Safe pike handling? 2024

platinumjason reply :

I searched on the forum and didn't find anything covering this yet so if its been posted already sorry for the duplicate.

Ok I live in Michigan and alot of times around here when fishing with Senkos, Sweet Beavers or Flappin Hogs you can run across pike that will grab you bait. Knowing this I was looking for some info on how to safely handle a pike incase I come across one so the fish nor me happen to get any injuries from the whole deal. Thanks.

TrippyJai reply :

i never really catch big pikes, but i am too afraid to handle them when i come across them. usually i just grab it gently by the neck and use pilers to remove hooks.

i just try not to get my fingers anywhere near its teeth in case i get my hand bite into 10000 pieces... :-X

platinumjason reply :

Yeah, teeth and gill rakers are what I fear most. I've never had to deal with one yet but I have a friend that fishes the exact same worms and what not as me and runs into them quite heavy at times.

TrippyJai reply :

yeppp... make sure to check ur line after each pike as well...

basser89 reply :

Good topic! I gave a couple of suggestions a while back on a musky thread but I can't remember how far back it was.

Here's my history, I was fishing for muskies (by myself) back in 2004 and I hooked into a decent musky! The problem started after I got it on shore. I grabbed the musky with my Rapala grip (yeah, not a bog fan of all their teeth either) and brought it up by my bag to remove the hook. Unfortunately, I wasn't as prepared as I thought I was! While trying to remove the treble hook from the fish with my pliers, it kicked it's head up and drove the second treble hook completely into two of my fingers on my right hand (yep, I'm right handed and the other hook is still in the musky)! The only thing I could do was hold the 45" musky down by the grip with my left hand and put my leg on it's back until I could get someone to help me out! That took about 15-20 minutes. Ended up going to the hospital to have the hook removed.

Since then, I have purchase a Lindey glove (one of the orange ones) to wear when I have to handle a musky. I also bought a long handled hook out tool to keep my hands as far away from the fish as possible.

As far as handling the toothy critter to CPR them,, keep them in the water as much as possible! They are a fragile fish so to speak. The shorter the fight, the better survival rate you'll have! Try not to hold the fish vertically for a picture (especially the bigger ones)! Their skeletal frame can't support their weight and you can cause spinal injuries by holding them that way. If you're on a boat, net the fish and keep the net in the water! Use a Boga, Rapala or other grip to control the fish and use the hook out tool to remove the hook. Pick up the fish horizontally for a quick picture and measurement and let them go, again as quickly BUT safely as you can!

Hope this helps!

MichiganFisherman reply :

My uncle taught me to hold them in their eye sockets with your thumb and middle finger. It calms them down and they won't thrash and you can then use some needle nose to free the hook. I don't know if this hurts them or not though. It doesn't seem to do any damage.

basser89 reply :

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My uncle taught me to hold them in their eye sockets with your thumb and middle finger. It calms them down and they won't thrash and you can then use some needle nose to free the hook. I don't know if this hurts them or not though. It doesn't seem to do any damage.

Hey MichiganFisherman,

I've seen that technique done once (I've never personally done it) and yes, it did work. However, my fishing partner (MskSlyr) and I are lucky enough to know the state musky biologist for DNR here in Maryland. I found out that using the technique you suggested is very harmfull to a musky's (or pike) eyes. I would not advise using this technique, especially if you are going to release the fish.

platinumjason reply :

Thanks for the info guys.

MichiganFisherman reply :

Quote

Quote
My uncle taught me to hold them in their eye sockets with your thumb and middle finger. It calms them down and they won't thrash and you can then use some needle nose to free the hook. I don't know if this hurts them or not though. It doesn't seem to do any damage.

Hey MichiganFisherman,

I've seen that technique done once (I've never personally done it) and yes, it did work. However, my fishing partner (MskSlyr) and I are lucky enough to know the state musky biologist for DNR here in Maryland. I found out that using the technique you suggested is very harmfull to a musky's (or pike) eyes. I would not advise using this technique, especially if you are going to release the fish.

Good to know. Thanks!

Lavrax reply :

1) Boga Grip

2) Long nosed plyers

Muddy reply :

This always works for me while fishing in the boat with a friend

Hey can you take that off for me?

platinumjason reply :

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This always works for me while fishing in the boat with a friend
Hey can you take that off for me?

Haha, yeah I suppose that is the easiest way.

Me and a friend were out fishing earlier today and he actually had a pike bite on. He was using a small black/gold deep diving Rapala while trolling over to the edge of an island to fish when he got the bite. Fish fought pretty good for a small one, only 24". Good thing I got a little info on how to take care of these fish first though, my friend was getting a bit close to the teeth and gills.

basser89 reply :

Quote
This always works for me while fishing in the boat with a friend
Hey can you take that off for me?

I'd expect an solution like that from someone in "that" part of the state! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Grey Wolf reply :

Quote
I searched on the forum and didn't find anything covering this yet so if its been posted already sorry for the duplicate.
Ok I live in Michigan and alot of times around here when fishing with Senkos, Sweet Beavers or Flappin Hogs you can run across pike that will grab you bait. Knowing this I was looking for some info on how to safely handle a pike incase I come across one so the fish nor me happen to get any injuries from the whole deal. Thanks.

Buy what they call a muskie cradle. It has basically 2 long poles and materal attached that you can slip under the fish while still in the water . It contains the fish and you never have to take it out of the water. I believe cabelas or bps sells them.

riverfisher reply :

Quote
1) Boga Grip
2) Long nosed plyers

Yup I gets me a lotta toothy fishes here in Upstate NY wouldn't leave home without the Boga!! But make sure you put some floats on the end before you hand them to someone that has never used one. I lost 2 Bogas in the Hudson. You would think I would have learned after the first!!!

basser89 reply :

I figured I'd add this about the different grips! Becareful which one you buy! Some of the cheaper ones do not have a ball bearing that allow the head to turn. If you get even a medium sized pike or musky, it may go into a death roll when you grap them. I know the Berkley one my Dad had intially picked up did not have the bearing and when he used it on a 30" musky it went into a roll and almost ripped the grip out of his hand and did a number on his shoulder and wrist! I know the Boga's and Rapala's are safe, not sure what other ones have the bearing.

moby bass reply :

I have a jaw spreader which opens in the fishes mouth and keeps him from closing its mouth. Never had to use it though. Won't keep him from thrashing but at least he can't clamp down on you.

platinumjason reply :

Thanks everyone, I will check into the boga grip and the cradle.

grimlin reply :

Caught my first pike today.Grabbed it by the gill area and it shook loose.Those pikes seem to shake harder than bass.Since it was my first one,me knowing about the teeth on them suckers i panicked and it slipped out,cut my line and swam off with the lure still in it's mouth.

basser89 reply :

Hey grimlin,

Yeah, they will usually shake a little harder than what a bass will (especially if they have any size to them)! The Lindey glove I mentioned earlier will help you hold on to them a little easier. When I grab a musky by the gill plate, I'll press my thumb on the outside of the gill plate) against my pointer and middle fingers (obviously on the inside of the gill plate) as hard as I can. I seem to be able to hold onto the fish pretty easy doing this. I won't hold a toothy critter this way if I don't have the Lindey glove on. A while back, my fishing partner landed a 42" musky (fishing by himself) and picked up the musky for a quick pic. The musky shook and his hand slipped and his fingers ended up in the musky's mouth. Well, it bit down! Luckily, he had his glove on! Said it hurt like H#@% but the glove worked the way its supposed to and he wasn't cut up!

grimlin reply :

Thanks,i'm going to have to invest in gloves.To be honest i had fun catching it...so it looks like i'm going to target them as well.

swilly78 reply :

Ive never caught one larger than 26", so i cant speak for the biguns', but for the snakes ive had good luck grabbin em' just behind the head near the top of the gills. seems to give a good grip, and didnt seem to hurt the fish.

basser89 reply :

Welcome to the boards swilly78!

For the smaller toothy critters, that hold will work. Once you get much bigger than that, holding them by the gill plate and under the belly works better, IMO!

platinumjason reply :

I got my first pike this past weekend while bass fishing. Had a flappin hog on with a size 3 gamakatsu and he nailed it just as it got dark. Got the fish to the boat and tried to get the hook out with him in the water and my friend holding it but he kept thrashing around and neither of us wanted to lose a finger so we hauled it in the boat with a net. Although this got him in the boat it was probably the worst option as he death rolled and got my hook and his teeth caught in the net. I think Im gonna have to venture to a bait shop a hour away to try to find one of the fish grips, I'm sure a pike is the most slimey thing you can catch and a good amount of his slime came off on the net. Hope it dont end with him getting a sickness or infection.

On a good note though it was quite fun fighting him. Was in the process of lifting my flappin hog when he hit. He didn't fight hard, felt like I had a pile of weeds, not alot of splashing around, just like reeling in a brick even though he was only 24".

moby bass reply :

My son got a 24" pike the other night and we had the same problem.

Hook and teeth were caught in the net. Fortunately he wasn't real well hooked and the hook came out while he was thrashing. Then we only needed to get the teeth out. I had a somewhat more difficult problem the other night. I got a 24" one on a Mepps #5 inline. Two of the trebles were hooked in his lower jaw. I had a hard time holding the fish and rotating two hooks from the treble at the same time. Somewhat unusual for him to be hooked that way, through the skin in the lower jaw as I think they usually slash at their prey sideways. Previous pike have been hooked in the corner of the mouth where its real bony.

swilly78 reply :

Thanks for the welcome! This is a great site and im glad to have found it!

MickD reply :

There is nothing really tough about handling pike. Don't buy the hype. If the fish is small enough to simply grab the fish just behind the gills, from the top, do it and hold on. Will not hurt the fish or you. A jaw spreader is very handy if you are fishing with multi hook lures. In fact it is a godsend. Keep the fish out of the water as little as possible if you want it to survive.

If the fish is too big (about 36 inches) to handle this way, then grab it under the lower jaw by the structure that runs down the center of the jaw-not in the mouth, directly below the mouth. Use a jaw spreader if necessary to remove your lure.

I catch lots of northerns in Canada every year and net only the bigger ones, release them all, and have never been attacked successfully. For the bigger ones, net them then grab them as above.

I expect this would work with muskies.

moby bass reply :

MickD reply :

I hope no one really believes that the pike attacked the guy. He was just nailed by a thrashing pike. If he had held the fish with one hand by the back of the neck, or, just by the tail with one hand, and let the fish go when seemed revived, no problem. The only time I have been bitten by a pike is when I put my hands into their mouth-there is nothing that can prevent a stupid act from nailing you.

aceman387 reply :

this is realy good reading , this past summer ive been fishin at a golf course pond that has northern pike in it which i didnt know ive never caught northern pike before and i was fishin for bass ,i caught two in a row on a spinnerbait they were about two feet long and i just grabbed them by the gills and used my long pair of pliers to unhook them i would hate to try and unhook a bunch of treble hooks out of one of these things while they are thrashing about.

bassfisher2 reply :

Up to 10 lbs you can get hold from above at the back of the head and just lift the fish out, to open the mouth lay the pike on its back , it is more docile and the mouth opens . Spreaders can be a bit harsh on the fish and I have never found the need . Some people wear gloves , the chain mail butchers gloves . I don't , BUT NEVER put your fingers in the mouth - use long pliers or forceps.

This one was caught on fly froma float tube.

Bob

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