Pike and Musky Fishing SMALL Rivers - Solo Car Camping & Cooking
For late-fall river pike, cast a chatterbait or spinnerbait along cover and keep retrieving it to the bank—fish may strike at your feet.
- Start with a bluegill-colored chatterbait; vary between a steady retrieve and lifting and dropping it.
- Target river rocks, bends, pools, and spillways; switch to a spinnerbait if bites slow.
- For a follow or a tough-to-reach pool, suspend smelt under a bobber; use a heavy leader for large fish.
The fishing footage shows repeated strikes, lure changes, and a practical smelt setup in action. · Best for: Anglers interested in fall pike fishing, river access, and simple car-camping meals.
A two-day late-fall outing explores roadside ponds, a reservoir, and small rivers for pike and musky, with an overnight car-camping stop. The angler catches several pike, including a larger fish on smelt, but no musky.
Roadside ponds and first river pike0:00
- Begins with a bluegill-colored chatterbait and trailer, worked along weed lines in roadside ponds; no bites there.
- Moves to a small river and catches pike on the chatterbait, including near rocks and a stained-water offshoot.
- Varies the retrieve between steady reeling and lifting and dropping the bait.
- Tries a white-and-gold spinnerbait, then catches another pike on the chatterbait at a spillway.
Camp setup and dinner8:36
- Uses a boat launch for car camping, collecting water and filtering it through a gravity filter.
- Builds the fire in a sand pit, noting the need for care around dry fall leaves.
- Cooks a foil-wrapped sweet potato, cream-of-mushroom soup, and steak in a cast-iron pan over the fire.
Morning meal and reservoir bait fishing14:07
- Makes hash browns over the fire for breakfast.
- At a reservoir, rigs frozen smelt on one bottom line and one bobber line, expecting the thawing bait's scent to draw pike.
- Leaves without a bite.
River spinnerbait fishing16:15
- Works a spinnerbait through a small river with fallen trees and catches a pike after it strikes repeatedly.
- Reels the lure all the way to the bank because fish may follow and hit near shore.
- After the initial fish, covers more water without another bite.
Glide bait, paddle board, and smelt19:21
- Switches to a crappie glide bait and heavy musky tackle to seek larger fish, but snags repeatedly among trees.
- Uses a paddle board to reach water inaccessible from shore; the board is underinflated and has only half a paddle.
- Suspends smelt under a bobber in a pool and catches a long, skinny pike; no musky is caught.
Step by step
- 1. In cold, stained small-river water, begin with a bluegill-colored chatterbait and cast along weed lines, rocks, and other cover.
- 2. Vary the retrieve: reel steadily, or lift and drop the lure; bring it all the way to the bank in case a fish follows.
- 3. If bites slow, try a spinnerbait and continue covering likely holding areas such as bends, pools, and spillways.
- 4. For a fish seen near a pool, rig smelt under a bobber and hook it near the middle so it hangs in the water column.
- 5. For camping, filter water, build a fire in a clear sand pit, and cook over coals with a cast-iron pan and foil.
Tools & resources mentioned
- Z-Man JackHammer ChatterBait — bluegill-colored lure used with a trailer for river pike.
- Strike King Rage Tail — trailer paired with the chatterbait.
- War Eagle spinnerbait — alternative lure tried for pike.
- Crappie glide bait — larger bait used while targeting musky.
- Frozen smelt — fished on bottom or under a bobber; a pike takes the suspended bait.
- Paddle board — used to reach river water beyond easy bank access.
- Gravity water filter — filters water collected at the boat launch.
- Cast-iron pan and foil — used to cook steak, soup, and a sweet potato over the fire.
Notes are AI-generated from the video's transcript and may miss nuance.