Pike use these channels like roads, and so you want to put your baits on and along the channel."Īt Oahe, Palmer pointed out, low-water conditions actually make the fishing easier. I like to place my bait in the channel where it approaches a shallow shelf.
"I think a good muskie or pike scent helps them find the bait it certainly doesn't hurt. But he always cautions anglers that fishing for big pike is still a tough bite. Guide Karl Palmer doesn't pull up into just any bay - he spends hours boating and graphing before he finds what he's looking for, and the extra effort pays off in spades when it comes time to fish. These fish are roaming around looking for an easy meal, and that is just what I want to offer them. This is also the one time of year when I am a firm believer in scent. "I let the weight of the smelt take the bait down," he offered, "and I rebait and recast every hour. Palmer prefers the biggest smelt he can find on a quick-strike rig. There are no big secrets to catching them - just put in the time and have patience. I set up from dawn to dusk, but my best action is from 10 in the morning to about 3 in the afternoon." "But I love those first nice days after ice-out. Of course, those days are rare at this time of year, which can make planning a trip tough. Palmer prefers to hit the lake on a warm, sunny day with little wind. Last year, rumors of open water on the lower reaches of Oahe were a little deceiving, as the bays always put on a good layer of ice and only the channel area remained open at times. Ice-out on Oahe depends entirely on the wind and weather, but generally occurs during the last week of March or first part of April.
Some years that's not easy to do, but when the right conditions occur, get ready." If you can put three or four days of bluebird weather together, the bite gets pretty good. "The biggest fish of the year always come the first few days after ice-out," he said. Palmer looks at the first week after ice-out as the time of year to catch the biggest pike. We saw solid numbers of fish in the 22-to-26-pound range - and those are trophy fish in anyone's book." "There are good numbers of big fish in Oahe, and everything looks good for this year as well. "We had a great bite last year and the system produced some real heavyweights," he offered. Veteran pike angler Karl Palmer, who guides out of the Sunset Lodge near Pierre, agreed. They are pretty vulnerable this time of year and there will be plenty of big pike taken over the next few weeks." "Big pike regularly cruise the shallows and back bays this time of year looking for warm water to feed and spawn in. "Ice-out is undoubtedly the best time of year to catch one of these trophies," noted Lott.
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