Best and Worst Pike lures

Let's talk pike lures. What do you do well on? What do you feel is over-rated?

Den I don't have em on my cellular device any longer because that phone is in long lake I believe but they are Facebook so I will try an post em in a bit. As for the epic back to back trophy Pike in the slop day yah I was speechless to say the least. That beat up 43 looked like a musky on crack when it hit pretty much boat side. EPIC!!

fishrace, good idea, but I dont have the capability to access internet on my phone, can't send or recieve pics, either. Maybe fishboy35 still has one on his phone, I know he can do such things with his hi-tech walkie talkie thing.

Areas with thicker weeds I like to throw a chartreuse and white tandem willow blade spinnerbait (catch more numbers this way). For deeper areas with light weed growth I like to throw a J13 jointed rapala chartreuse (don't hook as many but when I do they are usually nice sized). I have never had very good luck with spoons.

I like to pitch big spinner baits with a curly tail grub like Kalins Mogombo. Johnson silver minnows too. I enjoy Flipping and Pitching techniques in general. Any jig with any trailer. Certain times of the year I find I can work the back edge of weeds and pads and very shallow spots for bass. On that same cast, pike on the front edges and deeper drops offs. The largest Bass too. For that I often use various sized jigs with Yamamoto double tail grubs. I work the spinner baits the same way. Bone color on crankbaits is always a go to color.

Glad you guys catch em on spoons. Like I mentioned, never can get em' that way myself.

The thing that bugs me most is when I watch fishing shows out of Canada and they rave about some lure or another. I think to myself, "Try that one around here and let's see if you get the same results."

I think topwaters are under rated myself. There are times those can work like crazy.

The nice thing about pike is that they'll hit pretty much anything when they are in the right mood.

I agree, like I said, it wasn't a place I would have fished for or expected to catch big pike, I was looking for bass...there were none, the pike had moved in too thick. This happens on this lake every year, but usually not until mid sept., at least not in the past 20 years. You are right about that late summer, thats pretty much when the nights start to cool a bit, so the shallows can become more attractive at those times. I also caught smallies in the slop, during that same late august timeperiod, at wind lake of all places. I don't see too many smllies out there, much less in a ft of water around slop. Needless to say, I was very surprised as well.

Dene, yes there is an exception to every rule,that mid august to the end of September you just never know I caught a bunch of smallies in slop last year fishing largemouth at that time of year that was a surprise.You don't have to post any pictures I believe you.

Frogs for working shallow bays with heavy weed growth. Daredevil 5 of diamonds for everything else

38 1/2 caught in 3ft of water

I think people under estimate the power of a spoon. Pike just love them. If you really get into them they will devour that spoon. I dont like using crankbaits the best but they do work. Also, a softbait STORM with the exact designs of a pike, 4 inches. They just go crazy for that. You could also go bigger with that size to a 6 or bigger.

DB, Last summer I caught a 43" and a 39" on back to back casts in the slop. The 43" on a buzzbait along the edge and the 39" ate a frog. Back end of a flat in 3 ft of water in August. It may not be too common, but they can be there at certain times. I'll admit its not where I would have fished to target big pike, i was bass fishing. If I had a clue as to how to get the pic off my phone I'd post, but I don't have the right hardware to do so. For pike, i really like a Johnson silver minnow (1/2-3/4oz, silver or gold) tipped with either a 4"grub or a 4-5" curlytail plastic worm, I only use white and yellow for the trailers. Swimbaits are also killers for pike as are deep diving cranks (I get a lot of accidentals while bass fishing). Generally I don't like to use baits with multiple trebles, it just makes for a potential mess while unhooking. Jerk baits are great, but there's just too many hooks for my liking. I much prefer single hook lures for many reasons. They love big muskie jigs as well and they can also be fished anywhere from deep, deep water bottom bouncing to swimming it through weedbeds and even slop. Of course spinnerbaits are super effective as well.

Best - #5 Mepps Aglia with red/white blade (gold on back) and no bucktail, just a bare treble hook with the red sheath.

Overrated - X-Rap. I picked a couple up and while they do catch fish, they're really pricey.

There are so many that work well it all depends on conditions.But if I only had one to choose from it would be a single colorado blade spinnerbait,they can be fished deep or shallow they fish well in weeds or wood,and because of the single blade can be slow rolled.When it comes to big fish I would go with a husky jerk my biggest so far a 45in took a gold husky a couple of years ago.I have not caught any big pike over 40in fishing slop, water is usually to warm for pike except right before it disappears in fall.

my biggest pike a 33in came on a 4 in cherry seed color soft plastics salamander and i have caught numerous of 30 in fish on pink senko worms wacky style. i had one on that was close to the 40 in range to the boat and it made a run i got 3/4 the way back then it bite me off 10 lb test line no leader bass fishing. when i'm actually targeting pike i like soft plastic jerk baits and frogs in white and green color. white buzzbait worked just under the surface early in the season. if i'm fishing deeper lakes i like jig and a pig and deep diving crank baits. rattle traps can produce fish also running down weed edges. i like buck tails in natural color with a gold or silver blade.

bad pike baits i can't think of any in certain conditions i think almost every lure can work.

Medium fish-Love the Mepps 5 Gold and White for clear water. Orange and Black for cloudy water. Tandem spinner baits-Orange blades, black skirt. Chartruse split tail trailer. Big pike-Bulldog or Buzz Baits. But, the all time best has to be the JAKE for me.

One lure I do not do well on: The spoon. Sure, it works in Canada. But, doesn't work for me around here. That I can tell you.