This fall, I have been having extremely good luck fishing for northern pike in the Looking Glass, right here in DeWitt. I am not going to lie- pike fishing here is not like shooting fish in a barrel, but the local fishing has been much better than it has been in recent years.
The trick right now is to move around if you do not see any pike or have any pike hit in the first 30 minutes at a location. Because water levels are so low, and the water is so clear, I think if you aren't catching pike within the first half hour, then it's time to move on.
Because the river is low this fall, the best fishing spots are places that have access to pools or relatively deep water. Two of these places are 1) behind the DeWitt Fire and Rescue station at McGuire Park, or 2) in downtown DeWitt at Riverside Park. Pike numbers are up! And honestly, the pike seem to be more aggressive, perhaps because of the lower water or mild fall we have been having.
Bass fishing hasn't been too bad, either, but most of the bass I have been catching are fairly small, and other Looking Glass anglers I chat with say this as well.
My main pike rig this year so far has been very simple- an 8 to 12 inch thin, rubber coated wire leader and a strong wire wide-gapped hook. I have just been using live suckers this year and liphooking them. Many of the pike I have caught have been very chunky in the 26" to 30" range, and hopefully, I will be hooking into more before hardwater season starts!
