Category: pike

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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Hi Italo, still loving the show! Keep up the good work! I’m planning to go portaging at Algonquin for pike opener this year on Booth Lake. Any tips for locating the spring pike up there? I’m not too familiar with the area so I don’t know how to approach it, especially with the cooler temps and amount of flooding there has been up north. I usually run mepps 3-5 with buck tail, and rapala f18s for pike. I’m not sure how active they’ll be this time of year. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Looking forward to a nice shore lunch, and another great fishing season. Thanks!

Posted on May 7th, 2019

Hi Mark, thank you for your kind words. With higher water levels and colder water temps the pike should be much closer to the shorelines and bays, even if they are in flood conditions. Definitely start by fishing the “pikiest” looking areas and tight to shore. The in-line spinners and Original Rapala should be good but I would also encourage you to take a couple of Rapala Husky Jerk so you can “twitch” in case the bigger fish don’t want to chase baits. Also taking some 4″ paddle-tail swim-baits like the Lunker City Shaker and fishing them with 3/8 oz. jigheads should work well. Start by fishing lures at normal speed and if that works keep catching. If pike don’t respond as well try slowing down your presentation. Hope you enjoy many fresh pike shorelunches…God bless you.

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Hi Italo! I have a question regarding fishing line for Pike. I have two Bait Cast Reels, one is a Shimano Chronarch MGL with 40LB Power Pro and the Other is a Shimano Curado DC with 12LB Fluorocarbon. Both will use a 50LB Fluorocarbon Leader. My question is do I really need heavier line than 12LB Test with a 50LB leader? I’ve consistantly caught more Walleye on Fluoro than Braid. What are your thoughts?

Posted on March 11th, 2019

Hi Matt, for average-size pike up to 38″, using 12 lb. test especially with lures up to 14cm, will be fine. If you plan on targeting much bigger pike, over 42″ and casting large “musky-type” lures (big bucktails, big jerk-baits, and swim baits of 1 oz or more in weight), then I would encourage you to go with heavier line than 12 lb. test. It’s up to you if you go with braid or a fluorocarbon castable line. The heavier line weight should prevent heavier lure from snapping off  if you have a gear “malfunction” like the line getting caught around a guide/tip, on the reel, or not releasing the line during a cast. …God bless you.

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Good evening Italo, We are big fans of your show and appreciate your tips and explanations. We are headed north this summer in search of monster pike. Besides tossing spoons and swim baits I thought i’d try my hand working jerk/twitch baits. I’ve loaded my tackle box with a stunning arsenal of Rapala X-Raps, Shadow Raps, and husky Jerks. I’d like your opinion on what kinds and types and of leader i should be using? I plan on tying some 60lb flourocarbon leaders to help with any post spawn leader shy monsters but fear the heavy swivel and snap swivel may impair the action/buoyancy of my jerk bats – should i be concerned? Also, if i use a braid or mono for a main line what would be the main concerns for each and what rod action and length would you recommend. Basically, I’d like to prepare my son’s rod and my rod a little differently. Maybe a Mono and a titanium leader set up for him (9yrs old), he’ll primarily be chucking spoons and put a good braid coupled with a good flouro leader for myself to work the jerk baits. I’d appreciate and comments or input you may have.Thanks again

Posted on February 28th, 2019

Hi Vaughn, thank you for your kind words and excellent questions as you prepare to target big pike this summer. I must tell you that Pike are not leader shy since they are very aggressive by nature and focus on the lure when attacking. If the water was cold (right after ice-out), and the pike were more lethargic I would say go with a 60 lb. fluorocarbon leader (since they would be more sluggish and most likely hooked just in & around the mouth), but in the summer time when they have lot’s of energy I think that’s a “no-no”, especially if you are going to be fishing smaller 10-14cm Rapalas like the Husky Jerk, X-Rap, Shadow Rap and 4-5″ swimbaits like the Lunker City Shaker .  I have lost many of these lures by having my 60 lb. fluorocarbon cut off. There is a very good chance that a BIG pike over 40″ will inhale these lures and a good chance that their teeth or gill-rakers will cut through the fluorocarbon during the fight or attempt to land them. For that reason I would recommend you either consider using a black, standard multi-strand, coated wire leader, or if you don’t mind investing the extra money, using a Titanium leader like the Stringease or VMC brand. With regards to main line I would suggest you use 40 lb. test braid  has the diameter of 12 lb. monofilament, it will cast farther, won’t interfere with the action of even the smaller baits and will give you exceptional hook-sets. Just make sure your drag is set tight. Hope you have a great Pike adventure and looking forward to seeing your catches….God bless you.

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hi italo, i am relatively new to fishing, but i grew up watching canadian sportfishing! i live in downtown toronto and am wondering if you have any suggestions for what species would be good fishing now (late october) and in the coming months. one of my usual spots is currently closed off and i’ve been trying some new ponds and other spots but without any success. i’m going to try for pike at humber bay park but am curious if you have any other ideas?

Posted on October 29th, 2018

Hi Brad, right now all of the lower sections of the tributaries in Toronto have good numbers of Chinook salmon and some steelhead and brown trout. Check the regulations to see which ones have an “extended” fall fishing season and which sections have an “all year” open fishing season. Most angler fish the Rouge, Humber and the Credit River and Bronte Creek. If you fish any of the marina basins like at Scarborough or even the mouth of the Credit including Humber Bay, the pike should be coming out of the shallows and staging in the water off the boat docks in 5-10′ depth before they head out to the main lake….God bless you.

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