TheGreatSpike

What's everyone's best bait/lure/presentation for early season pike? Where do you produce your best fish?

Good point man. I forgot about swimbaits, if the spinner isn't work and you need to slow down the speed and suspend the bait they are the choice. I add scents and rattles

Spinners, spinners consistanly produce for me but you need a double hook with a worm/body bait/paddle tail on it for more life like appearance. I even inserted glass rattles in mine. All just gos the extra bit to make them believe it's a real baitfish. A great casting method is to use your dead minnows as casting. Inset a jig in the head or a long shank hook with a line needle to feed the line through the bait for drop shorting. I have come close to my state record a few times with those methods. But hands down live bait in the spring as the water approaches 55-60 degrees is magic. They come together(here in Michigan anyway) to do a bizarre mating dance where males will breach the surface(for what reason I do not know). It makes them easy targets and with polarized glasses you can sight fish the monsters. While spending energy they need to eat regularly(you will catch a lot of medium size males, but the males are competing for a mate that's close by). Big live suckers or bluegill are what get it done here in Michigan. Use as small of a bobber as you can for the bait, if they don't grab it on the run they easily feel the tension. Step up bait size(I use 7 inch baitfish) to help get bigger fish. Beware of pike/pickerel lol

I'm an avid pike eater, you want the smaller fish. As small as the legal limit allows(here in Michigan it's 24 inches. Still kinda big for me. I go to lakes without restrictions to get 18-22 inches for food) my favorite fish cause of the firm meat and super clean taste