Pike lure which is better

[Esox obsessed]

I am a pike an pickerel addict cant say ive caught 1 pickerel and 4 pike and was wondering if a booyah pikee spinnerbait or a daredevle spoon was better and for which species

[bigjim5589]

I've never caught a Pike, or a Muskie, but have caught numerous Pickerel. Most were caught while fishing for bass, but I've also caught some chasing panfish. They do seem to like anything with a spinner.

As far as what lures are best, I think they're like any other species, it's best to have some different lure types & sizes, and use them for the situation. There used to be a good number of them in a tidal creek near where I grew up, and most that I caught there as a kid, was on a small inline spinner or safety pin type spinner.

I've caught them on casting spoons and weedless spoons like the Silver Minnow, so spoons do work. I still use the Silver Minnow spoons for bass and around pads & other vegetation, where both bass & Pickerel like to hide.  Those weeddless spoons do very well, and I like a pork strip trailer, which I still have a few jars, but the hooks need to be sharpened. I've used casting spoons like the Daredevle, or Krocodile style in small sizes for panfish, bass & Striped bass and again have had Pickerel grab them.

I've caught a few on crankbaits & jerkbaits too, but again while fishing for bass, and they can steal a lure like that when you least expect it. I've lost some lures to Pickerel over the years.

I've also caught them on various soft plastics, small grubs or sassy shad baits on a jighead with the safety pin type spinner has attracted them. Those are lures that I've used a lot for panfish, so when fishing in areas that also had plenty of Pickerel, they would eventually grab the lures. They aren't shy about it either.

A fishing buddy and I used to do some winter fishing on nicer days, and there was a few places that we fished, state owned ponds in MD, that we caught many pickerel on panfish size baits. They did seem to be more active in the colder waters.

Where I live now, in SC, I've yet to hook one, but a fellow told me that he always did well with them on all red spinnersbaits. Back in MD we used white & chartreuse colors a lot, so I guess it might depend on where you're fishing what colors to choose, but I never saw that Pickerel were real picky about the lures they might grab, if the lure got close enough to them.

I've caught a few over the years on fly tackle too, never intentionally, always while targeting other fish, but they are fun no matter what type of tackle they're caught on! 

[zippyduck]

I am averaging 2 pike a day locally. Almost all have come on chatterbiats and spinnerbaits. White seems to catch more than any other color.

Jigs and t-rigs catch their share also.

Tip: Choose a heavy wire spinnerbait as pike tend to destroy anything other than the heaviest wires.

[Esox obsessed]

Have caught 4 pike and 1 pickerel
Pickerel and 1 pike was on wacky rig
2 were on live minnows ice fishing
1 was on daredevle

[Esox obsessed]

Some say spoons others say spinnerbaits
Curious which people do better with