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Posts: 612
| Giving the choice I'd rather catch a Musky, however I enjoy them all: Musky's, Hybrid Tigers or Pike. They all fight in a somewhat similar fashion. The downfall about the pike I catch is that they generally run ~ 1/2 the size as Musky's. Point is why are some guys so Musky only?
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Posts: 2344
Location: Chisholm, MN | Size is the obvious answer, but the real reason is the personality difference. Pike are easy to catch, and muskies are not. Muskies behave in a fascinating way and the methods used to catch them are fun! |
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Posts: 32901
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I love fishing pike, and even more so big (12" to16") crappies. |
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Posts: 576
Location: Elk Grove Village, IL & Phillips, WI | I love them all. I catch mid to high 30 inch pike quite a bit and it is fun as well, especially if you are downsizing. |
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Posts: 8797
| I fish for muskies for the visual aspect and the figure 8. Usually catch enough pike doing so where I rarely want to target them specifically, unless I'm looking to fill the freezer/our bellies. Then all bets are off. I'd rather fish for muskies, but I'll fish for anything. |
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Posts: 20231
Location: oswego, il | I like them all but most of the places i fish do not offer big pike and few opportunities for a hybrid. Being a FIB, i have other opportunities at multispecies at the cooling lakes and the big lake. I like it all. I also think it takes you away from a follow the leader aproach to fishing. |
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Posts: 343
| I enjoy all esocids, have caught all except the 2 new species in Europe. Each behaves differently but with some similarities. Muskies and tigers are my favorites but even grass pickerel are interesting to fish for. Amur pike are fun, wish we still had them in the U.S., plus they are the best pike I've ever eaten. |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | Just don’t care for Pike. Like Kirby said, they are just way too easy and abundant to catch. Carp give you a hell of a fight too but... |
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Posts: 32901
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | A 45" Pike is neither abundant or easy to catch. One depends on the other. Pike are easier to catch primarily because there are a LOT more of them. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | hammer handles are annoying... that said, 38"+ pike are a blast and fight just as hard as a musky. We take time out of our annual LOTW trip to target big pike in some bays... one year we had a blast with lots of pike over 36" up to ~42. I got a 44.25" pike up there that is a true trophy imo... to each their own but guys that think they can consistently catch BIG pike should go try it!  |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | I would give my left testicle for a 50 inch hybrid and for a 50 inch pike I would consider both but then again I'll be 75 when the season reopens. |
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| Big pike fight every bit as hard as a musky the same size and they make some very nice table fare. |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | I think...like with just about any other species, it’s not really fun to catch anything else besides Musky on actual Musky tackle. Targeting them with lighter stuff is a different story. I mean, you could pick up a 22” smallmouth in the air with a Musky rod and twirl it around with half a hand like a feather. Yes, Pike fight pretty hard, but they stick to hooks far easier than Muskies do. The tough days when you lose Muskies become tougher as the 34” snotrockets all find a way to stay glued. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | So shouldnt you downsize your tackle when you go to Vilas Brian?
Edited by BNelson 1/8/2018 4:58 PM
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Posts: 1209
| When I’m fishing for 45+” fish I don’t care to catch small fish, the pike tend to have big eyes and small weights, it’s unfair to them with the gear I’m using, also love walleyes through the ice but my last 4 walleyes musky fishing got boat flipped into the boat, pretty funny when a walleye angler is 40 yards away with a jig not catching and I boat flip and throw back a 8 pounder with no photo... just not fair angling when it’s the wrong species (I should have took pictures but just want to get back at it for the ski!) |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | BNelson - 1/8/2018 3:45 PM
one year we had a blast with lots of pike over 36" up to ~42. I got a 44.25"
That’s not bad. How many per hour per angler though? |
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Posts: 32901
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Musky Brian - 1/8/2018 4:51 PM
I think...like with just about any other species, it’s not really fun to catch anything else besides Musky on actual Musky tackle. Targeting them with lighter stuff is a different story.
I mean, you could pick up a 22” smallmouth in the air with a Musky rod and twirl it around with half a hand like a feather.
Yes, Pike fight pretty hard, but they stick to hooks far easier than Muskies do. The tough days when you lose Muskies become tougher as the 34” snotrockets all find a way to stay glued.
Uhhh, no.
Every October we fish out of AML and usually spend one day chasing big Pike with an AML Guide, well known as the 'Pike Whisperer'. We average 10 over 35 and 4 over 40 in a day. I really look forward to that day each year. 2017 we didn't get the chance due to a crazy blizzard. Smallies too up there, we usually boats a couple over 6 and even a few last couple years in the 7 pound class. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | 44.25 is equivelent to a 53 to 54" ski on lotw. whats your biggest?? You use musky gear for 40 inch muskies so to me its the same catching a 40 pike |
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Posts: 1220
| In my experience, pike tend to favor tax and spend, their willingness to eat things way too large for their own good make them far too liberal for me. They are pain in the neck, but never show up at polls on voting day. Instead, they show up where they not wanted. They bend your buck tail wires and you waste five casts until you finally put on a new one just to have yet another gate-crasher ruin the spin on that one. Worst of all, these cheesy little buggers chase you away from “downsizing” which would improve your odds most of the time if it were not for the pike-torture. I say no to liberal view that these are really worthwhile citizens of the water world. I say ban them, deport them, with their little sissy stripes that go sideways instead of vertical like American stripes are supposed to go. America First—-Muskies only—No Pike |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | BNelson - 1/8/2018 7:09 PM
44.25 is equivelent to a 53 to 54" ski on lotw. whats your biggest?? You use musky gear for 40 inch muskies so to me its the same catching a 40 pike
44” off of Starting Point on a Black/Orange Cowgirl. Fought like a horse, and I called 50” Musky.
I’m not disputing they are powerful fish that can bend a Musky rod with ease, but do you not agree they are considerably easier to stay pinned than a Musky? That was the main point I was trying to make. |
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Posts: 304
| The 40+” pike that shook my JR Cowgirls hooks boat side last year on LOTW would beg to differ about how they stay pinned easier. Still think about losing that one... |
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Posts: 20231
Location: oswego, il | Junkman - 1/8/2018 7:13 PM
In my experience, pike tend to favor tax and spend, their willingness to eat things way too large for their own good make them far too liberal for me. They are pain in the neck, but never show up at polls on voting day. Instead, they show up where they not wanted. They bend your buck tail wires and you waste five casts until you finally put on a new one just to have yet another gate-crasher ruin the spin on that one. Worst of all, these cheesy little buggers chase you away from “downsizing” which would improve your odds most of the time if it were not for the pike-torture. I say no to liberal view that these are really worthwhile citizens of the water world. I say ban them, deport them, with their little sissy stripes that go sideways instead of vertical like American stripes are supposed to go. America First—-Muskies only—No Pike
If only muskies were as smart as mericans.
Edited by ToddM 1/8/2018 8:20 PM
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Posts: 1084
Location: Aurora | Wait, vertical like.. what??
Oh, and both muskies and pike could take lessons from the smallies on how to hit.
I've nearly lost two rigs to smallies that i can think of while dragon chasin.
One tore it right outta my hand, rod butt flew up, hit me in the chin, knocked my glasses off. Ahh smallie encounters.. What fantastic memories those demon-eye'd footballs can serve up.
Who's with me?.. Might be fodder fer another thread actually.
~shrug~
Edited by Sidejack 1/9/2018 12:55 AM
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Posts: 493
Location: Northern Illinois | ^^^Yup! I love 'em! |
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Posts: 14
| I had the best August/September for both Pike and Lunge I've had in my life. After not fishing my normal lake for 5 years, I landed several a day decent 30"+ Pike, and had my legit first Musky catches on "the turn" and both were beautiful 41" and 46-47" healthy fish. We ate the pike for the crappies/walleye sake and that's why I like catching nice pike Years ago I had a fish explode on a hughes river topwater that ended up being a large northern and YES there was a let down when I realized it. I am undecided....I need to get a Tiger! |
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Posts: 109
Location: Wisconsin River | Sidejack - 1/9/2018 12:54 AM
Wait, vertical like.. what??
Oh, and both muskies and pike could take lessons from the smallies on how to hit.
I've nearly lost two rigs to smallies that i can think of while dragon chasin.
One tore it right outta my hand, rod butt flew up, hit me in the chin, knocked my glasses off. Ahh smallie encounters.. What fantastic memories those demon-eye'd footballs can serve up.
Who's with me?.. Might be fodder fer another thread actually.
~shrug~
I'm with you all the way. A good smallie bite will make me put down the big stick every time. Not real sporting when they wack your topwater with a heavy rod and 80# line. Far better success ratio and a load of fun on light tackle. |
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Posts: 3152
| pike are only good for making tiger muskies
Edited by happy hooker 1/10/2018 5:15 PM
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Posts: 239
Location: Elroy, Wisconsin | Muskies only period. Northerns crap in my boat, usually roll to the surface when hooked and come straight to the boat, fight really well in the net. No thanks
Mudpuppy |
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Posts: 90
| I'm all for keeping every female pike I catch in muskie waters. |
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Posts: 1425
Location: St. Lawrence River | I get my pike fix in the winter. They are fun to chase. 43.5" being my biggest.. and they do fight hard. My busdy hooked a 40" in 20fow on a tube last summer, we both thought huge musky
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Posts: 304
| Tiger222 - 1/12/2018 4:56 AM
I'm all for keeping every female pike I catch in muskie waters.
I am a guy who enjoys catching both. No matter the size, usually. So this type of thing bothers me a little bit.
Keeping them just to get them out of the water so they cannot reproduce is no different in my eyes than a walleye guy clubbing a legal muskie when he catches it so it does not "eat any more of his walleyes"
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Posts: 29
| I love pike fishing during the closed season. Have caught lots over 40", and they're a blast.
Once musky opens, there's no comparison for me though.
The difficulty to find them and then get them to strike is what keeps me going.
Then again, I only get 6 months to fish them up here in Canada, so I am forced to entertain myself with everything from pike, walleye, and crappie until I can bust out the big sticks again..... |
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Posts: 400
Location: WI | Junkman: Spot on, like always.
Sidejack: Smallies provide some of the most fun you can have in a boat. It's kinda like muskie fishing but with smaller tackle. Until muskie season opens I'm throwing bass lures at every rock in the river. |
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Posts: 112
Location: Illinois | I only do “fun” fishing. That is what I call my time pursuing Muskie,pike,and bass. I usually spend about 1-3 days a year panfishing with children etc for a few fillets. The other 99.9% of the time is for the game fish and if I could it would be 90% muskie only. |
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Posts: 69
Location: Phoenixville, PA | If we're talking esox, let us not forget the meanest one of them all, the mighty chain pickerel. He is the little, toothy monster of the east coast. Pound for pound there is no mightier esox. On light line they are a lot of fun, all day long. More than once, I have set the hook muskie fishing only to discover that the 'massive' strike was from a 22 inch pickerel, who just left serious tooth marks.
I love fishing for muskies, but I enjoy fishing for anything. I have hooked them all from bullheads to bull sharks and it's all fun. |
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Posts: 20231
Location: oswego, il | fishdawg - 1/16/2018 5:35 AM
If we're talking esox, let us not forget the meanest one of them all, the mighty chain pickerel. He is the little, toothy monster of the east coast. Pound for pound there is no mightier esox. On light line they are a lot of fun, all day long. More than once, I have set the hook muskie fishing only to discover that the 'massive' strike was from a 22 inch pickerel, who just left serious tooth marks.
I love fishing for muskies, but I enjoy fishing for anything. I have hooked them all from bullheads to bull sharks and it's all fun.
True, a 22" pickerel is you're 50" muskie! www.pickerelfirst.com? |
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Posts: 1730
Location: Mt. Zion, IL | I fish bass and crappie when the water gets too warm to musky fish. It is not what I prefer, but I adapt because I have to.
Edited by RyanJoz 1/16/2018 7:52 AM
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Posts: 343
| Chain pickerel are awesome flyfishing quarry, and very entertaining on light tackle. I was lucky enough to fish Guest Millpond this past fall site of the world record chain pickerel and was very excited about the opportunity. |
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Esox all or not?