11…God bless you.

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Hi Italo,Where on lake simcoe ( cooks bay ) is a good spot to fish for pike without a boat and what is the best set-up?

Posted on July 29th, 2019

Hi Paul, unfortunately there are not many places where you can have public shore-fishing access where you can  catch pike in a productive area on Lake Simcoe, ON. You are better off going to Lake Couchiching, ON and fishing right in Orillia, ON downtown from their park shorelines and also the public shoreline at Tudhope Park and also fishing the shorelines at Centennial Park at the north end. During mid-day pike will be laying in ambush around the weeds out from shore but early in the morning they will cruise and feed right up to the shorelines so timing and covering as much shoreline as you can is the key when targeting pike from shore. To cover water you can “twitch” a Rapala Husky Jerk or Shadow Rap, cast & retrieve a Vibrax #3 spinner (if there aren’t too many weeds, or cast a wobbling 1/4 oz. spoon..God bless you.

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Hi Italo. I just picked up fishing again as a hobby this year and I’m a bit confused with figuring out what size of line I should be using. I live in central Alberta as is where I’ll be fishing mostly around the province. Caught a couple pike the other day but they snapped my line. Currently have a 10lb braided line with a 3-6ft 8lb fluorocarbon leader. I have an Ugly Stik GX2 Shakespeare reel combo. I’ve been thoroughly watching your YouTube videos for better tricks, techniques and appropriate tackle to use for certain species. Everything has been extremely well explained and very helpful. Keep the videos coming. God bless.

Posted on June 19th, 2019

Hi Josh, thank you for your kind words and glad you have been enjoying our TV shows and YouTube videos. Your medium-spinning outfit sound perfect. I would suggest you use 30 lb. braid (8lb mono diameter), if you are targeting walleye where you have a good chance of hooking pike. I would also use at least a 12lb fluorocarbon leader and even go up to 20 lb. if there are bigger pike around.

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hi again, i have a question about pike. what approach would you suggest for a water body that is fairly shallow and already has significant sub-surface weed growth that interferes with retrieving a lure? thanks.

Posted on May 15th, 2019

Hi Brad, a 3/8 oz. white spinnerbait or a Johnson Weedless spoon/split-tail trailer should work well…God bless you.

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Hello ItaloI live in ajax and am looking to take my friend pike fishing, i am experienced. Can you recomend anywhere that is from toronto harbour to oshawa, preferably along the southern area due to us using public transit. Can you suggest a few spots?, we tried frenchmans bay with limited sucess as there are alot of fisherman there. Is lynde shores good?Thanks

Posted on May 8th, 2019

Hi Jack, some of the best areas to fish pike right now is the mouths of the Lake Ontario tributaries that have marsh areas. This would include Lynde Creek, Oshawa Creek (south of Simcoe St. Oshawa), and especially in the marsh at Bowmanville Creek.  Some areas will be accessible from shore, but due to much private property it’s best to fish from a small boat, kayak or canoe. In my younger years I fished all those areas and more and my go to lures were a #3 Vibrax Spinner and Rapala…God bless you.

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