The Nature of The Beast Means There’s an Alternative to Sit & Wait

Not unlike waving a red flag at a bull, a properly played lure can get pike so worked up that they hit a darting bait when they wouldn’t otherwise think of taking a livebait or a deadbait. So, too, though, is the opposite true, particularly as the season slides toward the dead of winter and pike slide deeper in most bodies of water. That is, at times, pike not responding to an active lure will take a deadbait, sometimes after holding in the vicinity of the deadbait for an hour before finally becoming enthused enough to take it. The nature of pike runs to extremes.

Hotshotting, as I call it, is a hands-on active and visual way to use lures to catch pike. Much of the fishing transpires in shallow water, where sight-fishing is an integral part of the game. You work a lure to attract pike below your hole, then work the lure to get them to bite. A jiggle here, a dart there, a sleight of hand left-right, and then a little rod-nod to boot. You add the action, carefully judging pike reaction to those actions, and then adjust from there. It’s pinball wizard on ice. Win or draw, it’s all up to you. Unlike tip-ups, the appeal of live- or deadbait has nothing to do with the final result.

This isn’t just a fun way to fish, but an efficient and effective system. Two friends scored 15 pike or better each morning as they fished for eight mornings during one stretch at early-ice several years ago—four different lakes. Their best day was over 20 pike. Hotshots, indeed.

Hotshotting doesn’t require a lot of explanation so much as a healthy imagination. The basics of the system are obvious. In the end, it’s up to you to work your own magic.

The Right Lakes, Rivers, Reservoirs

Look for a body of water, or a portion thereof, with a great pike population. If you don’t have superb numbers of pike in waters near you, however, work with what you have. Some of you might want to work with fewer pike in exchange for a better shot at bigger fish. Others will prefer the chance for steady action.

To really work the system, the water should be clear enough to see the fish in relation to your lure. I’m familiar with most of the waters because I’ve fished them during open water. Or I know someone who has fished the body of water in question. Often, too, the subject of “water clarity” is addressed on topographical maps. Or I call a bait shop and ask. Of course, sometimes clarity varies by season or portions of the season. The point is to look for pike on flats or within backwaters and bays where you can see all the way down to the depth where the drop-off begins—or, in river backwaters, where you can see to bottom in the basin of backwater.