Northern Pike Fishing

Northern pike fishing is growing in popularity and with good reason. Known as Esox Lucius to fisheries experts, this rod-breaking battler grows to huge proportions in favorable waters. Noted for his strength and wiliness, lunkers aren't really caught until boated. The trophies that get away would stretch tail to tail for miles. While pike fishing you’ll discover that they are noted for their acrobatics when hooked.

Native to cold water streams and lakes, great northern pike range widely. Roaming southward as far as a lateral line through Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois and Massachusetts, this gamefish is sporty even when transplanted. The Arctic Circle bounds the species on the north.

Tighter creel limits, sport fishing influences and lightweight tackle have given him the nod. At one time considered a pest, the predacious pike, slaughtered and thrown away, waned to fast-diminishing numbers. Dog food was the usual reason for netting pike. Few are the anglers who scorn it on the platter today, for it is a delicacy when deep-fat fried, baked, and especially smoked.

A rod-jarring, gamey challenger, whose white filleted meat is a real treat, pike may be credited with high angler interest over legions of casters. A sucker for spoons and deep plugs, the spotted predator's following is growing. Giant pike are high on the ladder of sport. He'll fight - win, lose or draw. The rules are his making, and he's a tough and cagey contender.

Northern Pike Fishing Tackle

Take pike fishing lures, for example. Spoons of the wobbler-type rank first place and are closely followed by deep diving plugs. Surface lures and live bait tail the list. Successful old-timers in the North Country give identical opinions, pointing out that bait-casting and spinning take the lead over trolling and still-fishing.

Spoons and spinners are popular gear when trolling for giant pike. It long has been the custom in the Northlands to term walleyes as pike. Actually, walleyes carry the name pike in error, while great northern pike are really pike. Walleyes are relatives of the perch family, while muskies and pickerel are first cousins to the pike.

Although every fisherman has his own favorite bait, it's a good idea to take along a handful of deep-diving Rapala’s, silver and gold-plated Johnson’s Silver Minnow spoons, an assortment of top-water buzz-baits and red-and-yellow pork rind. For a wider variety, include some Dardevle Five-O-Diamonds spoons.

Northern Pike Habitat Location

Where do the big pike stay? Pike are daytime feeders, and the best northern pike fishing hours range from nine-thirty to four in the afternoon. They may be taken by still fishing, trolling or casting with frogs, large minnows or suckers and pork rind strips. Remember, too, that big fish need big hooks, with larger lures attached to wire leaders for the big bruisers. Ontario, Manitoba and Minnesota are noted for the giants they produce.

Trophy-size pike feed in depths from two to 12 feet around inundated stumpage, close-by weed beds and in bays and backwaters. Avid pike fishermen, who have the trick of catching whoppers, watch their casts and retrieves. Casts are free and lengthy, plopping the lure on the target -log, weed bed or rocky shoreline. As the bait settles, retrieve is fast, pumping the rod for jumpy action. If a bait-casting rod is used, a 6 1/2 to 7-foot, medium to medium-heavy action is best; the line should be around 14 to 20 pound-test.

Where To Find Northern Pike

The Canadian waters in Manitoba are considered tops by anglers in the know. Not all of the lakes and streams harbor giant pike. To get to where the real pike beds lie, ask a friend - if you'll believe another fisherman - or try and test for yourself.

In the first days of spring fishing and the last few days before ice-up, Mille Lacs in Minnesota is excellent. Leech Lake is good almost all of the fishing season. Upper Red Lake is certain, but somewhat like Mille Lacs. In Manitoba, the waters of the deep North around Hudson Bay, Flin Flon, Cranberry Portage and The Pas are widely recognized for pike up to 35 pounds.

A favorite spot is the Upper Winnipeg River. Its turbulent waters rush across the Ontario-Manitoba border, tighten in at Boundary Falls and spread to rock-lined shore for the next 20 miles. Ten to 20-pound pike are usual.

There's a gamble about pike fishing anglers like. Not all of the strikes are lunker-sized. Few of them, in fact. But whether it's a five-pounder - the kind which fillet best or a 25-pounder, there's plenty of action and tackle-testing fury!