# Pike Bite



## flyasf (Mar 19, 2021)

How has the pike bite been for everyone. Has anyone had any luck getting them on lures on the rivers?


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## JayW (Apr 12, 2015)

Pike are always hitting lures in the river, just some days more than others. I’ve decided to stop fishing the local pike river outside of the cold months, too many annoying drunks blasting cellphone music and ruining my day.


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## flyasf (Mar 19, 2021)

JayW said:


> Pike are always hitting lures in the river, just some days more than others. I’ve decided to stop fishing the local pike river outside of the cold months, too many annoying drunks blasting cellphone music and ruining my day.


I never have luck getting pike to hit in the river but this weekend im gonna fish the water works section of the cuyahoga and see if I cant get any pike or small mouth.


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## JayW (Apr 12, 2015)

flyasf said:


> I never have luck getting pike to hit in the river but this weekend im gonna fish the water works section of the cuyahoga and see if I cant get any pike or small mouth.


Spinnerbaits, worked fairly slow. Pick apart every fishy looking spot, from several angles. Don’t be afraid to chuck those things into deep weeds and wood, you’ll snag here and there but usually not too badly. Color doesn’t matter much but I like perch colors, or white/blue or chartreuse, all with at least one gold blade. Jerkbaits can work, too, but I don’t like trebles. I’ve seen a lot of dead, mangled pike along the Cuyahoga. Smallies try a rebel craw, or smaller spinnerbaits.


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## flyasf (Mar 19, 2021)

JayW said:


> Spinnerbaits, worked fairly slow. Pick apart every fishy looking spot, from several angles. Don’t be afraid to chuck those things into deep weeds and wood, you’ll snag here and there but usually not too badly. Color doesn’t matter much but I like perch colors, or white/blue or chartreuse, all with at least one gold blade. Jerkbaits can work, too, but I don’t like trebles. I’ve seen a lot of dead, mangled pike along the Cuyahoga. Smallies try a rebel craw, or smaller spinnerbaits.


I plan on throwing a big spinner bait and probably a ned rigged hellgramite and see what i can get


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## legendaryyaj (Nov 1, 2005)

flyasf said:


> I never have luck getting pike to hit in the river but this weekend im gonna fish the water works section of the cuyahoga and see if I cant get any pike or small mouth.


That stretch sucks. 

Go fish the stretch in Kent or head south and fish the dams off 77. Fished Bolivar Dam last year and this year not targeting pike and got them. Take a spinnerbait or imitation bait fish and you should run into 1 or more. The Tusc is well known for Pike. My buddy who has never caught one got one on his first trip. Wasn't huge or anything but still a pike.


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## flyasf (Mar 19, 2021)

legendaryyaj said:


> That stretch sucks.
> 
> Go fish the stretch in Kent or head south and fish the dams off 77. Fished Bolivar Dam last year and this year not targeting pike and got them. Take a spinnerbait or imitation bait fish and you should run into 1 or more. The Tusc is well known for Pike. My buddy who has never caught one got one on his first trip. Wasn't huge or anything but still a pike.


dams off 77 where? are you talking like PLX or somewhere else?


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## Gregg M (Nov 21, 2017)

flyasf said:


> dams off 77 where? are you talking like PLX or somewhere else?


At Bolivar & I-77 is Bolivar Dam.


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## legendaryyaj (Nov 1, 2005)

There’s Bolivar and Dover Dam. Had success at both with a spinner bait. A bass spinnerbait will do the job. Don’t need one of those big fancy Muskie or Pike ones.

At Bolivar, cast along the walls and around the divider. At Dover, I walked down to the slower water and casted down there. Been to each place only twice ever and was successful at each. Good luck as maybe I was just lucky!


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## flyasf (Mar 19, 2021)

legendaryyaj said:


> There’s Bolivar and Dover Dam. Had success at both with a spinner bait. A bass spinnerbait will do the job. Don’t need one of those big fancy Muskie or Pike ones.
> 
> At Bolivar, cast along the walls and around the divider. At Dover, I walked down to the slower water and casted down there. Been to each place only twice ever and was successful at each. Good luck as maybe I was just lucky!


Im gonna see how far it is and try and go get some pike


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## JayW (Apr 12, 2015)

flyasf said:


> Im gonna see how far it is and try and go get some pike


Pm sent


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## The Shack (Aug 20, 2020)

flyasf said:


> How has the pike bite been for everyone. Has anyone had any luck getting them on lures on the rivers?


Picking them up on the fly rod in the Tusc. Caught a few, small white Spinnerbait on the Hoga


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## Jarhead (Apr 11, 2007)

Any bright colored whopper plopper 90 or 110 with heavy 12” leader


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## flyasf (Mar 19, 2021)

The Shack said:


> Picking them up on the fly rod in the Tusc. Caught a few, small white Spinnerbait on the Hoga


I wanna eventually get one on the fly rod.


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## flyasf (Mar 19, 2021)

Went out on the cuyahoga on friday. spotted one but got no bites. anyone have any luck over the weekend.


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## black dog '16 (Apr 13, 2021)

I fished the cuyahoga a week ago and caught 9 pike. Cast a flutter spoon or small spinner next to deep weeds and you'll get action. Caught nada by timber.


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## flyasf (Mar 19, 2021)

Im gonna grind this weekend and find them


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## flyasf (Mar 19, 2021)

What do you guys do to fish for pike? Do you wade the river and cast on a lot of cover or pike looking areas? Or do you sit on one section of the river and jig spoons and jerkbaits in that one area in hope of a pike swimming by? lmk


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## Tekneek (Jul 23, 2009)

I'm almost always in a boat, so I'm more mobile and can cover a lot of water, but I can tell you, most of my pike are caught mid-stream with no visible cover around. As much as I eventually do end up beating every logjam, weed line, or piece of slack water to death because they look so fishy, in the end most of my pike (especially the bigger ones) come from the middle of the river. I'm sure they're lying down there next to a big log or weedy depression or weed edge. I also fly fish regularly for them. I'm a streamer guy and use all the typical big pike, saltwater, and musky flies. They all produce. I tend to lean towards chartreuse, white, and perch colors, but I've had some bomb days tossing black or blood red flies. I tie and then epoxy wire weed guards on all my flies so the times I'm tempted to chuck one into the timber, it just snakes through it like butter. Mad River Outfitters has a great selection of pike/musky flies, especially if you're wanting to get into articulated flies, which work awesome.





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## winguy7 (Mar 12, 2014)

They'll bite pretty much any bass lure in a river. My little whopper plopper 60 survived a pike apocalypse on 10lb braid a week ago. The tusc is loaded with em. Crank baits, flukes, buzzbaits, and whopper ploppers will get the job done.


flyasf said:


> What do you guys do to fish for pike? Do you wade the river and cast on a lot of cover or pike looking areas? Or do you sit on one section of the river and jig spoons and jerkbaits in that one area in hope of a pike swimming by? lmk


I kayak. What I've noticed is that the best pike sections of river are mud banks and muddy bottom. All mine come from downed logs on those sections. Rarely do I get em from the middle on lures...then again I almost never cast to the middle. Now on dead bait, this time a year..cast from the bank I get the biggest ones.


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## flyasf (Mar 19, 2021)

winguy7 said:


> They'll bite pretty much any bass lure in a river. My little whopper plopper 60 survived a pike apocalypse on 10lb braid a week ago. The tusc is loaded with em. Crank baits, flukes, buzzbaits, and whopper ploppers will get the job done.
> I kayak. What I've noticed is that the best pike sections of river are mud banks and muddy bottom. All mine come from downed logs on those sections. Rarely do I get em from the middle on lures...then again I almost never cast to the middle. Now on dead bait, this time a year..cast from the bank I get the biggest ones.


What do you use for deadbait?


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## winguy7 (Mar 12, 2014)

flyasf said:


> What do you use for deadbait?


Shad or creek chubs.


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## flyasf (Mar 19, 2021)

winguy7 said:


> Shad or creek chubs.


Okay thanks gonna give it a try on the cuyahoga.


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## flyasf (Mar 19, 2021)

has anyone had any luck with pike. Ive fished a lot of sections for river and just cant bring one in. Im optimistic though.


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## JayW (Apr 12, 2015)

flyasf said:


> has anyone had any luck with pike. Ive fished a lot of sections for river and just cant bring one in. Im optimistic though.


Can you describe your rig so we know what you’re using?


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## flyasf (Mar 19, 2021)

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JayW said:


> Can you describe your rig so we know what you’re using?


spoons, jerkbaits, spinner baits, and the ned rig


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## JayW (Apr 12, 2015)

Just gotta keep trying then. I haven’t been skunked, always get at least one a day and often multiple. They’re not hard to catch. Try downsizing your lures, bass sizes work best and the smaller ones at that, and work along weed edges, parallel to the bank, picking apart every weed bed you encounter.


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## flyasf (Mar 19, 2021)

JayW said:


> Just gotta keep trying then. I haven’t been skunked, always get at least one a day and often multiple. They’re not hard to catch. Try downsizing your lures, bass sizes work best and the smaller ones at that, and work along weed edges, parallel to the bank, picking apart every weed bed you encounter.


Okay im gonna fish the tusc this weekend and try it out.


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## winguy7 (Mar 12, 2014)

flyasf said:


> Okay im gonna fish the tusc this weekend and try it out.


How'd ya do? This one's from the Bolivar area. There's a lot of pike down there. It was caught on a ned rig while smallmouth fishing. 7.25lbs.


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## winguy7 (Mar 12, 2014)

No idea why it posted two pics, lol.


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## winguy7 (Mar 12, 2014)

A guy at work caught one last month from the canal Fulton area. It was fat, fat. Probably the around the same length but at least 5lbs heavier.


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## joekacz (Sep 11, 2013)

winguy7 said:


> No idea why it posted two pics, lol.


Because it’s a big fish!! Nice catch.


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## flyasf (Mar 19, 2021)

winguy7 said:


> A guy at work caught one last month from the canal Fulton area. It was fat, fat. Probably the around the same length but at least 5lbs heavier.


ended up not going and fished brust park in the falls instead. This week is my last week of school so hopefully I get some more time to be able to go and fish the tusc.


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## flyasf (Mar 19, 2021)

winguy7 said:


> View attachment 470598
> View attachment 470598
> 
> How'd ya do? This one's from the Bolivar area. There's a lot of pike down there. It was caught on a ned rig while smallmouth fishing. 7.25lbs.


I want to catch a pike like that on my fly rod. That is a nice fish.


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