Scott Mackner recently discovered that some northern pike feed on something you might not expect. He noticed that quite often the stomachs on these fish are a red-brown color. After cleaning some of these fish he found frogs inside their stomachs. “They’re digging through the mud, looking for frogs that are in hibernation. They’re so full of frogs,” Mackner said. “I thought to myself, well, if they’re digging around in the mud for frogs, like, why doesn’t a guy lay his bait on the bottom of the lake? And that’s what I started doing.”
Mackner uses a 42 inch Tuned Up Custom Rods Vulcan, with 20-pound ice braid. A bait feeder reel such as the Okuma Avenger BF is recommended so that once a fish picks up the bait, it can pull line without feeling the drag. He also uses an Ice Stopper Bobber, which is a modified slip bobber that keeps your line running smoothly through the bobber in cold temperatures even if the hole freezes around it. On the business end of his line, he uses a homemade quick strike rig.
Frozen smelt is Mackner’s bait of choice, hooking it in the back of the tail. He simply drops it to the bottom and lets it sit nose down in the mud. Frozen smelt have high amounts of oil that can attract fish more than live bait making it perfect for this presentation.
The setup and feeding pattern Mackner recently discovered is a great one-two punch and an effective alternative pattern when targeting late ice pike.
