Cooks Bay Pike Advice

[abdulh]

Hey everyone,

I just picked up my first boat recently. It came with a trolling motor and a fish finder, which is all new to me. I've been trying to catch my first pike for a while now with no success. Mostly been fishing from shore with one rented boat trip to balsam last year that yielded nothing except 2 small ones that came off right as i was trying to net them, but I’m really hoping that I have a better shot now, i honestly dont even care about size at this point im just trying to get on.

I’m heading out to cooks bay early Saturday morning and hoping to be on the water right at sunrise. I’ve been told trolling is probably my best shot, so that’s probably what I’ll stick to for most of the day. I’m still pretty new to fishing in general, so any tips would be super helpful. Not looking for anyones honey holes but just a general idea of where I should be and what to look for.

Also, are there any public launches in cooks bay that you can use early in the morning? Most of the marinas I’ve looked up online seem to open at 7 or 8, but I’d really like to get out there earlier if possible.

Appreciate any help.

[Brooktrout]

What side of Cook's are you thinking of launching from? I've called Monto Reno before and got permission to launch before they open, and paid when I come back in.

As for catching pike - look for weedbeds, and troll the edges. I would use jerkbait type lures or even spoons if you can get them to run shallow enough. Look for weedbeds that are close to deeper water. The bigger pike most likely suspend in the cooler deeper water, and I suspect would even target Cisco.

I've always found a slightly faster trolling speed works well with pike, but also eratic speeds and directions work too. If you decide to try casting this works extremely well. Cast, start reeling, but pause during your retrieve, or speed up your retrieve and then pause.

Best of luck! Hope you get into a couple of them!

[Woodfarmer]

They’ll eat just about anything. Red devil, 5 of diamonds, canoe spoons and silver/blue Williams are my fav spoons. Rapalas and white spinnerbaits also.

[Brooktrout]

True! I can't count how many senkos I've lost to pike when I've been reeling them in! LOL

[Disco]

For Pike in cooks I wouldn’t troll.

You will catch them trolling but I do way better casting.

I find the Pike in cooks are mostly in groups. Catch me catch a bunch.

Find the sparse weeds with tall growth clumps. Can cast the area in between all the clumps. They will chew anything. I like throwing a double Colorado white spinner bait for the. The Double Colorado idea higher in the water with less speed and crates way more thump and vibration. Also spoons and swim baits. There are so many successful pike fishermen and they all have their favourites. You will catch on what you use.

[Jesse]

Pike love spinnerbaits and swim baits those are go to baits anywhere pike are can’t tell you where on cooks to go though , I only fish hard water on simcoe