Using ice fishing jigs as pike jigs is becoming a favorite of mine. I find these pike lures very effective and can be used at any time of the year. I use them with ice fishing, from a boat and even casting from land with a fishing rod. The way they are built makes them move very lively and prey-like, and the pike seem to love them, until they get stuck. The most effective jig fishing is when jigging from my boat when it is moving freely over good fishing grounds. This way I can fish a large area and often walk past large territorial pike. This method is very silent and does not scare away the fish when the boat passes by since there is no engine running, even when the depths are shallow. I’m assuming the pikes think the boat could be a log or any non-hazardous object.

I always use my Lowrance sonars to monitor the water columns so I can present the pike jigs at the proper depths when a big fish appears on the screen. The jigs I use are what we call in my language balance jigs or swimming jigs. That means they run horizontally and sway in all directions when you pull the line. Very effective movements as it resembles a small wounded prey fish. Since I’m looking for big pike when I do this, I use relatively large stencils with red/white or red/yellow color.

Compared to trolling, this method doesn’t cover a large area, but you do have much more control over the fish you find. When a fish appears on the screen, you can easily adjust the jig to the exact depth and have it work right on the fish’s face with the best movements. This is more difficult when you are trolling because it is more difficult to set pike lures to the fish, especially with a “bumpy” bottom.

Lures for pike trolling are mostly different fishing spoons or crankbait lures which also move much more static and don’t appeal as much to a pike as a live jig. I recommend St Croix rods for this fishing with a somewhat stiff tip so you can easily control the movement of the jigs. Of course, always use a wire trail if you intend to fish for a big pike and bring fishing pliers, a fishing ladder and a knotless landing net, just to mention a few important things when you go pike fishing.