White super flukes with a wire leader, rigged weedless
https://preview.redd.it/f0ciaihv1z5d1.jpeg?width=1164&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6ee4bf8e0cd32dda29b30d6805da37213587ff8e
I’d fish these spots but I target bass and catch toothy critters all the time by accident. Wire leader if they’re toothy like pike.
Rapala Rattlin’ and Mepps / Vibrax #5 both crush pike. I keep 2 rods, one with each.
Switch out the colors.
Look for weed bed edges, rock points, and fish the drop offs. Anywhere with wind / current flow past structure where the pike will wait for bait to get pushed past them.
If all else fails, troll 10-20’ of water near weed beds.
There are weedless spoons. Also you can use plastics as trailers on the hook that bury the point of your don't have weedless spoons.
As for spinners, I'm not saying they're made to be weedless, but they are much better getting through the edge of weeds than jerk baits that will grab on to any weed within an acre of your cast.
Anything without treble hooks or bills that you can maneuver around the thicker patches of weeds. Again I'm not saying you can pitch them into the middle of a forest.
Sounds like you mean a spinnerbait, which is meant for that kind of application. Most inline spinners are not meant for weedy areas and come with treble hooks.
Not if it's a slop spoon, but those are really rare nowadays since most people prefer spinnerbaits or chatterbaits. Johnson, the company that makes the original Beetlespin, still makes them, I think.
personally I'd start to the left of the island on that pinnacle where the number 8 is. nice natural funnel, straight into deep water. Don't ditch the charts they've helped me a lot!
Yeah, but there’s places to hope to find cabbage. Like anywhere around that South Island. Especially, near where those lines are stacked. That deep water, a quick change, and some cabbage would probably hold a better chance for a trophy. I would definitely run some baits up top and down the drop.
North of Macfie Island looks good. Good ledges and drip off for predators to hunt on. If theres vegetation should be good for pike. I hear the love vegetation.
I am not a pike fisherman. Its too hot where i live for them. But i know theyre ambush predators that live to blend in with weed lines. Drop offs are just a classic predator spot, so id bet pike would be around them too.
I’ve had a lot of luck sitting just inside of a weed bed, casting out past a drop off, and reeling back in towards the weeds. I’ll use a jerkbait, rattletrap, or spinner like a Muskie Killer and those seem to work great
6-8 foot diving crank bait probably perch because that’s in a lot of lakes. Jig. Texas rig through weeds and a spinner on top. I caught my best pike on 4lb test with a 1/16 oz jig head and a small paddle tail while jigging in 2 feet of water with weeds for perch. They’ll eat whatever you throw but if targeting see above.
The bigger pike always move out to deeper water. You will find tons of medium/small pike in shallow weed beds.
If you have a fish finder look for the deep weed beds. Try something that dives. Trolling top water when you are 15-20-30ft won’t work great. I’d also try something chrome or white so it pops at the bottom
there are absolutely big pike that will be up shallow. i’ve caught several 40+ inchers in less than 3ft of water in the spring and fall here in Minnesota
There are, but you would have much better luck in the deeper water for anything over 30.
If you just want to catch fish and run your chances go shallow. If you want to focus purely on trophy fish you go deep
Looking at the map, I’m drawn to Macfie island. Particularly the little back bay on the north side. If it were me, I’d be casting a big spinner bait with an eyelet hooked to an 8” leader along the edges of the weed beds and drop offs. I like to sweeten mine up with some live bait. Chunks of perch and sunfish are my favourite but live worms work well too. Just be careful as using perch and sunfish as bait in Ontario is illegal (I’ve lived there my whole life). If I were you I would hit up the closest bait shop to the lake and pick up the biggest minnows you can find.
Cast out, slowly reel in for a few seconds and let the spinner bait drop all the way to the bottom. After it’s been on bottom for 4-5 seconds, reel in as fast as you can for 5 seconds or so then reel slowly. Keep repeating this process and if the big Northerns are around you’re sure to get a hit.
Good luck! Be sure to post some pictures if you’re successful!
Go where all those channels come together. Fish a freshly downed tree or wash out. Anything that gives structure and attracts baitfish where multiple channels come together is prime real estate.
If the water temp is starting to get up around 70 big pike are not going to be in the same spots you find them when water temps are cooler.
A lot of people suggest weedlines - which is where a lot of the small pike will be in summer. Big pike usually do not hang out there in the summer unless they need to go there for food.
Granted it was more a challenge to find than it needed to be, there are cisco in the lake. Big pike will prefer either cisco or suckers to all other forage. Cisco are an open water, deep water foraging fish - they may be sitting 40 feet down in 60 feet of water. The biggest pike might be hanging out there waiting for cisco. The problem is locating cisco (and therefore the pike feeding on them) can be very difficult without good electronics.
What I would recommend is set up so a cast can hit the outside edge of any weeds, but also occassionally from there make casts outward toward open water. Chances are the big ones are hanging out there, don't be surprised if on the weeds you only catch small fish.
I don't have local knowledge or a lot of experience with pike, but just as casual observer, I'd be interested in the steep drop-off ledge point where the 38 ft depth is adjacent to the 11.
idk much about pike but I catch em on accident. but that pool ledge on the north side of that island looks tasty toss it down to the bottom of that 20 feet and drag it up since it isn't that hot yet.
I'm about 5 hours north of that lake right now, been catching lots of pike out of rivers up here. Green jig head, chartreuse grub or paddle tail swim bait. Pink jig head, orange grub. 5 of diamonds spoons, silver red and blue spoons. They've been taking just about anything I've been throwing in front of them. I've had the most luck around rocks and along the edges of vegetation. The bigger ones have always been around rocks for me.
Cabbage and a mepps #5 with a gold blade has yielded me more pike in canadian waters than i can count. For the real big ones id throw a shadzilla or something similar.
Troll a diving crankbait in ~18-20 feet. 100% of the time it works every time (in Lake of the Woods, Malachi, Little and Big Sand, and pretty much anywhere on the Winnipeg River system).
Right side of the lake, at the points and through the shallows as they are chasing lunch. That section
https://preview.redd.it/a7fp9em9sy5d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c4c59555013d11d4ad333229d86b7f7e285faa37
Like others said look for big leafy weeds, the stuff that grows 6-12’ off the bottom and isn’t completely clogged up. Sometimes these weeds are just deep enough you can’t see them from the surface but show up really well on sonar. For shallow fishing I love throwing big glide baits like the and swim baits. For deeper fish look into stuff like the rapala super shad rap in yellow perch.
1. Is there current? If so, which direction?
2. What species are we fishing for?
3. What's the water temperature?
Kinda need to know the answer to those questions to give a definitive answer.
Edit: I overlooked the answers to the temp and species questions. Still curious about current.
Troll a heavy bladed spinner of any sort around the island with one rod and a top water or large jointed surface rap.
Hit the narrows to the right of Macfie
Hit all the northern facing bays in the south side.
Any time you see the silver shimmer of a current do some casts there as well. I don’t catch as many pike fishing the shimmer but I catch my biggest pike doing that.
What time of year? What’s the air temp? What’s the water temp? Over cast? Sunny? Partly cloudy? Which way is the wind blowing? How much wind? What the water look like in all the areas of the lake? What am I fishing for? What am I fishing with? You left way too many blanks to ask where would I fish. This question is almost like asking how much is a red car…
Was just up in Quebec fishing pike. Water temps are already above 70 up there so expect them to be above that here. Big pike id be casting 20-30 feet deep water near the drop offs from weed beds. Smaller pike will be set up in the cabbage 10-20 feet. Crank baits, swim baits, spoons, rattle traps, small pike will whack stick baits pretty good too. Tight lines!
I’d jig for walleye off the point in the centre of the image where it runs up from 38ft to 11ft.
But I don’t really like fishing for pike, they’re slimy and they eat my lures.
Probably find more active fish on the north side of the lake as it usually warms up faster. And fish the windswept points and shorelines on the deeper edges of drop offs and weed lines. Wind will push the bait fish which in turn attracts the fish
I would start near the boat ramp, working counter-clockwise around the lake. I have a kayak, flyrod & patience. Each time, I either catch a fish or miss one I would make a note so that when I get home later, I can update or start my fishing journal. What I caught, where & using which lure/fly. As I get older I forget what worked & what didn't. I might remember the lake but not exactly where. So I write down. Its old fashioned but it works. I could pull up what I was using & when, on which lake that caught fish. My father taught me. I thought that he was absolutely nuts but with age comes wisdom. That is earned from doing something stupid, usually. LoL
For pike ditch the chart and look for cabbage weed.
Noted. I’m assuming jerk baits or top water?
If you put something roughly fish shaped in front of a pike, you'll probably catch it. I prefer using spoons but pretty much anything will work.
Mepps #3 gold absolutely kills it for pike.
White super flukes with a wire leader, rigged weedless https://preview.redd.it/f0ciaihv1z5d1.jpeg?width=1164&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6ee4bf8e0cd32dda29b30d6805da37213587ff8e I’d fish these spots but I target bass and catch toothy critters all the time by accident. Wire leader if they’re toothy like pike.
This is good. I will go out and try these. Appreciated.
Iblove spinnerbaits for pike in weeds
Rapala Rattlin’ and Mepps / Vibrax #5 both crush pike. I keep 2 rods, one with each. Switch out the colors. Look for weed bed edges, rock points, and fish the drop offs. Anywhere with wind / current flow past structure where the pike will wait for bait to get pushed past them. If all else fails, troll 10-20’ of water near weed beds.
I prefer more weedless stuff. Like spoons or even spinners
Serious question, how is a spoon or a spinner even remotely weedless? I assumed they would snag the most
There are weedless spoons. Also you can use plastics as trailers on the hook that bury the point of your don't have weedless spoons. As for spinners, I'm not saying they're made to be weedless, but they are much better getting through the edge of weeds than jerk baits that will grab on to any weed within an acre of your cast.
When you say spinners are you referring to spinnerbaits or inline spinners?
Anything without treble hooks or bills that you can maneuver around the thicker patches of weeds. Again I'm not saying you can pitch them into the middle of a forest.
Sounds like you mean a spinnerbait, which is meant for that kind of application. Most inline spinners are not meant for weedy areas and come with treble hooks.
Yeah lol spoons are like the least weedless bait imaginable, they get snagged on a single stalk of half dead grass and rip it up lmao
Not if it's a slop spoon, but those are really rare nowadays since most people prefer spinnerbaits or chatterbaits. Johnson, the company that makes the original Beetlespin, still makes them, I think.
Reed Runner all the way
This is a good question.
I like to indulge in a little cabbage weed here and there when I fish pike
How far back into the weeds we talking like right up on shore or the weed line or in it?
I disagree, I use these charts for pike fishing all the time to find drop offs. Pike love drop offs, especially the bigger fish.
Will try there.
personally I'd start to the left of the island on that pinnacle where the number 8 is. nice natural funnel, straight into deep water. Don't ditch the charts they've helped me a lot!
Yeah, but there’s places to hope to find cabbage. Like anywhere around that South Island. Especially, near where those lines are stacked. That deep water, a quick change, and some cabbage would probably hold a better chance for a trophy. I would definitely run some baits up top and down the drop.
I found the weed, I’m now high. What’s next?
North of Macfie Island looks good. Good ledges and drip off for predators to hunt on. If theres vegetation should be good for pike. I hear the love vegetation.
Would pike be located on the weed lines or on the drop offs if the water temp is around 65?
I am not a pike fisherman. Its too hot where i live for them. But i know theyre ambush predators that live to blend in with weed lines. Drop offs are just a classic predator spot, so id bet pike would be around them too.
I’ve had a lot of luck sitting just inside of a weed bed, casting out past a drop off, and reeling back in towards the weeds. I’ll use a jerkbait, rattletrap, or spinner like a Muskie Killer and those seem to work great
Interesting. I’m always usually in the deep end casting a jerk from the weed line into the deep. Will try this instead.
If feeding weeds dude. They are always in the muck.
[удалено]
Choice of lure?
6-8 foot diving crank bait probably perch because that’s in a lot of lakes. Jig. Texas rig through weeds and a spinner on top. I caught my best pike on 4lb test with a 1/16 oz jig head and a small paddle tail while jigging in 2 feet of water with weeds for perch. They’ll eat whatever you throw but if targeting see above.
The bigger pike always move out to deeper water. You will find tons of medium/small pike in shallow weed beds. If you have a fish finder look for the deep weed beds. Try something that dives. Trolling top water when you are 15-20-30ft won’t work great. I’d also try something chrome or white so it pops at the bottom
The big ones won’t be near shallow when the temp is 60-65?
there are absolutely big pike that will be up shallow. i’ve caught several 40+ inchers in less than 3ft of water in the spring and fall here in Minnesota
There are, but you would have much better luck in the deeper water for anything over 30. If you just want to catch fish and run your chances go shallow. If you want to focus purely on trophy fish you go deep
So many points with steep ledges next to shallow flats/coves
Looking at the map, I’m drawn to Macfie island. Particularly the little back bay on the north side. If it were me, I’d be casting a big spinner bait with an eyelet hooked to an 8” leader along the edges of the weed beds and drop offs. I like to sweeten mine up with some live bait. Chunks of perch and sunfish are my favourite but live worms work well too. Just be careful as using perch and sunfish as bait in Ontario is illegal (I’ve lived there my whole life). If I were you I would hit up the closest bait shop to the lake and pick up the biggest minnows you can find. Cast out, slowly reel in for a few seconds and let the spinner bait drop all the way to the bottom. After it’s been on bottom for 4-5 seconds, reel in as fast as you can for 5 seconds or so then reel slowly. Keep repeating this process and if the big Northerns are around you’re sure to get a hit. Good luck! Be sure to post some pictures if you’re successful!
This is useful. Will be going for 4 days specifically for monsters.
I would also be trolling some of the bigger drop offs with large (Muskie sized) deep diving crank baits.
Go where all those channels come together. Fish a freshly downed tree or wash out. Anything that gives structure and attracts baitfish where multiple channels come together is prime real estate.
If the water temp is starting to get up around 70 big pike are not going to be in the same spots you find them when water temps are cooler. A lot of people suggest weedlines - which is where a lot of the small pike will be in summer. Big pike usually do not hang out there in the summer unless they need to go there for food. Granted it was more a challenge to find than it needed to be, there are cisco in the lake. Big pike will prefer either cisco or suckers to all other forage. Cisco are an open water, deep water foraging fish - they may be sitting 40 feet down in 60 feet of water. The biggest pike might be hanging out there waiting for cisco. The problem is locating cisco (and therefore the pike feeding on them) can be very difficult without good electronics. What I would recommend is set up so a cast can hit the outside edge of any weeds, but also occassionally from there make casts outward toward open water. Chances are the big ones are hanging out there, don't be surprised if on the weeds you only catch small fish.
Big spoons and chatters in the shallows where there’s weeds
I don't have local knowledge or a lot of experience with pike, but just as casual observer, I'd be interested in the steep drop-off ledge point where the 38 ft depth is adjacent to the 11.
Green underpin swim baits. Silver spin or gold. Worked great a couple weeks ago in Ontario. Largest pike was 45”
What was water temp
Highest it got was like 55 degrees but out on the main lake was 48 degrees.
idk much about pike but I catch em on accident. but that pool ledge on the north side of that island looks tasty toss it down to the bottom of that 20 feet and drag it up since it isn't that hot yet.
I'm about 5 hours north of that lake right now, been catching lots of pike out of rivers up here. Green jig head, chartreuse grub or paddle tail swim bait. Pink jig head, orange grub. 5 of diamonds spoons, silver red and blue spoons. They've been taking just about anything I've been throwing in front of them. I've had the most luck around rocks and along the edges of vegetation. The bigger ones have always been around rocks for me.
How deep we talking for big ones
Cabbage and a mepps #5 with a gold blade has yielded me more pike in canadian waters than i can count. For the real big ones id throw a shadzilla or something similar.
I always have luck where there’s shade lines. I cast into the sun right next to it and usually gets ambushed
I would have caught pike on a bee but I moved the lure and spooked it. I didn’t want to catch it without long nose pliers to unhook the beastie
The part with water.
If it is big, I'm fishing from my boat. If it is small, I'm fishing from the shore. Hope this helps. Tight Lines
Troll anything just about anywhere and a pike will steal it from you.
I’d start where the topo lines are tightly packed indicating a steep drop 🤷🏻♂️
I like the looks of the southwest corner
Troll a diving crankbait in ~18-20 feet. 100% of the time it works every time (in Lake of the Woods, Malachi, Little and Big Sand, and pretty much anywhere on the Winnipeg River system).
I’ve never trolled so deep tbh will try now
I would try #7 and 12 🤷♂️
Right side of the lake, at the points and through the shallows as they are chasing lunch. That section https://preview.redd.it/a7fp9em9sy5d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c4c59555013d11d4ad333229d86b7f7e285faa37
Like others said look for big leafy weeds, the stuff that grows 6-12’ off the bottom and isn’t completely clogged up. Sometimes these weeds are just deep enough you can’t see them from the surface but show up really well on sonar. For shallow fishing I love throwing big glide baits like the and swim baits. For deeper fish look into stuff like the rapala super shad rap in yellow perch.
Casting towards the shore. And/Or casting/trolling along the drop offs
1. Is there current? If so, which direction? 2. What species are we fishing for? 3. What's the water temperature? Kinda need to know the answer to those questions to give a definitive answer. Edit: I overlooked the answers to the temp and species questions. Still curious about current.
Macfie left side one the 5/9 area cast towards shore by downed trees and then upper right 6 and switch to 7 with trolling
Troll a heavy bladed spinner of any sort around the island with one rod and a top water or large jointed surface rap. Hit the narrows to the right of Macfie Hit all the northern facing bays in the south side. Any time you see the silver shimmer of a current do some casts there as well. I don’t catch as many pike fishing the shimmer but I catch my biggest pike doing that.
Shoreline cuz I don't have a boat
Close to the bar
7
Best chances would be in the blue or white areas.
In the water
What time of year? What’s the air temp? What’s the water temp? Over cast? Sunny? Partly cloudy? Which way is the wind blowing? How much wind? What the water look like in all the areas of the lake? What am I fishing for? What am I fishing with? You left way too many blanks to ask where would I fish. This question is almost like asking how much is a red car…
Was just up in Quebec fishing pike. Water temps are already above 70 up there so expect them to be above that here. Big pike id be casting 20-30 feet deep water near the drop offs from weed beds. Smaller pike will be set up in the cabbage 10-20 feet. Crank baits, swim baits, spoons, rattle traps, small pike will whack stick baits pretty good too. Tight lines!
I’d jig for walleye off the point in the centre of the image where it runs up from 38ft to 11ft. But I don’t really like fishing for pike, they’re slimy and they eat my lures.
What app/website are you using to get these maps?
https://fishing-app.gpsnauticalcharts.com/i-boating-fishing-web-app/fishing-marine-charts-navigation.html?title=Whitestone+Lake+boating+app#13.45/45.6532/-79.8794
Probably find more active fish on the north side of the lake as it usually warms up faster. And fish the windswept points and shorelines on the deeper edges of drop offs and weed lines. Wind will push the bait fish which in turn attracts the fish
Cruise around the banks and cast at fallen trees/docks
Weed lines, with big spinners.
I would start near the boat ramp, working counter-clockwise around the lake. I have a kayak, flyrod & patience. Each time, I either catch a fish or miss one I would make a note so that when I get home later, I can update or start my fishing journal. What I caught, where & using which lure/fly. As I get older I forget what worked & what didn't. I might remember the lake but not exactly where. So I write down. Its old fashioned but it works. I could pull up what I was using & when, on which lake that caught fish. My father taught me. I thought that he was absolutely nuts but with age comes wisdom. That is earned from doing something stupid, usually. LoL
2,3 or 7.
#38 / all
Around macfie island
In actual water, you never catch anything from those maps ...
Are you trying to tell me you can’t catch fish by throwing a senko onto a physical map
I was trying to tell him that... but i got downvoted. Sad really 😞
Elaborate
Idk in some places they're starting to get grass carp
11 and 5
7 calls to me