It seems that more and
more emphasis is being put on the use of
body baits. Tackle companies are spending
more money developing the perfect swimming
action, the perfect wobble, or rattle, or
any number of other characteristics. The
spoon seems to have fallen by the wayside in
favour of Husky Jerks, Bombers, Torpedoes,
and other similiar lures.
However, one cannot
belittle the fact spoons have, and will
continue to, catch big pike. A recent
tournament drove the point home to me in a
big way. It was the last hour of the
tournament, we were down four pike. The
fishing had been slow at best, not a cloud
in the sky, no wind, very hot. My partner
and I had been throwing everything,
including the kitchen sink. I put on a blue
and silver Little Cleo and with a slow
retrieve, the four pike we needed couldn't
resist the flash and thumping wobble of the
spoon. We went from placing in the high
seventies, to the top twenty.
Now, as I sit here
watching the ice melt, my thoughts are on
early season pike. If you're like me,
there's nothing like quietly sneaking into a
backwater bay, seeing the shadow flash
toward your lure, the smash of the strike,
and the dash for freedom a big pike makes
when hooked. We should backtrack a little
here and look at what brings us to this
point.
Just after the ice
begins to break up, female pike begin to
move into shallow, weedy bays. When the
water temperature reaches the 40 to 45
degree range, large females, often
accompanied by one or more smaller males,
will deposit her eggs in six inches to three
feet of water. Pike do not build a nest, the
eggs are randomly dropped and will stick to
vegetation. The water closer to shore
usually warms up first so the eggs are
usually dropped close to shore. A few days
after spawning, the females leave the area.
The males will stay in the area for several
weeks but do not protect the eggs or the
fry. The eggs and fry are preyed upon by
crayfish, insects , birds and other fish.
There are a few things I
always look for when I am looking for early
season pike, no matter where the lake or
waterway is located. The best spawning areas
will have access to deeper water close by
because, as I said, a few days after
spawning, the females will leave the
spawning area for deeper water. The deeper
water also provides an escape for the pike
should some threat arise. This may only be
a depth of eight to 12 feet. I like a
backwater bay that is close to a main lake;
a bay far from a main lake will rarely have
the numbers of fish a closer bay would hold.
After they spawn, pike will head to the
first deep drop-off they find, and will feed
on whatever they can. They will stay here
until the water warms even more.
A stream, or river
inlet, will provide both high oxygen content
and food for the pike. Pike will not stray
far from food and generally the area near
the shore will be most fertile. I have
caught more big pike where a stream enters a
larger body of water than anywhere else.
Pike feed by ambushing
their prey and therefore need cover to hide
behind, so the back bay needs lots of weeds.
The eggs will stick to the weeds as well.
Smaller baitfish and other food will be
found trying to hide from foragging pike by
hiding in the same weeds . I try to keep an
eye out for fish, or other prey, the pike
will be feeding on.
I always watch where the
sun is shining the strongest. Exposure to
sunlight will allow the bay to warm faster,
and the warmer bay will have more weed
growth, creating good conditions for the
pike to begin spawning. At the same time,
keep in mind that the sun will be casting
your shadow, which can spook that trophy
sunning in the shallow water.
The most common way to
fish with spoons is to cast and retrieve ,
or troll at a steady pace. A stop-and-go
retrieve has proved productive for me, this
lets the spoon drop and flutter. Often the
fish will strike when the lure drops, so I
prefer to use the drop-and-flutter instead
of the Figure Eight when I have a follow. I
have more strikes doing this, than with the
Figure Eight. At a deeper drop-off, I have
had luck jigging a spoon up and down, where,
again the strike occurs on the downward
flutter. To keep the action of a spoon as
natural as possible I will use a shorter
leader, in the area of three to four inches,
a steel leader is a must to land a toothy
pike.
While spoon baits are
very basic in design, I have some favourites.
The Toronto Wobbler, made by Lucky Strike,
is my main spoon, I'll use this more then
any other. The combination of gold and
silver provides plenty of flash, not to
mention the solid feel when casting this
lure. This spoon is a good general-purpose
spoon and if I'm in a lake I've never fished
before, I like to use this one.
From Lucky Strike, a gold
Scarlett Eye, a silver Scarlett eye and a
Toronto Wobbler.
Also made by Lucky
Strike is the Scarlet Eye. The thin body of
this lure makes it a good choice if there is
thick weed cover. I find it will rip through
weeds easily. The red eye gives a different
type of look as the lure spins ; it reminds
me (and, I'm sure the pike) of a wounded
baitfish.
Two classic spoons,
whose reputation speaks for themselves are
the Daredevle and the Five of Diamonds. I
haven't met a fisherman yet who doesn't have
at least one Daredevle (or a knock off) in
their tackle box. It seems like the old
devil has been around forever. I'm willing
to bet there have been more fish caught on
Daredevle's then any other lure. The
red-and-white combination is like a red flag
to a bull. I often think that a pike will
strike just because the spoon is driving him
mad! I have several; some with a silver
back, while others have a gold back. I find
the gold gives a little extra flash in murky
water.
The classics,
red-and-white Daredevil, Five of Diamonds,
and a black and white Daredevil.
The Five of Diamonds is
a spoon that I never liked the looks of
until two pike over 40 inches changed my
mind. It was at the mouth of a river
emptying into a deep, rocky bay, I threw the
Five of Diamonds and reeled it in fast; a
short follow became a strike with a short
pause in reeling. This is another lure I
like, if I'm on an unfamiliar lake.
I also keep a few
weedless spoons in my box just in case I'm
in a very weedy bay. Rapala has recently
brought out a line of weedless spoons; these
have a thick, solid body with a deep curve .
The action is good and these spoons are
coloured to look like baitfish . I've used
them with a twister-type tail to give an
added action ; pike seem to like this little
extra action.
The
weedless lures I use, a blue and silver Rapala,
Johnson Silver Minnow, Johnson Daredevil.
I also have a couple
Johnson Silver Minnows in my weedless
arsenal too. These, while much thinner then
the Rapala , are still a good producer. The
simple design of this spoon hides its
fish-catching ability. Various patterns are
available, including a Daredevil like
pattern.
Generally , the sunnier
and warmer the spring weather, the better
the fishing will be. As the day goes on and
the water get warmer, the more the fish will
hit and they will be more willing to chase a
lure. Keep the Figure Eight method in mind.
I will usually go into the spawning bay
first and cover lots of water in a hurry,
just incase the big females are up in the
shallows, then I'll move to the first
drop-off, checking any humps or clumps of
weeds. Keep your eyes open, and try
different retrieve speeds and techniques,
and the pike will nearly always come
through. One last thought; the pike you
catch may be full of eggs. Think about
catch- and- release, try not to injure the
fish. This will ensure a good population in
the coming years.
