[.Steve]

Please teach me how to properly handle a pike. I know this is primarily a bass site, but with people like NPIKE and a few others, the knowledge is out there. The fact they have teeth freaks me out.

I don't plan on catching them, but they slam my buzzbaits and spinnerbaits more than the bass do. :?: :?: :?: 99.99% of my fishing is now done in a kayak, so please remember that when giving advice. It's not like I have a whole lot of room to maneuver.

Would getting a boga grip be the best way? Or just being a man and pick them up by their gills like they do on TV?

 

[toothdoc]

Usually if you grab them behind the gills they will hold still. This works well with the smaller ones. The bigger ones you might have to put your fingers through the gills though if you can't get your hand around the fish.

 

[.Steve]

Do you mean just grab them from the top of their head while it is still in water? At least for the smaller ones?

I know the answer will vary, but as a general rule, what size is "small"? Most of the pike I have caught from my honey hole are between 18-24". Smallest was 16 and largest was 27. Had my buddy take off the big one, he was thrashing too much for my liking.

 

[toothdoc]

Yeah, pike those size should be no problem to grab over the head and behind the gills. Place your thumb on one side and your fingers on the other.

 

[FishinMatt]

These are a lifesaver for handling pike. You get a good grip, so you can grab them up to about 34'' this way behind the head. Once they get bigger, you are going to have to net them or try to go through the gills. For the safe handling of the fish, a net is the best way to go because the fish is going to start thrashing the moment you gill it. Jaw spreaders are also a must have. When a pike does not want to open its mouth. it can be the difference b/w a good release or a dead fish. Besides that, a good set of pliers is about all you need.

 

[twoglasseyes]

Those lindy gloves matt put the pic of are the cadillac of fish handling gloves. ecellent piece of equipment. In canada they passed the test.
Also, it seems if you turn the fish upside down as you go to pick it up out of the net it seems to calm it down a bit. (upside down=dorsal to the floor) I dont know why.

 

[NPIKE]

Pretty much what Matt and others said. If your in a kayak you'll definitly need those gloves Matts talking about. The key is you have to grab him with confidence. That will come with handleing them more. Tool wise the only thing I would add is to make sure you get the super long " longnose pliers". .

If you do get caught up on there teeth remember they are angled back.

I still get nerverous on the 30" and up ones. Probibly cause I havn't caught enough of them.

NPIKE

 

[.Steve]

Thanks everyone. Now I have another excuse to go to the store.

 

[Culprit]

Be a man use ur bare hands

 

[toothdoc]

Be a man use ur bare hands

LOL Culprit. I was thinking the same thing. J/K

 

[BassCaster]

Be a man use ur bare hands

Wow tough crowd..... :lol:

 

[MrB]

I agree with the gloves, definitely a net for the bigger ones.

Death Grip:
Grip the fish over the back, right behind the gills (never by the eye sockets!) and hold it. With the other hand, use a pliers to remove the hooks.

Gill Grip:
http://globalflyfisher.com/fishbetter/pike_landing/
I like to pinch the area so if the fish thrashes my fingers wont get cut up by the teeth especially if I dont have gloves.

Boga Grip:
Even though this is getting hammered by the experts :roll: on another site, the boga grip type works well. I like to use it when the shore area that I am fishing is hard to access reasonably. I fish alot of ponds that arent manicured in a way that the immediate shore is accessible or on they are on heavy declines. IMO its alot better than sliding the fish up the bank or bringing a cumbersome net. I also think its alot easier for a quickest release on the smaller ones.

 

[.Steve]

Thanks for the link, MrB. I think that the Boga grip would be better if I were higher up in the water, so I think I'm just going to get a pair of good fishing gloves, and start on the "death grip", then work my way to the gill grip.

btw, this guy still looks freaked out.

 

[coyote]

Back in the golden years on Delavan when me and a bud would catch close to 10 0.pike a year we just never used anything but our hands not sure why we never got carved up just luck i guess, even after i met Matt and we fished Delavan in the begining we didnt use anything till 1 freak day when we were slamin pike we both ended the day with tons of gauze taped around our fingers we looked like we came out of a emergency ward , since that day i now use a glove 95% of the time when holding one.Pike will shake just when you think they are tired out in seem to remember a guy i took to the emergency romm after a pike shook a trailer hook into the palm of his hand. I always have a glove in the boat now without a doubt.

 

[JB]

Yeah I remember getting sliced pretty good by trying to grab it at the gill plate. How do you avoid that if you're grabbing it by the gill?

JB

 

[toothdoc]

Man you guys are starting to freak me out now. I've never used a glove to handle a pike before.

 

[FishinMatt]

Man you guys are starting to freak me out now. I've never used a glove to handle a pike before.

You may get away without using the glove several times, but if you handle enough of them, they will get you. It is not really even the teeth or gill rakers you have to worry about either. Like Coyote was saying, the greatest threat is getting the lure embedded somewhere in you. Depending on what type of lure you are throwing, you may have 3 big sets of trebles on a crankbait. When you have a thrashing pike with a bait like this 3/4's of the way down its gullet, it makes for a potentially dangerous situation. In my case, it was only a trailer hook that got me. but it happened so fast, there was no way I could of avoided it with anythng besides the glove.

 

[.Steve]

I'm glad I posted this thread. I'm definitely going to get a glove before the next time I go out fishing. For the amount of pike that I have been catching lately, it just seems safer.

The main reason I posted this was because the one I caught yesterday on a buzzbait still had someone else's lure in it. As I was reeling it in, I noticed something weird hanging out of it's mouth. Sure enough, someone had caught this fish before and cut off their leader. That pisses me off. Causing damage to the fish. Don't fish if you can't handle it. :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

Thanks everyone. 8)

 

[Culprit]

What kinda bait was in its mouth ?

 

[.Steve]

Mine was an 1/8th oz. yellow/black buzzbait with a small yellow grub on the hook. In his mouth was a small, maybe size 3, mepps inline spinner, leader still attached. So it must have been caught within the past few days, otherwise I think it would have "healed" around the lure.