Jigging for Pike Through the Ice: Best Ice Fishing Gear, Lures and Tips

Master the Art of Ice Fishing for Northern Pike with the Best Jigging Techniques

Trophy class pike are fun to catch on tip-ups, but catching them on a jigging rod is much more exciting! Author, Joe Shead, shares his best ice fishing tips for catching big pike. / Joe Shead

Why Jigging for Pike is More Fun Than Tip-Ups

Tip-ups probably account for the majority of pike caught through the ice. Countless others are caught incidentally by anglers in pursuit of perch, walleyes or crappies. But jigging is an exciting and effective way to catch these toothy critters and rest assured, even a small pike will give you a heck of a battle on a jigging rod.

Essential Gear for Jigging Pike Under the Ice

It doesn’t take a lot of specialized gear to jig for northerns. In fact, you’ve probably already got everything you need. Let’s face it, most pike you’ll catch will be 18 to 24 inches. Although fish this size are great sport and they will surely fight for everything they’re worth, they are pretty easy to land on a walleye rod. For average-sized pike, a simple spinning rod and reel setup that you’d use for walleyes will suffice. The rod should have enough backbone to set the hook, but it should be flexible to absorb the shock of a pike’s numerous runs. Keeping a bend in that rod wears down a pike and keeps the line from going slack.

Best Ice Fishing Rods for Pike

The Shimano Convergence Ice Rod / Shimano

For average-sized northern, a 28-inch, medium-action Shimano Convergence spinning rod will work just fine. If you’re specifically tackling trophy pike, bump it up to the 42-inch Shimano Convergence in heavy action.

Choosing the Right Reel for Cold Conditions

The most critical component to the whole setup is probably the reel. It needs to function properly in cold weather. Sometimes drags and even reel handles get sticky in the cold. The easiest way to remedy the situation is to keep the reel warm. Keep the reel in the cab of your truck on the ride to the lake. Go with a high-quality reel and lube it with grease specifically designed for ice fishing. Then test the drag before you start fishing to ensure it’s working properly. You should be able to freely take line with your hand. If not, lighten the tension on the drag. Sometimes you just need to twist the spool quickly to loosen up the drag in the cold. A pike is going to give you a battle and it’s going to make several runs before you’re able to maneuver it up the hole. Your drag needs to be working and ready to handle those runs. If you suddenly realize it’s not working during a battle, be conscious of the anti-reverse lever and be ready to back-reel on the fish.

The Shimano NASCI Spinning Reel is perfect for ice fishing for pike. / Shimano

A medium-sized Shimano NASCI 2500 spinning reel is light enough to fish comfortably, yet has plenty of drag to handle those hard-fighting hammer handles. For trophy pike, employ a larger reel with a stronger drag and larger spool capacity, like the Shimano NASCI 5000XGFC.

Best Fishing Line for Ice Fishing Northern Pike

Sufix 832 Ice Braid Fishing Line / Sufix

Line is nearly as critical. For average-sized fish, 8-pound-test braid is plenty, and a skilled angler with a properly working drag system can land a much larger fish on 8-pound line. If you’re really looking for a trophy, use 30-pound braid. Suffix 832 Ice Braid is a great choice because it has great abrasion resistance against sharp ice or toothy mouths. Plus, it sheds water, which helps prevent freeze up on your reel.

How Important Is a Leader for Winter Pike?

Leaders come down to personal preference, but they should do a few things. First, they need to prevent a pike from biting off your lure. Second, they must have minimal impact on the action of your lure. And third, they should be relatively unnoticeable to fish. I’ve caught fish using steel leaders, fluorocarbon muskie leaders and even plain braided line or heavy mono. Steel is guaranteed to resist bite-offs, but in clear, shallow water I’ve seen pike sometimes stare at the lure and just turn away. On darker lakes or in deeper water with reduced light penetration, you may be able to get away with it more often. It’s a tradeoff between absolute certainty you won’t get bit off and missed opportunities at fish that lies completely with the individual angler.

Top Lures for Jigging Pike in Winter

Start With Jigging Raps and Spoons

Aggressive lures such as the Rapala Jigging Rap, VMC Tingler Spoon and Rapala Jigging Shadow Rap are potent medicine when jigging for pike through the ice. / Joe Shead

Pike are generally pretty aggressive, even in the winter, and they’ll hit a variety of presentations. The Rapala Jigging Rap Magnum and Jigging Shadow Rap cover a lot of water when jigged and elicit vicious strikes. Spoons such as the VMC Tingler are potent pike medicine as well.

Soft Plastics and Tubes for Aggressive Strikes

And if you’re into tubes, you can’t go wrong with the Northland Level Head Predator tube. Most of the time these lures don’t even need to be tipped with live minnows or minnow heads. I do prefer lures with multiple hooks, which seem to hook pike better on their slashing strikes. But honestly, I’ve caught plenty of pike on tiny, single-hook panfish jigs.

Don't Forget This Helpful Tool for Ice Pike

A gaff is a handy tool for landing fish. They just never seem to want to come up the hole calmly. But I only like to gaff a fish if I plan to keep it. 

Where and How to Find Pike Under the Ice

Best Cover and Depth for Jigging Pike

Once you’re rigged up, catching pike isn’t hard. Target a weedbed or weed edge, set up and start jigging. One advantage of jigging over tip-ups is you will be actively calling fish in to you. A live minnow under a tip-up has limited attracting power, especially if the minnow is lethargic or if it is set too deeply, where it can bury itself in the weeds. When you’re jigging, keep your lure high where fish can see it from a distance. Keep it at least above the weed tops and sometimes just below the ice if it’s not too deep. You will attract far more fish this way.

Even average-sized northerns are a lot of fun to catch on a jigging rod! / Joe Shead

How to Read the Pike’s Reaction

Experiment with your jigging to see what pike prefer on any given day. A lot of times they won’t be too fussy. Jigging is essential to call fish in, but once they see your lure they often commit. Watch fish react to your presentation, either by looking down the hole, at an underwater camera or your electronics. If for some reason they don’t strike, you may need to change up your jigging motion.

Pro Tips for Hooking & Landing Big Pike

Be Ready!

Sometimes a fish will come in slowly and study the presentation, but quite often they appear out of nowhere and slash into your lure. Keep a good grip on your rod at all times! 

How To Play a Hooked Pike Under the Ice

Set the hook and then be ready to play the fish. Odds are it will make several runs on you. Sometimes it’s wise to dunk the rod tip underwater to help prevent the line from scraping the ice, but be sure to keep the rod loaded to absorb shock and prevent slack in the line. 

Jigging for Pike – A Rewarding and Fun Way to Ice Fish

Jigging for pike is incredibly versatile. You can catch them on weed flats in 3 feet of water or over deep suspended forage. You don’t need fancy equipment to catch fish and the method is highly effective. Best of all, battling a pike on a jigging rod is a lot more fun than pulling them in hand over hand on a tip-up.  

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Best Tip-Up Fishing for Northern Pike This Winter

From Tip #7: Setting your tip-up's flag arm so the spindle has to rotate upward makes it harder for large minnows to spring the flag. Wrapping a rubber band around the spindle also creates more friction to prevent false trips. / Joe Shead