North Dakota: Tell me about it= Update

[MaryB]

Pike are good eating so I just keep gut hooked or gill hooked fish. Small ones are great pickled, the bones basically dissolve. Bigger I filet out and just pick out the Y bones. Once you know where they are it is no big deal to take a forkful of fish just right and have the bones all hanging out to be pulled. Salt, pepper, flour, fry in 50/50 crisco/butter... pig out! I am not ahuge eater but hand me a plate full of fried fish and I can put away a pound plus!

[GhostHawk]

I agree with you about puncturing the gut. Gut puncture = peritonitis no matter who you are.

As for the pike with the hook in his jaws, well yes it had lost weight, but was still moving pretty good. I would not saw it was on its last legs.

There is a place for circle hooks, as they normally won't hook down deep. but catch in the corner of the mouth.
I do use them for catfish in the river, especially with cut bait.

[chambers]

Here in Wisconsin we also buried fish in snow banks to keep from freezing.

[MT Gianni]

Take three fillets, each side and between the Y bones.

[megasupermagnum]

I've done quite a bit of fishing with circle hooks. 15 years ago I was right on the cutting edge of fishing rigs for pike. I was playing with quick strike rigs before anyone had heard of them, and you couldn't even buy them in MN since they weren't 100% legal unless you did some tricks. Technically due to MN's idiot wording they still aren't, but it seems to be another case where they turn a blind eye until one day they decide not to, and slap out a whole bunch of tickets. For anyone curious, the way MN law used to read, only one hook could be on a line... unless it was an artificial lure. The definition of such a lure was either to mimic a minnow, or have some other attractor, I believe it specifically stated a spinner within range of a hook counted. I'm guessing the rule was intended for Lindy rigs, but some of us Pike guys started playing with making what was essentially steel Lindy rigs and treble hooks with a spinner to be legal. It eventually morphed into the now common V shaped quicks trike rig. About that time MN was being pressured by both fisherman, and companies to legalize them. Well in typical MN fashion, they did and they didn't. You can now have up to three treble hooks on a line, but the first can not be more than 9" from the last. No commercial quicks trike rig at the time met that requirement. Since they were a V shape, each leg could only be 4.5" long, which is super short. I forget the brand, but one company that was big on quick strikes, theirs must have been 20" from hook to hook, and that one went for sale right away, and I still see them for sale in most bait shops. It's a dumb law, like most laws there. Quick strike rigs are great. They aren't perfect, their downside is you get a lot of rig down there, they aren't subtle. Most pike aren't super picky, but some are rig shy. The benefit is as soon as the flag comes up, or the bobber goes down, you set the hook. There's no waiting, you set the hook, the hooks will be in the mouth, and you will hook them almost every time. The one and only drawback I've found is sometimes the second hook can foul hook them outside the mouth. It's no different than using a lure. The other thing is if you ever fall asleep and wake up to a flag up, you are keeping that fish.

Sorry for that long tangent. Back to circle hooks, which I was also playing with at the same time. The benefit to them is in theory they don't gut hook because they can only hook on the corner of something. In reality it doesn't always play out this way. I've gut hook fish with a circle hook, and I've hooked plenty in various parts of the jaw. A lot of the time they do work and hook in the corner of the mouth. My theory is that the teeth of pike don't allow the line to always come to the corner of the mouth. Just like a normal hook, you have to let them take the bait at least for a little bit. Normally by the time you get to a tip up it has been long enough. Circle hooks do not work well with big baits that pike prefer. For 5" and smaller baits, they work quite well. With the 8"-12" suckers I prefer to use, they don't work very well at all. You miss a lot of fish. You could let them eat it, but then you are pulling that hook out of their gut, and sometimes it might work, but I've gut hook too many trying. The jury is still out for me if a circle hook has any benefits over a normal J hook for pike. One thing I will note, is I can't recall ever hooking one either deep in the mouth or in the gills like you sometimes do with a J hook. The bad thing is if you like to use a fluorocarbon leader, a circle hook puts that leader right in their teeth. Some claim good results with 20# fluoro, and I don't see how. I started off with either 40# or 50#, and got too many bite offs. I then went to 80# Seaguar and it seems to hold up really well, but I've been bit off with that too a couple times. At that thickness I'm not sure I'm any better of than a steel leader anyway.

I hope that helps, I'll be out on the ice in a few days.

[waksupi]

I've done quite a bit of fishing with circle hooks. 15 years ago I was right on the cutting edge of fishing rigs for pike. I was playing with quick strike rigs before anyone had heard of them, and you couldn't even buy them in MN since they weren't 100% legal unless you did some tricks. Technically due to MN's idiot wording they still aren't, but it seems to be another case where they turn a blind eye until one day they decide not to, and slap out a whole bunch of tickets. For anyone curious, the way MN law used to read, only one hook could be on a line... unless it was an artificial lure. The definition of such a lure was either to mimic a minnow, or have some other attractor, I believe it specifically stated a spinner within range of a hook counted. I'm guessing the rule was intended for Lindy rigs, but some of us Pike guys started playing with making what was essentially steel Lindy rigs and treble hooks with a spinner to be legal. It eventually morphed into the now common V shaped quicks trike rig. About that time MN was being pressured by both fisherman, and companies to legalize them. Well in typical MN fashion, they did and they didn't. You can now have up to three treble hooks on a line, but the first can not be more than 9" from the last. No commercial quicks trike rig at the time met that requirement. Since they were a V shape, each leg could only be 4.5" long, which is super short. I forget the brand, but one company that was big on quick strikes, theirs must have been 20" from hook to hook, and that one went for sale right away, and I still see them for sale in most bait shops. It's a dumb law, like most laws there. Quick strike rigs are great. They aren't perfect, their downside is you get a lot of rig down there, they aren't subtle. Most pike aren't super picky, but some are rig shy. The benefit is as soon as the flag comes up, or the bobber goes down, you set the hook. There's no waiting, you set the hook, the hooks will be in the mouth, and you will hook them almost every time. The one and only drawback I've found is sometimes the second hook can foul hook them outside the mouth. It's no different than using a lure. The other thing is if you ever fall asleep and wake up to a flag up, you are keeping that fish.

Sorry for that long tangent. Back to circle hooks, which I was also playing with at the same time. The benefit to them is in theory they don't gut hook because they can only hook on the corner of something. In reality it doesn't always play out this way. I've gut hook fish with a circle hook, and I've hooked plenty in various parts of the jaw. A lot of the time they do work and hook in the corner of the mouth. My theory is that the teeth of pike don't allow the line to always come to the corner of the mouth. Just like a normal hook, you have to let them take the bait at least for a little bit. Normally by the time you get to a tip up it has been long enough. Circle hooks do not work well with big baits that pike prefer. For 5" and smaller baits, they work quite well. With the 8"-12" suckers I prefer to use, they don't work very well at all. You miss a lot of fish. You could let them eat it, but then you are pulling that hook out of their gut, and sometimes it might work, but I've gut hook too many trying. The jury is still out for me if a circle hook has any benefits over a normal J hook for pike. One thing I will note, is I can't recall ever hooking one either deep in the mouth or in the gills like you sometimes do with a J hook. The bad thing is if you like to use a fluorocarbon leader, a circle hook puts that leader right in their teeth. Some claim good results with 20# fluoro, and I don't see how. I started off with either 40# or 50#, and got too many bite offs. I then went to 80# Seaguar and it seems to hold up really well, but I've been bit off with that too a couple times. At that thickness I'm not sure I'm any better of than a steel leader anyway.

I hope that helps, I'll be out on the ice in a few days.

I put circle hooks on all my pike lures. Very high percentage of hook ups, and never had one swallowed. Then again, I don't bait fish. A big advantage for me, is I fish a very weedy lake, and get much less weed fouling. The circle hooks are also a lot easier to extract than treble hooks from a pike.

[MaryB]

I've done quite a bit of fishing with circle hooks. 15 years ago I was right on the cutting edge of fishing rigs for pike. I was playing with quick strike rigs before anyone had heard of them, and you couldn't even buy them in MN since they weren't 100% legal unless you did some tricks. Technically due to MN's idiot wording they still aren't, but it seems to be another case where they turn a blind eye until one day they decide not to, and slap out a whole bunch of tickets. For anyone curious, the way MN law used to read, only one hook could be on a line... unless it was an artificial lure. The definition of such a lure was either to mimic a minnow, or have some other attractor, I believe it specifically stated a spinner within range of a hook counted. I'm guessing the rule was intended for Lindy rigs, but some of us Pike guys started playing with making what was essentially steel Lindy rigs and treble hooks with a spinner to be legal. It eventually morphed into the now common V shaped quicks trike rig. About that time MN was being pressured by both fisherman, and companies to legalize them. Well in typical MN fashion, they did and they didn't. You can now have up to three treble hooks on a line, but the first can not be more than 9" from the last. No commercial quicks trike rig at the time met that requirement. Since they were a V shape, each leg could only be 4.5" long, which is super short. I forget the brand, but one company that was big on quick strikes, theirs must have been 20" from hook to hook, and that one went for sale right away, and I still see them for sale in most bait shops. It's a dumb law, like most laws there. Quick strike rigs are great. They aren't perfect, their downside is you get a lot of rig down there, they aren't subtle. Most pike aren't super picky, but some are rig shy. The benefit is as soon as the flag comes up, or the bobber goes down, you set the hook. There's no waiting, you set the hook, the hooks will be in the mouth, and you will hook them almost every time. The one and only drawback I've found is sometimes the second hook can foul hook them outside the mouth. It's no different than using a lure. The other thing is if you ever fall asleep and wake up to a flag up, you are keeping that fish.

Sorry for that long tangent. Back to circle hooks, which I was also playing with at the same time. The benefit to them is in theory they don't gut hook because they can only hook on the corner of something. In reality it doesn't always play out this way. I've gut hook fish with a circle hook, and I've hooked plenty in various parts of the jaw. A lot of the time they do work and hook in the corner of the mouth. My theory is that the teeth of pike don't allow the line to always come to the corner of the mouth. Just like a normal hook, you have to let them take the bait at least for a little bit. Normally by the time you get to a tip up it has been long enough. Circle hooks do not work well with big baits that pike prefer. For 5" and smaller baits, they work quite well. With the 8"-12" suckers I prefer to use, they don't work very well at all. You miss a lot of fish. You could let them eat it, but then you are pulling that hook out of their gut, and sometimes it might work, but I've gut hook too many trying. The jury is still out for me if a circle hook has any benefits over a normal J hook for pike. One thing I will note, is I can't recall ever hooking one either deep in the mouth or in the gills like you sometimes do with a J hook. The bad thing is if you like to use a fluorocarbon leader, a circle hook puts that leader right in their teeth. Some claim good results with 20# fluoro, and I don't see how. I started off with either 40# or 50#, and got too many bite offs. I then went to 80# Seaguar and it seems to hold up really well, but I've been bit off with that too a couple times. At that thickness I'm not sure I'm any better of than a steel leader anyway.

I hope that helps, I'll be out on the ice in a few days.

My typical pike rig is a spinner rig I tie myself. I use 10 pound Spiderwire and can count the number of bite offs on one hand! And I caught a LOT of pike with them! This one is chartreuse... camera flash makes it look yellow for some reason! The single red bead between 2 green emulates an eye. Tip it with a fathead minnow and it works on pike or walleyes! Troll it just fast enough to make the blade tick over. Go to fast and it will just tangle into a mess.

[anothernewb]

as long as the subject is turned to fishing. never assume anything on the ice. ice on lakes is all over the place all winter - best operational use of "trust, but verify." currents and springs can vary the thickness a lot.

I've seen vehicles go through just a few feet away from 2 feet of good ice - and I've seen spearing houses sitting within spitting distance of open water on ice that's 2+ feet thick all the way to shore.

That being said - don't be scared of it. Just use that complete rarity these days- some common sense.