Northern Pike fishing lures are designed to mimic the movements of natural prey. Top water lures include products such as the Rattlin’ Dog, which is 4 ½” long, and is classified as a “walk the dog” variety lure, and the Rippin’ Junior Minnow, which is a top water popper. Crank bait fishing lures include the Pike Diver which is a deep diving lure, the Pike Killer, which is a 5″ medium depth lure, and the Diving Minnow, which is a short 3 ½” and is designed to run deep.

The Northern Pike habitat includes the majority of the northern portion of North America, Northern Asia, and Northwestern Europe. They have a tendency to live in water which is less than 15 feet deep, overgrown with weeds, and close to the shore. Northern Pike fishing lures work in these prime fishing areas and address their opportunistic eating habits.

Because the Pike favor minnows and other types of small fish, fishermen and women are advised to imitate these fish when angling. Northern Pike fishing lures incorporate cranks, spoons, and spinners. Out of the wide range and variety of Northern Pike fishing lures, the Red Daredevil is by far the most popular and most used. During warmer weather, Pike congregate in weedy areas, such as bays. During the fall and winter seasons, the Pike will move to cooler waters, but will still remain near weedy areas since this is their feeding grounds.

When fishing through the ice, live minnows are very popular and are a great lure. Since Pike seek their prey by sight, it is important for the lure to move, so active artificial movement or live bait movement is very important. If you are fishing for catch-and-release purposes, it is advised to set the hook early so that the lure is not swallowed too deep to be safely removed.

When fishing for Pike in shallow waters, top water lures are the best choice. When large fish are expected, larger sized top water lures and buzzbaits are recommended. In deeper waters, and especially when fishing in colder weather, diving crank baits are the best choice.

Northern Pike are exceptionally good to eat, with firm, white flesh. Except for one troublesome Y-shaped bone, the Pike is relatively easy to filet. Pike can be served in a variety of ways, including grilled, fried, and baked and with a host of different seasonings and sauces.

WHERE TO FIND NORTHERN PIKE

Pike are very predictable. They prefer cold water and tend to stay as close to the surface as their preference for cold water will allow. What does this mean as far as finding some large pike on your fishing trip? Head out as soon as the lake has thawed enough to fish the shallower waters. Then, as the season progresses, fish is deeper and deeper water. This means that in the middle of summer you will be fishing the bottom of the lake. If you really want to impress that rookie angler then go when the pike are in shallower waters because it’s a little easier to pinpoint where the fish are.

When things start to cool down again, just move in the opposite direction. By the time the lake starts to freeze over, you should be right near the coast again.

HOW TO CATCH NORTHERN PIKE

Pike are famous for hitting just about anything you put on the end of your line, as long as you jiggle it. They tend to remain motionless for long periods of time waiting for a fish, frog, or whatever to come along, and then attack their prey with a stabbing motion. Motion is the key, the main thing that triggers the bite, so be sure to give your lure, spinner bait, or whatever you’ve chosen little jerks as you reel it in. But be ready, because pike hit fast and hit hard.

ANOTHER BENEFIT OF NORTHERN PIKE FISHING

Northern pike fishing isn’t only relatively easy and fun, but it can provide for a nice dinner as well. You may not want to attempt it with a smaller specimen, though, because the bones can be difficult to separate from the meat. It’s a little bit easier in the larger fish.

So if you are wondering whether northern pike fishing is something you’d like to try, consider the positives: Pike are pretty easy to find, easy to catch, and good to eat. As mentioned earlier, what else could you ask for?

Northern pike tend to like cooler water, and the shallower the better. Using that logic, it follows that they can be found in very shallow waters just after ice-out, when the shallower waters haven’t had a chance to heat up. There is about a two week window here when the big fish still haven’t started their transition to deeper waters and fishing the shallower zones during this time can take a lot of the guess work out of catching a trophy pike. One drawback to fishing just after ice-out is that often times fishing season hasn’t started yet. That’s something that will involve research for the particular area you will be fishing in.

The next period that is good for catching some larger northern pike is during the time that they are transitioning from shallow to deeper waters. This occurs just after the period mentioned above. The conditions are slightly less favorable than if you are able to get your line in the water just after ice out, but the bigger northerns do tend to linger as long as possible, feeding on the more abundant food sources nearer the surface. Once they head down deep, then the task gets quite a bit more difficult.

The last period that’s great for catching larger northern pike is when they return to the shallows just before the water freezes over again.

So if you are looking for northern pike fishing tips, none are going to help you out more than knowing when is the best time. Once you know that, then you can move on to other northern pike fishing tips such as what kind of lure to use and what kind of shallows are better than others.

Five Mile Lake is an excellent source for pike in Ontario, because the fish have a great source of food in the abundant Walleye who live in these water. There are lots of islands, bays, and weeds that contribute to the type of environment the pike enjoys as his habitat. When you fish for pike in a prime spot for Ontario northern pike fishing, you have a good chance of catching a lot of high quality fish. Some of the fish you’ll catch will be massive, so make sure you bring a camera so you friends back home will believe your fish story. You’ll want your great catches from Ontario to become a legend, and these days it take digital proof to make people believe in your amazing skills as a pike fisherman.

But Five Mile Lake is just one of the many rich Ontario northern pike fishing locations you can visit. The high level of calcium content in the waters of Ontario greatly contribute to the proliferation of pike in their waters. You’d be hard-pressed to visit an Ontario lake without encountering a good amount of pike to hook. There are a great many fantastic accommodations to suit your personal style when fishing in Ontario. Many people like to stay in cabins, so they can have a rugged experience. This type of lodging allows you the luxury of stepping outside and heading straight to the waters to catch the pike’s that just waiting for you.

The reason the Pike need a high amount of calcium in their waters is because of their complex bone structures. They feed on smaller fish who absorb a large amount of this nutrient in their bodies. The abundance of dissolved calcium in the waters that makes its way into the pike’s diet comes from mineral deposits from the mountains.

Because the fish likes colder water, you can use that to your advantage when Canada northern pike fishing. Just after the lakes and rivers thaw, pike can be found swimming in the shallower waters. Pike like to hang out, waiting for their food to swim by before pouncing. They react to motion so what usually works best is jerking your lure. Stay close to the shore, cast your lure (pike like such a wide variety of lures, there is no need to discuss it here), and reel it in slowly while often giving your pole a quick yank. As soon as it hits get ready for some fun! Pike can get pretty large and they like to fight, sometimes even performing some aerial feats.

Once you get a pike to your boat you want to be very careful removing the hook. The only real danger to Canada northern pike fishing is the fact that pike have sharp teeth, and they have a lot of them! So you might want to have a pair of heavy-duty gloves handy, or look into the use of barbless hooks.

What can you do with the pike once it’s in the boat? Smaller pike are a little hard to bone, so those might be good candidates to release. If you’ve got a larger specimen, then you might want to start thinking about making dinner plans! With big pike it’s easier to get the meat separated from the bone, and if you can do that the white flesh of the pike makes for some great eating!

Pike are ambush predators, lying in wait for extended periods of time, waiting for unsuspecting prey to swim by. They are aggressive hunters, and will try to eat just about anything of just about any size. Similar to frogs, motion is the key, so “jerking” your lure has proven to be very successful when fishing for northern pike.

Trolling (towing the lure behind the boat) is a popular way to fish in the summer, when larger pike move into deeper waters. Float tubes and fly fishing also work well. Basically, it is up to you!

One thing to be wary of when fishing for northern pike is the fact that they have lots of sharp teeth, so be careful when removing hooks. A suggestion would be to use hooks with smaller barbs, or even no barbs at all.

Another positive aspect to fishing for northern pike is the fact that they are quite tasty! Pike have a mild-tasting, white flesh that is used often in European cuisine. Pike are bony, though, so bigger is better. The bones are very hard to separate from the meat in the smaller fish.

So if you’re new to fishing, or are planning a fishing trip with a group of inexperienced, but eager anglers, then pack up some lures and go fishing for northern pike! If you time it right (keep in mind that the colder the water is, the closer to the surface the pike will hang out) then chances are you will not be disappointed!