Natural Baits 

Live bait

Popular live baits include chubs, shiners, frogs, minnows, suckers, and water dogs; they can be dressed like a spinner bait or as a bobber rig. Dead baits are also popular for peak periods, as in spring, or when ice fishing. Some pike fishermen are like traditional muskie anglers and insist that large suckers (12 inches or longer) are the best, and in some cases, the only bait to use. Minnow or a spinner-minnow combination is the traditional pike bait. The minnow, lip- or back-hooked, is allowed to approach the weeds or enter the pool so that when the pike takes it, the float disappears. One old fishing story tells that a pike grabs a minnow sideways, scales it, then turns it in its mouth to swallow it headfirst. The angler is supposed to wait until the pike has turned the minnow before setting the hook. True or not, the minnow does lose its scales when taken by a pike but it is more or less an accident since the pike bites down to kill it.

There are two important factors to consider when you are minnow fishing. One is that you will certainly kill the pike if you allow it to swallow the minnow completely before you set the hook. So if you're fishing for fun rather than to eat fish, strike early rather than late. The other is that the bigger the minnow, the larger the pike you are likely to get. Don't settle for four-inch minnows if bigger ones are available.

Dead bait

Besides live bait, you can try dead bait. The practice has been rediscovered in Britain where people used to fish for pike using large dead baits centuries ago. Big pike don't turn their nose up at an easy meal. They will pick up and swallow dead bait such as large dead fish. You can try the cast-and-retrieve method or let the dead bait sit on bottom.

You can also rig your dead bait under a bobber. Balance is important -- your bait should hang perfectly level with the water. A drifting bobber will cover a wider area than one which remains relatively stationary, and it offers the added bonus of giving you a visual indication of a strike. When using a spinner bait type, use a typical largemouth bass presentation, only heavier, and instead of a plastic skirt, add a minnow or other bait such as a sucker.

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