Minnow Seasoning (For Ice Fishing Pike)

[The Rocket]

I have a big jar in my freezer of dead shinners and minnows. In Colorado, You can't use live minnows in the mountains. I am looking for a seasoning to add to those minnows that no Pike will be able to resist. I have never cought a Pike through the ice, and I am eager.

Thanks A Million

[TroutFishingBear]

I have a big jar in my freezer of dead shinners and minnows. In Colorado, You can't use live minnows in the mountains. I am looking for a seasoning to add to those minnows that no Pike will be able to resist. I have never cought a Pike through the ice, and I am eager.

You really don't need a seasoning in my opinion.

your biggest problem will be finding pike that are active. Supposedly stagecoach and elevenmile have the most active ones by far, but they can still be tough. Pike just shut down in colorado in the winter for some reason, and  everybody has a difficult time catching them. the cdow may lie though and tell you pike fishing is good at a lake just to get you there so you will kill them.

Rocket, try using suckers in various sizes, 4-8 "
Shiners work well too though, but when you get new minnows by small white suckers.
Also, catch a small yellow perch or a teeny 6" trout, kill it, and use it whole. I do that with perch at rio blanco and have had my best day that way. Just be sure to not kill more than your limit though.

Good luck for some tough fishing!

[The Rocket]

Thanks A Million TFB.

I have several different sizes of frozen minnows. I keep many 5-7'' Shinners, and 1-4'' minnows and everything in between. I read that a big dead shinner will be my best bet for pike through the ice. I actually have a friend that 2 years ago cought several pike at Willams Fork with sucker meat. All I cought with sucker meat was Mackinaw.

[TroutFishingBear]

Don't forget to maybe try a jigging rapala! Experiment with tipping a small minnow head on it or a small piece of the flesh for best results. But sometimes not tipping it works better, it all depends on how active the pike are!

[Mackdaddy21]

Rocket,

You are in for some tough fishing to say the least. Pike are next to impossible to catch through the ice in this state it seems like. I don't think they would be any different than in other states like Minnesota and the Dakotas where pike are easy marks through the ice. It would be an interesting study to radio tag pike in the winter around here and see how they act. But they still have to eat. I think they are just quite low in density. If I was going to Williams Fork, I would set tip ups in about 12 feet of water with dead suckers or smelt while I fish for Macks in 40 feet of water with jigs. I have heard of pike hitting small jigs with mealworms or crawlers fished for bows, even smaller crappie jigs too. I am thinking maybe pike get going more later in the winter toward February and March because it's closer to spawn time. I have yet to test this theory but will this winter. I still think pike are worth a shot anytime your going ice fishing somewhere that have them, just set tip ups shallower and fish for other species with your jigging rod. Rainbows, macks, browns, crappies, cutts, bluegills, walleyes, and even catfish are far more active than colorado pike through the ice. Whether it's because pike act totally different around here or just aren't numerous because of the CDOW's anti pikeism is also yet to be seen for me. A one pike day is a success. My best day is two, compaired to about a dozen in open water.

Tyler

[TroutFishingBear]

just wondering rocket, how did it work? I caught an average of 2 or 3 pike PER TRIP this winter at crawford, which is an insanely high pike total. I caught them on either dead perch or dead anchovies. 5-6" baits worked the best. I also caught a couple and had numerous bite offs while jigging for perch! By the way, a couple years ago I found out DOW rewrote the rule and you cannot use dead trout anymore, it just used to say "no live gamefish can be used west of the continental divide, or in waters greater than 7,000 ft in elevation." Now it says the dead gamefish you can use, which include: perch, bluegill, hybrid bluegill, and a few others.

[Buckski]

First ICE pike are the most aggressive, then it becomes the staging for the spawn. Mid winter pike are no push over but some lakes really do have more activity. Try fishing smaller bodies of water first(first to freeze and esier to target?) Then bigger lakes, really break the lake into sections and concentrate on that area and punch holes. Gotta find em and what they like. Gotta eat???
Good Luck, get the low down during soft water and really get to know the lakes and areas that will hold fish. Caught me biggest pike this year on a small lake, less than 30 acres. Had caught more pike on a bigger lake and lost a few to line problems. May have a 15lber plus.
I just slat the dead bait, did see guys using anchovies that were all spoiled and stinky and they worked and are easier to use, me I like Large live bait that swims.