Some of the biggest pike are the Northern Pike. The nice thing is that they will bite just about any lure and are one of the easiest fish to catch. Here are some tips to get the most bites and catch the biggest pikes. The best bait to use is the large chub or sucker minnow. Remember that pikes are huge fish and not easy to catch. It will take time before you are ready to get out there and catch one of these monsters. You have to have a strong fishing rod and never get anything that is in the category of light action because it can’t handle the pressure when you’re fighting with the fish. In fact, many experts agree that a pike between 5-10 pounds less than average can break a light action rod. Make sure you invest in a heavy action or medium action rod.
Lures:
The most traditional and best lures are the Red and White Daredevil and the Yellow 5 of Diamonds Daredevil. The red is meant to use in clear water and the yellow for cloudy water. Some other lures that are great are Spinner baits, Crank baits, Buck tails and Williams Weed less Spoons. If you are using a Daredevil you should cast up high and then jerk it before it hits the water. It should hit the surface of the water and attract the bigger pikes. Pikes are known for biting surface lures. You can use Jitterbugs and Spooks too. One trend in Pike fishing is fly fishing. Using large flies you can drop them into thick weeded areas where a normal lure would not work. The great thing about Pike is they can be found everywhere from thick weeds to off shoals to streams.
The Big Trophy Pike usually stay where they can gang up on Walleyes, Bass and smaller Pike. In many Northern Ontario lakes Northern Pike can be found in shallow waters in the spring and summer. They will go deeper in the middle of August. However, in Lower Manitou Lake that is not an issue because the Pike stay in shallow waters while other fish follow bass, trout and baitfish to the edge of drop offs. In late summer and fall the fish go 15 feet deep off the shoals and ridges or right up in the shallow waters. Some pike will go really deep so you have to catch those using Lake Trout techniques. Remember that pikes will not come near smaller baits like worms or anything that doesn’t move. If you want to find those big pike then you can look in these places:
-points running into weedy bays
-along Wild Rice beds with lots of walleyes
-stream or river mouth
-in thick cabbage weed or other big leaf weeds
-under lily pads
-narrows between lakes and open waters where Walleyes will migrate
-drop offs close to thick shallow weeds
-deep ridges
-shoals and rocky points where bass and walleye sit. If the walleyes and bass stop feeding it could mean that a big Pike is feeding nearby. This is when you want to switch to big and attractive lures. Here is a list of some good casting lures you can try:
-crank baits
-jerk baits
-spinner baits
-daredevil spoons
-suick
-large Mepps Buck tails
-Rattle Baits
-Spooks
-Jitter Bugs
Trolling Lures:
J-11 Jointed Rap alas
J-13 Deeper Jointed Rap alas
Zingy Lures
Willy Lures
Wiley Lures
Believers
Swimwizz
Large Mepps Buck tails
Lucky Strike Wooden Muskie Plugs
Hedon Muskie Plugs
Try to get a closed or open faced reel because they tend to tangle less. You can easily see how well the line is holding up. They are good when you are fighting with pike because they won’t jam. If you’re just starting out you may want to think about getting fishing net. Using a strong fishing net can really help in capturing that giant pike. You should also get yourself a good pair of gloves and nose pliers. They will come in handy when you’re catching and handling the fish. The gills of pikes are extremely sharp and you can cut up your hands and fingers. In fact, so badly you will need stitches! Then if the area is dirty it could lead to an infection that will stop your fishing hobby completely.
Pike Flies:
Rabbit Strip Pike Bunny
Dahlberg Diver
Red and White Pike Fly
The best way to catch big pike is to ice fish. In the winter months these predators which are at least 3 feet long will swim under the ice looking for food. You can rig ice fishing tip ups with large four to six inch long shiner hooks behind the top fin. Set the tip ups in shallow waters in February and March. This is the time when the pike are depositing their eggs before the ice melts. Keep your shiner off the bottom so it moves freely and watch the tips ups for a flag point up. You will know when a pike bites when you take the tip up out of the hole and set the hook. The pike will run with the bait and fight you when you try to bring in the line by hand and pull it out of the hole.