# Best NE Ohio Pike Waters?



## WillyDub (Aug 26, 2009)

Looking to take a first time pike fisherman out, trying to find some decent open water to take for the Pre-Spawn bite. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Thus far i know only of the Cuyahoga River to be a consistant source of Pike, in limited numbers and size, but they are there.

Once again, appreciate any info avaliable, take care!

Brad


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## beagle52 (Apr 15, 2007)

I would say that the Cuyahoga is best early spot. Then West Branch after that get some nice suckers for bait,they are hard to beat for early pike.


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## stinksbaittackle (Mar 27, 2009)

I ve been to quite a few spots and the cuyahoga has to be the best place for this action. Not to many other places this consistent that i know of.


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## Cull'in (Nov 21, 2005)

I'd put Mosquito Lake up there, especially the north end early in the year.


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## WillyDub (Aug 26, 2009)

Skito' is a Electric only correct?


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## mrphish42 (Jan 24, 2008)

Your own backyard (Cuy.Falls) at the river (earliest shot)....... first open water I'd bet on WB( some real monsters in there also).....Good luck and oh yes, "SKITO" is a extremely large....open horse power lake... but could be fished with an electric, but in a limited capacity.........jON sR.


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## WillyDub (Aug 26, 2009)

I had Mosquito confused with another. I have a 9.9 on my boat that gets me where i need to be, i had just thought it was a little electric only, i just looked it up and boy was i wrong =)


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## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

> I'd put Mosquito Lake up there, especially the north end early in the year.


There's a reason it's called Pikie Bay.

I second beagle52. I caught 25+ pike out of West Branch last sping and summer not even trying for them.


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## bassmastermjb (Apr 8, 2004)

You could even try Lake Rockwell around the bridge on RT14. You can pull some real nice fish from there at early ice out..............Mark


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## jonnyspeed (Mar 11, 2007)

I was told to try Ladue around ice-out. Anybody have luck there?

So far I plan on hitting the Cuyahoga, LaDue, West Branch, and Mosquito early this season in my Kayak.

Where are people getting their large live/dead baits?


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## allwayzfishin (Apr 30, 2008)

i have done well in ladue. here is just one from last year. the hoga produces some nice fish as well. you can use maggots in local creeks to catch chubs. good luck


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## Kastmaster93 (Aug 6, 2008)

i agree with allwayzfishin, ladue is a great spot. i got a 35 incher trolling last year, it was so suprising as i wasnt targeting them. stupidly though i measured it and put it on a metal stringer when it immediately took a few violent headshakes and was gone  LOL anyways Ladue is a good bet. good luck
kast


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## Bass Day (Apr 11, 2004)

If you ever get the chance try Evans Lake just south of Youngstown. It is a private lake that is closed to the public but they do open it once a year for a charity event. http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?t=117030&highlight=evans+lake


You cant throw a rattle-trap in that lake & keep the Pike off of it. Imo its the best pike lake in NE Ohio for both size & numbers.


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## BigBag (Jan 11, 2009)

I have always done good at dover dam, we use to fish the middle of the dam out of a 12 ft. flat bottom, the middle lock is only used for flood purposes, there are some really nice squares of concrete in there that harbor a lot of pike... and nice crappies on the corner where the calm water meets the swift water.. just watch how far up you get your boat, a few years back they posted signs on the dam as to how far you can get up in... I put my 17' fisher in at dover a few years back and ran the whole way up to the dam. Have to watch the shallow spots though, I had to navigate with my trolling motor only down under 416


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## paintED (Mar 8, 2007)

try breakneck creek . You'd be surprised.


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## macattack (Jan 22, 2010)

Try Nimisila. I've caught some early season pike in late Feb and early Mar. Try the camp grounds section off of Christman Rd. There is a big parking lot there. Walk west on the end of the lot and fish the southern shore area. Use waders if you have them. I've caught pike about 30ft from shore(using waders) casting medium size Mepps spinners.


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## beagle52 (Apr 15, 2007)

Bassmaster is right ! There at rt 14 bridge is a great place eary season ! There are some real pigs there .


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## husky hooker (Apr 6, 2004)

dover dam and spillway down at the sewage plant.floating red jigs with good size minnows.


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## esoxangler (Apr 1, 2005)

The Hoga yup the mighty river that once caught on fire back in the 60's! There is a thriving population of northern to be found in the meandering scenic upper Hoga. The old-timers were targeting pike as far back as the 1930's word has it and I've listened to the old river rats talk about the river as if they were talking about some fly-in up North. Huge fish have been taken over the years and yes it still grows some monsters. The stretches of river I fish remind me in some ways of Canadian pike habitat. Lilly-pads, lush weed beds, wood cover, deep pools, cattails, drop-offs, all the right stuff. Some stretches are thirty feet wide while other areas are three-hundred also periodically curving off into wide pockets, basically backwater areas void of current that can be expansive holding many pike or tiny pockets that hold one or two fish. While I cant afford to give away certain areas which I have discovered over the years by covering miles of river by launching in different spots, a river map will lead you to public launch sites. It took me a while to figure the river out and what areas hold fish before I began to consistently catch numbers of fish. And with time I've found some areas that produce bigger fish. These fish seem to bite year-round too, although the big girls are hard to turn during the heat of Summer. As long as theres open water you can catch fish. Due to the lack of water clarity and color I like a lot of flash on a big bait most of the year. 90% of the year all I throw is a big chartreuse titanium spinner-bait with over-sized copper colored willow leaf blades and a trailer hook due to a lot of hit and misses. A 5-7 inch 20-30lb. leader of knot-able wire tied right to the bait and ending with a barrel swivel. Been slow rolling this package up and down the river for years and they hammer it. On an average day 6-12 fish are caught half in the low to mid 20's and the rest 28"-35" and sometimes bigger. On a good day I might catch and release 15-20 with a third in the 34"-38"in. usually when you see this many fish its either early Spring or late Fall on a under sunny skies and stable warmish weather. I see, catch, or lose, usually lose (and always release) a few 20lb. pike each year so far four landed in the low twenties, a 45" fish and two 44"'s and 43and1/2in. The biggest in my boat was in Fall 2008 47and1/4in. long and fit, prolly around 26-28lb. range. It seems like the bite doesn't start until 11 or noon, once the suns had a chance to warm things up a bit so no point in setting the alarm for 5a.m. In early spring and through winter things can get really slow so I'll twitch Husky Jerks or X-raps over the dead vegetation, this tactic produces well in the cold. Live-bait produces year-round and is a good way to go when things get tough. Dead-bait like smelt or herring is hard to beat at ice-out when fishing pre-spawn or the spawn i park the boat in front of an entrance to a marsh or backwater float a smelt in the opening and fan-cast the area thoroughly. The huge egg-laden females become concentrated and easier to connect with, if you land a giant release her please! Personally my boat is 100% C&R. I hope this Info will help u get on some of these awesome fish, and please put them all back in, this fishery cant support much harvest. Good Piking!


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## allwayzfishin (Apr 30, 2008)

great read esoxangler! thanks for the post. pm me sometime before iceout. maybe we can head out sometime. thanks again


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## DanAdelman (Sep 19, 2005)

never fished the upper stretches... How far up are we talking about? Right up by the lake and down from there would that be a good start? Would be fun to launch my boat out there this fall and hook up with steel along with the pikie throwing spinners... 
I have no clue where I would launch can you give me a more specific area to start? I have a 14 foot boat with a 9.9...

Anyways I have always done well for pike in kent stretches of the hoga but never to the level of success as described below...


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## Fishin365 (Feb 3, 2009)

I like the Tusc. I have had several 6+ pike days for each guy in the boat (2 people). Not always big fish but I have got one out of there 37"


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## Putzin (May 5, 2008)

*LADUE for PIKE!!* 

There are size and numbers. Just throw a white spinnerbait & pretend like your bass fishin'.


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## MuskieManOhio (Jun 29, 2008)

Skeeter or Pymy for sure.


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## beetlebailey (May 26, 2009)

I myself, i like hiram rapids on the hoga. We go early and catch some suckers. Winchel road to the rapids. Suckers 2 feet below a bobber. Once the bobber moves, open the bail and let em devour. Its a blast. Hardly ever get skunked.


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## DMinn Angler (Feb 13, 2012)

Can you name a few of these spots on the Cuya?
I got fishing fever bad and all the small ponds are iced over. Which metro park has best access to hot spots?


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## buckzye11 (Jul 16, 2009)

DMinn Angler said:


> Can you name a few of these spots on the Cuya?
> I got fishing fever bad and all the small ponds are iced over. Which metro park has best access to hot spots?


Cascade Valley Metro in Cuyahoga Falls... i don't know how hot it is now, but seen alot of pike come from there. If you are in Avon it may be worth checking out the Rocky River.... not for Pike, but Steelhead that are on fire for sure now....i heard a really good report at work today(25 fish in 5 hours). Welcome to the fourms!


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## JSykes3 (Oct 14, 2010)

I wouldn't even try it in cascade right now. Water is most likely pretty high, and you have to wade to get to spots to fish. Barely any access to fishing near roads or parking lots, off of shore.


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## WillyDub (Aug 26, 2009)

Year old thread revival's are awesome!

Since this post FYI, i have to say Hands down the Hoga is the best for pike.


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## FISHIN216 (Mar 18, 2009)

This thread just made me giddy.....I'm giving up on steelies this spring for these toothy critters

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## westbranchbob (Jan 1, 2011)

One more for the upper hoga although it can be time specific.I have caught alot of fish in some areas only to hear it was devoid of fish a few weeks later.I also catch a fair number of incidentals on W.B. while spring crappie fishing,I know there is a good population in skeeter,and have also herd of alot from Ladue like in the ealier post.


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## fredg53 (Sep 17, 2010)

FISHIN216 said:


> This thread just made me giddy.....I'm giving up on steelies this spring for these toothy critters
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


Omg I may be in too bro I know what ur saying 

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## I_Shock_Em (Jul 20, 2008)

Anywhere upstream of akron's treatment plant you will find pike. Downstream you will be wasting your time. I've done a lot of electroshocking on the hoga and there are some pigs in there


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## musclebeach22 (Feb 15, 2012)

The 'hoga has some nice pike and in pretty good quantities but Mosquito gets my vote. Hit the point of the mouth of pikes cove on the north end. Fish right along the downed trees and other structure. You'll be sure to hook into one. And trust me, I'e seen some Biggin's pulled out of there! make sure you have a big landing net. Lost one last year on the side of the boat. Length was probably around the mid 30's considering only half of the fish fit into my net. I lifted him out of the water and with one quick jerk, he spit out my hook and flopped out of the net. Hes out there somewhere... would love to have another chance at him again this year.


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## DMinn Angler (Feb 13, 2012)

Steelhead in the rocky river sounds like a blast. Can you tell me where some good spots are? This Sat. is supposed to be 40ish degrees and I'm hitting one river or another if it kills me!


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## General (Oct 28, 2009)

Where is Breakneck Creek?


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## musclebeach22 (Feb 15, 2012)

DMinn Angler said:


> Steelhead in the rocky river sounds like a blast. Can you tell me where some good spots are? This Sat. is supposed to be 40ish degrees and I'm hitting one river or another if it kills me!


saturday isnt looking too good for you...good chance of rain and water levels will be up from the rain last night/today. But good luck, tight lines to ya! Let us know how it goes.


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## Harbor Hunter (Aug 19, 2007)

esoxangler said:


> The Hoga yup the mighty river that once caught on fire back in the 60's! There is a thriving population of northern to be found in the meandering scenic upper Hoga. The old-timers were targeting pike as far back as the 1930's word has it and I've listened to the old river rats talk about the river as if they were talking about some fly-in up North. Huge fish have been taken over the years and yes it still grows some monsters. The stretches of river I fish remind me in some ways of Canadian pike habitat. Lilly-pads, lush weed beds, wood cover, deep pools, cattails, drop-offs, all the right stuff. Some stretches are thirty feet wide while other areas are three-hundred also periodically curving off into wide pockets, basically backwater areas void of current that can be expansive holding many pike or tiny pockets that hold one or two fish. While I cant afford to give away certain areas which I have discovered over the years by covering miles of river by launching in different spots, a river map will lead you to public launch sites. It took me a while to figure the river out and what areas hold fish before I began to consistently catch numbers of fish. And with time I've found some areas that produce bigger fish. These fish seem to bite year-round too, although the big girls are hard to turn during the heat of Summer. As long as theres open water you can catch fish. Due to the lack of water clarity and color I like a lot of flash on a big bait most of the year. 90% of the year all I throw is a big chartreuse titanium spinner-bait with over-sized copper colored willow leaf blades and a trailer hook due to a lot of hit and misses. A 5-7 inch 20-30lb. leader of knot-able wire tied right to the bait and ending with a barrel swivel. Been slow rolling this package up and down the river for years and they hammer it. On an average day 6-12 fish are caught half in the low to mid 20's and the rest 28"-35" and sometimes bigger. On a good day I might catch and release 15-20 with a third in the 34"-38"in. usually when you see this many fish its either early Spring or late Fall on a under sunny skies and stable warmish weather. I see, catch, or lose, usually lose (and always release) a few 20lb. pike each year so far four landed in the low twenties, a 45" fish and two 44"'s and 43and1/2in. The biggest in my boat was in Fall 2008 47and1/4in. long and fit, prolly around 26-28lb. range. It seems like the bite doesn't start until 11 or noon, once the suns had a chance to warm things up a bit so no point in setting the alarm for 5a.m. In early spring and through winter things can get really slow so I'll twitch Husky Jerks or X-raps over the dead vegetation, this tactic produces well in the cold. Live-bait produces year-round and is a good way to go when things get tough. Dead-bait like smelt or herring is hard to beat at ice-out when fishing pre-spawn or the spawn i park the boat in front of an entrance to a marsh or backwater float a smelt in the opening and fan-cast the area thoroughly. The huge egg-laden females become concentrated and easier to connect with, if you land a giant release her please! Personally my boat is 100% C&R. I hope this Info will help u get on some of these awesome fish, and please put them all back in, this fishery cant support much harvest. Good Piking!


 Are you aware that the state record northern pike went 22lbs.? You should turn in one of those 26-28lb'ers,nobody would probably ever break your record.I'm being serious,if the record fish is 22lbs.,and was caught in 1988,I seriously doubt if anybody would ever break the record if it was at 28lbs.That would be an awesome feat!


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## PIKEMAN (Apr 14, 2004)

That post from ESOXANGLER really helps to get me through a long winter with dreams of catching monsterous northerns in North Eastern Ohio!

Anyone here know what happened to ESOXANGLER? I have not seen any new posts in a couple of years. I have fished the Cuyahoga a good dozen times or more in the past couple of years, but have never seen the kind of success in size or numbers that the above post described. From fishing other places for pike, I do know that being in the right place, at the right time, with the right presentation can yield some seemingly incredible results. I would really like to learn a bit from ESOXANGLER's Cuyahoga experiences!


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## t.stuller (Feb 25, 2010)

Harbor Hunter said:


> Are you aware that the state record northern pike went 22lbs.? You should turn in one of those 26-28lb'ers,nobody would probably ever break your record.I'm being serious,if the record fish is 22lbs.,and was caught in 1988,I seriously doubt if anybody would ever break the record if it was at 28lbs.That would be an awesome feat!


Alot of people probably dont realize the state record is only 22lbs. because pike dont get as much attention as other fish in this area. It blew my mind to look up and find that the record was only 43" 22lbs. I guy I used to work with showed me a pic of a 50 1/2" pike that he claims his son caught out of the Cuyahoga river near Mantua. Not sure about exact weight, but it sure looked like it would have went 25+lbs. I would not doubt if a new state record has been caught and released out of the Cuyahoga river without someone knowing it.


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## I_Shock_Em (Jul 20, 2008)

We shocked numerous pike out of the hoga that were 40"+. Don't recall the weights though.


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## paxpax2008 (Oct 26, 2010)

If your still looking to fish Pike on the Hoga, I would tell you to start at Fred Fuller Park in Kent, that has always been a good place for me. The best advice I could give would be to stop in at Gone Fishin in the Falls. those guy fish pike all winter long and run a charter on the river and seem to know all the best places. It never hurts to ask for a little help !!!!!


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## NateDaug149 (Jul 31, 2009)

Got this guy today in the Hoga.


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## t.stuller (Feb 25, 2010)

Congrats on the nice catch!


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## stak45dx1 (Jun 21, 2011)

+1 for the hoga, I caught a 33 incher yesterday day on a 4 1/2" swim bait, it was pretty awesome... After several attempts at uploading the pic it still won't work... I'll post it when it works.


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## stak45dx1 (Jun 21, 2011)

there we go...


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## raiderdave (Oct 18, 2010)

Just curious ... are you guys eating those?


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## stak45dx1 (Jun 21, 2011)

C & R always for me...


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## WillyDub (Aug 26, 2009)

Catch and Release. That pike in Daugers picture was out of the water for all of about 15 seconds. Daugers bloody Finger and my muddy boots from jumping over the small creek in our way can attest to it =P


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## t.stuller (Feb 25, 2010)

raiderdave said:


> Just curious ... are you guys eating those?


they caught them in the Cuyahoga river. I wouldnt recommend eating anything out of there.


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## dcfisherman (Jul 25, 2008)

Ahh I'm starting to get that itch for pike fishing...but theres a battle in my head between pike and steelhead fishing right now!


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## rustyhooks (Aug 17, 2008)

t.stuller said:


> they caught them in the Cuyahoga river. I wouldnt recommend eating anything out of there.


nothing wrong with the fish in the hoga!! check out the fisheries biological reports . it s been a couple years since it caught on fire, and the fish are just as clean , if not cleaner , than what you'll catch in most ohio lakes


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## westbranchbob (Jan 1, 2011)

I would think most of the upper hoga,like above hiram,would be clean.maybe even above mantua.Not that I eat pike but I bet it's cleaner than some of the local lakes.


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## jonnyspeed (Mar 11, 2007)

West Branch has a good population too. Caught this guy this Spring. 

I prefer the Hoga though.


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## kingtrukr (Oct 15, 2007)

Without a doubt I think the Cuyahoga is the best bet for pike in both size and numbers but I wouldn't overlook the upper Grand River. There's pike in there in decent numbers and there's always a good chance of hooking a muskie while fishing for them, or visa versa in most cases.


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## BassSlayerChris (Aug 9, 2010)

jonnyspeed said:


> I was told to try Ladue around ice-out. Anybody have luck there?
> 
> So far I plan on hitting the Cuyahoga, LaDue, West Branch, and Mosquito early this season in my Kayak.
> 
> Where are people getting their large live/dead baits?


I did this year and got a 34" on the fifth cast from my float tube. 


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## BassSlayerChris (Aug 9, 2010)

stak45dx1 said:


> there we go...


+1 on the Vendetta!! Do you love it or what??


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## jonnyspeed (Mar 11, 2007)

BassSlayerChris said:


> I did this year and got a 34" on the fifth cast from my float tube.
> 
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


Good to know! We're you on the west end? I really want to get out there next spring.


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

Numbers, the Cuyahoga river. Size and weight......... Mosquito or West Branch. This is a pike my dad caught at Mosquito this spring. We've caught them this size at West Branch as well.


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## BassSlayerChris (Aug 9, 2010)

jonnyspeed said:


> Good to know! We're you on the west end? I really want to get out there next spring.
> 
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


5fow north of the causeway


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

Lewzer said:


> There's a reason it's called Pikie Bay.
> 
> I second beagle52. I caught 25+ pike out of West Branch last sping and summer not even trying for them.





Cull'in said:


> I'd put Mosquito Lake up there, especially the north end early in the year.


Yep! I caught some real nice pike out of Skeeter trolling big red & white Hot 'n Tots in the creek channel north of the causeway. This was in late May/early June and the walleye action was pretty slow. Tried trolling the deepest water up there and caught pike after pike.

Talked to an ODNR netting crew up there. Said Skeeter has a fabulous pike fishery that is way under utilized. Said they had pulled at least 4 pike that would have been new state records easy.


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