passaic river pike on live bait

[tycomps]

anybody been successful with minnows etc.. for pike in the passaic? just found a creek near me packed with baitfish.

[bowzonly]

You shouldnt have to resort to live bait. Those pike are very aggresive and will bite anything.

[antgogz]

I suggest live bait if lures aren't working. If you can catch your own use it. Pike will hit baby sunnies, white perch, and suckers if you can get any of them and put them in an air rador. I reeled in a smallmouth bass once on a lure and had a pike gash it in half. I prefer lures but sometimes they aren't hitting and can't resist the live bait. Try it out.

[NorthJerzyG]

+1, try it out. Just try to set the hook quickly so you don't run the risk of gut or gill hooking em.

[msgdan]

I have never used bait for pike in the river, but there were a few times that I have seen guys using bait and doing some catching, but, I am not sure if I have ever saw a pike released that I thought was going to survive after the deep hook set with the live bait. It was mostly guys with bobbers, and they were waiting for 10-20 seconds before setting the hook, and every time, the hook was WAY down in the pike.

If you plan on eating them and want to try something different, use live bait.......if you want to be sure that the pike will survive, and keep the great fishery that we have going....... use lures with a single hook.

Of course, this is just my opinion.

Danny V

[antgogz]

I agree with you dan. However, when I do use live bait I use a #4 or #6 gamakatsu octupus hook which is pretty small from what I see others use and i set the hook quick. I would say nine out of then times I hook the pike just in the corner of its mouth and release them unharmed. But i have witnessed other people use big hooks and harm the fish which is sad to see. Overall, nothing is better than catching a pike on a spinnerbait which you are the master of dan. Haha.