After fishing
Lake St. Clair for smallmouth on Sunday, I made
good on my promise to find some pike in Muskoka on Monday. I fished for three hours - from 4 to 7PM. While I was hoping to catch at least one good sized fish, my other goal was to learn how to fish a
fluke. I saw some experienced fishermen using these baits for pike last year, and I thought I should add them to my arsenal.
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| Second fish of the afternoon |
I used the following set-up:
I started with a metal leader, but after about two seconds realized it totally killed the action of the bait. So I took a chance and went
sans leader. A heavy fluorocarbon leader would've been a good compromise, but I ran out of time to drop by Canadian Tire in Bracebridge.
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| First fish of the afternoon |
It took some time to get the first fish. It was close to shore where there was a bit of a drop-off. The slow moving fluke was enticing enough to raise the fish for an aggressive strike.
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| Smiling after netting the second pike - the heaviest one of the afternoon |
The second one came in a shallow, sandy bay. Rather than simply targeting the kinds of spots that
produced for me last year, I used
my knowledge of seasonal pike habits to find areas that could be fruitful this early in the season. The strategy paid off.
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| Last fish of the day |
I raised the last fish out of some rocks off a steep drop-off close to shore. Altogether I had a decent outing, considering I was fishing out of a kayak on a windy afternoon and using a technique that was new to me. No giants, but I gained confidence in my ability to fish a fluke - a bait that will surely make an appearance when bass season opens.
For other posts about pike fishing, click here.
Greg Cholkan is a lawyer, fisherman and Hemingway impersonator. He works in Huntsville with Barriston LLP and his practice focuses on real estate, wills and estates, and business matters. Follow him on Twitter: @gregcholkan
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