Northerns

[mno]

Does any 1 fish for notherns in the winter becuase i have a cabin in isle bay and have never done this b4 only fished um in the summer any tips on

tip ups

line

lures

etc........

[pumper317]

Hey MNO,

I have fished a lot of northerns on other lakes around the state and have found that you can have a lot of fun if fish are turned on. First off the tip up doesnt really mater as far as brand... but i use the frabil tip ups, usually the flat fold out ones. On the bottom of the spool a good idea is put a rubberband to prevent the spool from coming up the metal shaft. Secondly, i perfer the braided tip up line because of durability and lack of memory. Lures depends on the lake and all that, but you really cant go wrong with a plain hook and a bead. They make those gator hooks that look like modified circle hooks, those work great for bigger baits like medium to large sucker minnows.

Remember you cant use trebel hooks, so if you want more hooks, use a spoon(they make tipups that jig the line when the wind blows. they can work)

Lastly, for the presentation try to get on a weed edge or drop off and set your line to be from 3 feet to 5 feet off of the bottom. This has worked well for me in the past, and is always a good depth due to the fact that northerns look upwards.

Smelt, suckers, shiners all work well, live or dead. I prefer to use the suckers and shiners while they move around, but a big old shiner just sitting there is a great option as well.

You have a great bay right out in front of you, lots of fish to catch, so now its just getting out there. Drill holes in a bucnh of depths, and use more than one tip up at different depths. Try it all!

HAVE FUN AND GOOD LUCK!!!!

LET me know how it goes.

[_FearNoFish4:20_]

I fish northerns every year in Northdakota with great sucess! Braided line with a steel lieter is esential! Trebble hooks are a must. If you want to find good bait stop in the bait shop in Sauk Centre if you get a chance! good live bait of various selections for northerns! use nothing less than a 10" hole. LUCK most importantly! and dont foget the beer!

these are pictures from my dad and I from a trip last year! 25lbs and 28lbs caught out of same hole 2 days apart!

[binsfeldnick]

Those are some dandy pike.Congrats

[natelee]

Not to be negative, but those pics are on every FMN lake site on here. On another note I would recommend to put your bait about 2 feet below the ice when fishing tip-ups. Chances are you are in a little bit shallower water or should be, and Norbies feed up. Also the water is pretty clear compared to alot of lakes. Sounds strange, but has worked really well for us for years. Treble hook is a must, use blood red. You have to have a blade to make it legal. Refer to your MN fishing regs to confirm what is legal. Good luck!!!

[walleyeJoe]

frabill classic tip-up 40 lb tip up line.... black.... with a nice sized swivel..... and tie your leaders with 10 lb power pro... cable sucks.... red trebles and one white glow bead and a tiny gold spinner.... or just a nice size lazer sharp red hook... and as for depths.... try deep then stair step you bait.. keep adjusting it until you get a bite... every time ive caught big northern on mille lacs we had our baits like 2 feet off the bottom... any depth works... northerns eat anything all day if there hungry which usually they are....

[SnipeZilla]

One of my friends missed 5 tip ups in one weekend on mille lacs with the set up listed above. I'd go with at least 40lb test and then a very heavy leader (like 40lbs+). Go with a bigger size hook to ensure the hook set. Pike-a-dikes arent gonna notice if you have a size 4 vs 2 or 1/0. Just use the correct hook according to the size of your bait. Dont worry about fancy glow bull and spinners (unless you're using a treble to make it legal) Just the actual bait is what Mr. Pikey wants. He's roamin and looking for an easy meal. Very opportunistic feeders. As far as depth, you have to go with what most people say, and set up and different depths along the way. Good luck, Pike are F-U-N. Maybe you'll every get a muskellunge.

[SnipeZilla]

ps....dont forget the palomar knots.

[gopher_nation]

Earlier in the year, I got some nice pike at the mouth of Isle Bay. Single hook w/ shiner, I don't mess with steel leaders. Just make sure you have the correct hook size for the bait. Couple feet off the bottom. I was getting them in 12-16 feet in a rock/gravel/sand area. I sometimes pinch the tails fins off so they wiggle around but don't really move much. Good luck, they are fun!!!