Ontario Northern Pike Fishing

If you’re a true outdoors person, then you’re probably longing to escape your office cubical and travel past the American border to Canada to get in some satisfying pike fishing. Ontario northern pike fishing is some of the best in the world. Pike can be found in varying shapes and sizes, but you can be sure you’ll have a chance at catching some really beautiful pike in Ontario.

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.

Canada Northern Pike Fishing

One the most popular kind of angling in colder climates of North America is Canada northern pike fishing. Pike like colder water, there are plenty of them, and they are loads of fun once you get them hooked. Combine all that with the fact that they will go after just about any sort of lure, and what you have is a beginning fisherman’s dream!

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!

Fishing For Northern Pike

In fresh water angling it is hard to find anything more fun or rewarding than fishing for northern pike, especially for the beginner. The fish are big and plentiful, they put up quite a fight when you hook them, and they will jump on just about any lure. What else could you ask for? (Advanced anglers looking for a real challenge might want to pick up a fly reel and try their luck at catching some rainbow trout)

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!