Tactical Considerations
Rip it through the surface film, creating noise and a bubble trail. Pause only for an instant before beginning a methodical walk-the-dog retrieve. Rod tip pointed down, lift it up a foot, creating slight slack in the line, and snap the tip downward. Repeat the same actions in a rhythmic pattern. The lure turns to one side, then to the other. During summer, a constant walk-the-dog retrieve is the way to start things off. Play with cadence and pause length, but the right retrieve for a slashbait is generally quick and aggressive until water temperatures rise above 78°F, at which point you might try slowing things down again.
In spring and late fall, a much less aggressive approach often works best. From coldwater through postspawn, pike can be a bit reluctant, especially when the weather turns sour. During prespawn on Canadian lakes, when spoons and spinnerbaits fail, suspending baits in standard bass sizes, like the new Rapala SXR in sizes 10 or 12, work wonders when left sitting still through long pauses. Make a couple of sharp, downward snaps of the rod tip, then let it sit. Less active and neutral pike that see the flash from a walk-the-dog retrieve often won’t react at all while it’s moving. When the lure stops, neutral pike approach slowly and may follow the bait through several snap-and-pause sessions. If so, try twitching it slightly at the end of another long pause, or try barely pulling it forward, just fast enough to make the bait begin to wobble.
During postspawn, when pike are beginning to spread out into various patterns, slash-trolling becomes dynamically effective. Work from the trolling motor on the bow, or use a small kicker motor from the back of the boat, or just row slowly in a small boat or canoe. Make a long cast behind the boat, engage the reel, and start moving slowly forward at about 1 mph. This is hands-on trolling at its finest. Rip the lure forward, then allow the rod tip to trail back toward the lure. Leave a small amount of slack line as you let the rod tip drift back, just fast enough to negate boat speed. When the line starts to tighten, snap the rod tip forward 2 or 3 times, let the rod tip drift back, and repeat the process. Work this snap-snap-pause technique over developing weedlines and patches of open bottom, zigzagging between 8- to 20-foot contours. Pike are scattering at this point, but many remain relatively shallow. Slash-trolling covers more water and puts more toothies in the net.
Slash-trolling is predictably successful at tracking down open-water wolf packs during summer, too. By early summer in larger lakes, large groups of big pike slip into the expanse, trailing herds of ciscoes, shad, smelt, alewives, emerald shiners, and other open-water baitfish. Using sonar and GPS, stake out an area around the biggest herd you can find and slash-troll around the edges.
Throughout early summer, most baitfish stay close enough to the surface to allow the use of shallow divers. As summer wears on and baitfish mark deeper, switch to deep-diving slashbaits, like the Smithwick Suspending Spoonbill Super Rogue, or the Rapala DHJ12 Down Deep Husky Jerk. With braided lines, these baits can actually go too deep with too much line out. Most of the time, active pike involved in this pattern feed in the top 25 feet of the water column. And they feed up, at things above them in the water column. Get to know these baits, and fish them with 50 feet of line out or less most of the time.
All summer and well into fall, slashbaits zero in on most working patterns, including open water, weedlines, shallow rock reefs, and windward shorelines and points. Slashbaits encourage followers—the big, ominous, ghostly kinds that track baits to your feet. Trophy pike following baits to the boat carve themselves into your memory. They may not bite, but they definitely steal your breath and tell you where they live.
