Closing Time

Pike season is quickly coming to a close in Zone 20 on the 31st of March and I want to get in as much time on the

water as possible. I decided to head out today and try a different spot as my normal honey hole has not produced of late. This is probably due to the tremendous amounts of rain we have received in the last couple of weeks.

This new spot looked very promising as it has lots of rocks among some
shallow areas which look great for the upcoming spawn. There are also
some emerging weeds that are visible.

With the full moon coming up in a couple of days I thought today might
present some better odds as the moon was at 95% (Waxing Gibbous). As
all avid anglers know, the window surrounding the full moon can
present a great time to be on the water fishing.

I started throwing a Rapala HJ-12 in the Firetiger color and after
about an hour with absolutely nothing to show for, I decided to change
lures. At this point I cut my line and tied on a Suspending Rattling
Wobbler in a Yellow/Pearl Ayu color. This lure is made by Fish Master
Lures, http://www.fishmasterlures.net After tying it on and making my
very first cast, I started my retrieve using various jerks followed by
long pauses. I immediately hooked into a small pike that was brought
in rather quickly due to its small size. It was a 21" pike that
probably weighed around 2 lbs. Hard to imagine that I would hook into
a pike on my very first cast after making a lure change but it does
happen. There are a few things that I like better about the SRW over the Rapala HJ. Firstly, it has more weight to it so it

suspends deeper in the water column. Secondly, it makes more noise due to the multiple tungsten rattle weights inside the
chamber, thus attracting fish better. Finally, I just love the
Gamakatsu Blood-Red treble hooks. Overall this lure is awesome.

Although it was a pretty cold day on the water I still managed to
catch one pike in a little over an hour, and while 21" may be
considered small for a pike, I thought I would put it into perspective
for myself. This is the same size as the smallmouth bass I caught this
summer on Rice Lake. If these two fish were next to one another, they
would have had the identical length and one would have dwarfed the
other. It was now that I realized just how big that smallie was
because I had something I could actually compare it to.

Pike In The Rain? Weekend Plans?

Once again I decided to hunt some critters of the toothy kind, this particular outing fell on the new moon which just passed. Most of my outings towards the end of last summer, and my outings so far this year have revolved around these crucial dates.

I made my way down to my favorite pike flats but I didn't have a good feeling as it rained heavily for a few days leading up to new moon. I figured that at least having this phase in my favor would help increase my odds and balance out the fact that the water had a sloppy chocolate milk color to it.

Needless to say after casting for a couple of hours with various cranks I came away empty-handed. As I mentioned, the water was quite a mess. It was very dirty and that was due to the heavy rains that we encountered, as well as the fact that all the ice and snow had melted. It's amazing what a couple of days of warm weather can do to the ice. It was completely gone and the snow on the banks disappeared as run off into the lake. As I was casting it was difficult to see my lures in the water. On my previous outings, they were clearly visible which is important if you get a follower. Today, I couldn't see my lures 8 inches below the surface. Quite a difference in a week.

The outlook for this upcoming weekend once again looks bleak so I am again making some backup plans. My first alternate is to head up to my cottage on Rice Lake to check on the latest ice conditions. The ice has melted to a degree, but it would be nice to have some open water beyond the end of my dock so I can throw out a minnow and a bobber and try to hook into some perch or crappie.

Another alternative is to head to the annual Toronto Sportsmen's Show. After giving this option a few seconds of consideration, I decided against it as they are charging $17 for admission not to mention at least $15 - $20 for parking. Throw in a beer or two while you cruise the aisles and I am already out of pocket, close to $50 dollars. The way I look at it, that is $50 less I can spend on various items like plastics and hard baits.

The final alternatives are quite attractive and those are to either hit BPS as they still have their annual Spring Classic on or go to LeBaron's as they are having their tax free event. The options to stay closer to home are much more attractive. Stay tuned to see what the weekend brings.

Ice-Out Pike Part II

After a semi successful day yesterday, I decided to try my hand at some more pike action today. The weather was once again spectacular along the shores of Lake Ontario. I hit the water in the late afternoon and it was amazing to see what another day of sun and warm weather can do. The ice retreated a great deal overnight and there was much more open water to cast cranks.

Yesterday, I did something which I never do when I am heading out, and that is forget my camera in the car. I think I was to excited to hit the water. After landing my one fish yesterday, I ran back to the car to get it and naturally there were no more fish to be landed after that. I didn't make that mistake today as I had it ready for a photo opp.

After some time I once again hooked into a pike in the 30" range. As it got close to shore, I reached for the net and as I was going to scoop it up into the net, it gave one last head shake and it spit my lure and returned to the mirky depths. After many casts over the last couple of days, I figured out that the most effective presentation was to jerk it 2 or 3 times followed by a very long pause. It was usually during this long pause that they would inhale the unsuspecting crankbait. A few times I could actually feel some pecking going on and I knew it had to be a fish since I was not running bottom as my bait was suspending in the water column.

My next encounter proved to be interesting as this particular pike managed to cut right through my fluoro leader. It must have followed the bait as I reeled in. All I remember is a splash followed by a slight weight on the end of the line. Then as I tried to set the hook, it rolled a couple of times and then all of a sudden I was left holding a rod with a stretch of dangling Power Pro in mid air. At first I was mad and then I thought I lost my Rapala Husky Jerk but then I saw it floating on top of the water. I quickly used my net to pull the water towards me as I made every attempt to save my ten dollars. Call me cheap or smart, I prefer the latter. Needless to say, today would have been the day to have waders on as I got a slight soaker. In the end I did however manage to save my lure so I was happy but still angry at having been sliced off.

After being patient, I was confident I would hookup before the day was over and sure enough I managed another 30" pike that went about 8 lbs. This time all my previos efforts were in my favour as I was able to net it and quickly release it after a photo.

Ice-Out Pike Part III to come in the near future.

Ice-Out Pike

There's just something about ice-out Pike fishing that gets me excited. Is it the thought of hooking a monster toothy critter towards the end of winter? Is it the thought of the upcoming soft water season? Is it knowing that spring is in the air? Is it knowing that my boat will be in the water permanently for another season soon? Well it's all the factors listed above.

The last couple of weeks have brought some unseasonably mild temperatures and with these temperatures come not only the melting of the ice, but the accessability to vast spaces of open water, which until now have been hidden. When and wherever you can find open water, chances are you'll find fish. Even if it's in winter. I have been monitoring the ice out conditions for some time now and I have been excited to dust off my Shimano Citica Crucial baitcasting combo to start throwing crankbaits for another year.

Yesterday presented the perfect opportunity to do just that. With the temperature in the mid single digits and just enough open water to make some long casts, it was time to start hunting some ice out pike! My favourite spots at this time of year are in and around The Big "O", Lake Ontario.

Most of the spots that have brought me success in the past all have a similar habitat. Shallow flats that drop off into deep pools with lots of rocks. The rocks are great for pike that are coming into the flats to stage and feed as they absord the suns rays and they retain heat.

After taking a few casts it quickly became clear that the 2010 fishing season had officialy begun, even though I went ice fishing a month earlier.

My bait of choice today was a suspending crankbait (Rapala Husky Jerk) Gold colour. I was using various retrive methods until I found one that worked. After about 10 minutes, I gave it a couple of jerks and I paused. I let it sit there for what seemed to be an eternity, when all of a sudden as I was ready to give it another couple of jerks, I hooked into my first ice-out pike of the season, a nice 30"er. The battle didn't last long as they are slow and sluggish, but having said that it's still exciting and it put on a show as it came to the surface. A small dance and a few rolls later I managed to reach into the icey water and land it. Wow did it ever feel good to get the proverbial monkey off my back, as many a fisherman get skunked while trying their hand at ice-out pike fishing.

Another hour and twenty mintutes passed before I saw any signs of life in the chilly waters. I looked to my left and I saw something swimming as it came out from under the large ice sheet that was yet to thaw. It looked rather fat and at first I thought it was a carp but then a closer look revealed that it was a rather wide and fat pike that was cruising along the outer edge of the ice just under the surface. It crawled along at a snails pace. This gave me 3 chances to flip my crank in front of it's nose but it wasn't interested at all. It turned and headed under the safety of the ice. A few minutes later, after another eternal pause I managed to hookup with another pike in the range of about 30" but this time I lost the battle as a few head shakes shook the battered crank from it's toothy jaws a few feet from my grasp.



The winds along the shores of Lake Ontario at this time of year are generally anywhere from moderate to strong. After spending a couple of hours outside, I quickly realized how fast the temps can drop as the sun goes down and the winds increase. I had a very enjoyable time on the water and it beats sitting indoors. If you are serious about fishing, then this time of year presents the perfect oppurtunity to hunt pike. You have to be dedicated enough to find open water, and strong enough to brave the elements.