For whatever reason, bass aren’t interested in an easy meal of dead sucker or shiner. Sure, they’ll strike a dead bait if you’re jigging it, but that’s because they want to kill it. Unlike pike, largemouth bass won’t strike a dead bait that is hanging motionless on a tip-up. The two models I like best are the Northland Predator Rig and the Bigtooth Rig from Bigtooth Tackle Company.įor big baits, those measuring 8-12 inches, the author prefers a two-treble system such as the Big Tooth Rig. For large dead baits, you’re best with a quick-strike rig featuring two trebles. Rigging tip: For 4- to 6-inch live baits, you’re best with a single treble hook. By “large” I mean dead suckers or other varieties measuring 8 to 12 inches. Rig your tip-ups with 4- to 6-inch shiners or suckers, keep the minnows just above the weeds, and get ready for action.įor larger pike, and this is especially true if your body of water has pike measuring 36 inches or more, you’ll increase your odds of enticing a strike by using large dead baits. So, if the lake you’re fishing is packed with hammer-handles (small pike), you’ll likely catch the maximum number of fish with live bait. Small pike, say those less than 30 inches, seem to like live bait more than dead bait. In my experience, this preference is tied closely to pike size. Many anglers who haven’t targeted northern pike in the winter don’t understand that dead bait is sometimes preferred by pike over live bait.

( Click here if you’re new to tip-up fishing.) The key to catching both is your choice of natural bait. The other half of my ice time is spent pursuing northern pike and bass with aid of tip-ups. In my opinion, this type of fishing is the best interactive video game on the planet. I spend approximately half my time targeting sunfish and crappies with aid of a fishfinder (flasher), underwater camera and lightweight rods and reels.

As a Minnesota resident, I must drill holes through the ice if I want to continue fishing during winter.

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