Once ice covers a lake, pike will begin to roam more, so they can be found in shallower areas later on in the season. One reason why they start to swim about more is because they need to search for food. The females need to find enough nourishment to keep both themselves and their eggs healthy.

An ice-covered lake creates a stable environment below the water’s surface in which the fishing will be consistent as well. A Northern’s metabolism will have slowed by this point, and your fishing approach will also need to be slow. If you are planning to ice fish a lake, jigs are the best Northern pike lure to use in this scenario since they are meant to be fished slowly. Spoons and minnows hooked to a jig are your best bet. Pike will forage for dead bait during the cold winter months; many times dead baitfish will be resting on the lake bottoms or other locations. You can also use dead bait like smelt on your jig fishing rig. It will be smelly but can attract a hungry pike.

Before turnover happens, the post-summer period also brings changes to lakes. The post-summer time will vary based on location, but it is the time of year in which the days are still warm but nighttime temperatures start to plummet. The water temperatures start to decrease as well. As mentioned, this can be an excellent time for pike fishing. One reason why you will experience more strikes is because there is less food available for these large fish. As the summer winds down, many of a lake’s baitfish have been eaten and other food supplies dwindle. Since there is less food around, it will take a famished pike longer to feel full. This is beneficial to anglers wanting to lure a hungry Northern.

Be aware of where pike are located as the water temperatures cool during autumn. Since they no longer need to seek deep waters to keep cool, they will begin to move to more shallow waters. Trolling during post-summer can prove to be extremely fruitful. The best Northern pike fishing lures to use when trolling during the fall are spinners and spoons. Do not be afraid to use large lures meant primarily for muskies during this time because they will attract large, hungry pike as well. Try to find lures that have a weighted back hook. If you are trolling fast, this will give you enough weight to keep your bait below the water’s surface.

Spawn is not a good time to try your hand at Northern fishing. The females will not bite, and the males will only bite if they are swimming around, waiting for a female, but even then, these types of strikes are few and far between. You are better off to wait until spawning has been completed. Completion will vary greatly based on location; for example, in Minnesota, spawning generally takes place in early April, but in areas farther North such as Alaska, this may not occur until sometime in July.

Post-spawn is a period of recovery for both female and male pike, but females require a lot more time to recuperate and will only go for a very easy meal. Your best bet will be to try attracting a more active male after the spawn. However, even the males will be swimming very slowly and will only try for slow-moving prey. Live bait that is fished slowly tends to be more effective than artificial lures during this time. If you hook on a chub or shiner and dangle it right in front of a pike’s nose, a strike is typically imminent. If you are familiar with using dead bait, this will also attract a Northern during the post-spawn.

As long as you make yourself aware of the spawning times for your specific geographic region, you will be able to pinpoint the best (as well as worst) times for Northern pike fishing and can fish according to these patterns.

There are many types of Northern pike lures you can use to catch these large and usually hungry fish. The nice thing about pike fishing is that since they will eat virtually anything, you can use a wide variety of lures to suit your fancy. However, some lures are more popular and effective than others. Spoons are great for trolling; you might want to have some weedless spoons on hand if you will be trolling in the weeds. Brightly colored spoons are a great choice, particularly the Eppinger Dardevle. These spoons will appear to look like baitfish scales in the water, so they are visually appealing to Northerns. Spoons are also effective because they wobble in the water, and that movement is an attractant. Spinnerbaits and plugs (crankbaits in particular) are other good lures to use if you want to use movement to attract a fish. Surface lures, such as buzzbaits and stickbaits, are nice to have around when fish are most active in the warm months of the year. For colder weather when pike are less active, jigs can be useful since they are used slowly.

Other must-haves for any fisherman’s pike fishing tackle box are a net and needle-nosed pliers. A net will help you bring in a feisty fish as you are reeling in your line. Many times a Northern will swallow your hook, so the pliers will help you try to salvage it.

As long as you are equipped with some leaders, a net, pliers, and some appropriate lures for the season, you will have a great start to your Northern pike fishing tackle collection. Then, build up your collection of lures as the seasons and environment dictate.

Since baitfish are a popular meal for pike, it is important to select lures that mimic their characteristics.  In terms of shape, find artificial lures that look most like chubs, shiners, or even small trout.  However, since Northern pike tend not to be too picky when eating, shape is not as critical as other physical characteristics, such as color.

Pike will often go for easy meals such as injured prey.  To help attract a hungry Northern looking for a simple catch, use a light colored lure, such as white or silver.  This light color indicates an injured fish trying to swim on its side.  If you are fishing in murky water, your best bet will be a bright neon color like green, yellow, or orange, since they will be far more visible in the water.

The size of your Northern pike lures will depend on the conditions where you are fishing.  If you are in weedbeds, a larger lure is beneficial because it will be easier for fish to see your lure’s flash through the weeds.  But in sunny, bright conditions when a pike will be less likely to exert a lot of energy for a meal, a small lure will work best because it will be easier for them to catch.  No matter what size, shape, or color of lure you use, note that your lure’s scent is not much of a factor, since pike do not rely on their sense of smell when hunting prey.

Live and artificial bait are both commonly used in Northern pike fishing.  There is a different type of bait you can use, though, that appeals to their cannibalistic tendencies.  If you cut pike belly into strips, making sure you include spotty areas as well as white areas, you will likely find success in catching Northerns.  As stated earlier, these fish will eat anything, including smaller fish within their own species.  If you try using this type of bait, use an erratic retrieval to create movement.  This bait might not be a popular choice for anglers who don’t want to sacrifice a tasty meal for making bait, but if you have caught some smaller Northerns, you may want to give this a whirl.

As you can see, by appealing to a pike’s natural feeding tendencies and preferences, you can help your chances of landing a lunker the next time you are Northern pike fishing.

One of the most important considerations when using jigs is the weight of the jig. A good jig weight is anywhere between 3/8 oz. and 7/8 oz. A jig that is too light will not stick around the bottom of the lake. Conversely, a overly heavy jig will sink too quickly. Pike make the decision to strike as the jig is descending; if a weighty jig plummets to the bottom too fast, the pike will not have enough time to decide whether or not to strike.

There are several types of jigs that work well for Northern Pike fishing. Round jigheads can be used in clean, weed-free areas. Brushguard jigs will work well in weedy areas. Another jig that can be used in weedbeds are swimmerhead jigs; they remain above the weeds. As previously explained, jigs do not provide much movement, and it is their shape that determines how they will move in the water, if they happen to supply any motion at all. The way in which jigs move is up to the angler, who creates movement during the retrieval process and also by twitching the rod.

Color is also an important consideration when selecting a spoon. Since pike are attracted by sight as well as movement, you will want to appeal to their sense of sight. In clear water, a silver spoon will prove to be effective. Gold is a good pick for murkier waters, and a brightly colored spoon will be best in weed beds. Chartreuse, or lime green, is a good all around color.

One of the most popular spoons is the Eppinger Dardevle (pronounced “daredevil”). These spoons are known for their attractive colors and patterns, which do an excellent job of attracting predatory fish. As the spoons are spinning in the water, they imitate the scales on a baitfish. Two popular Dardevle colors are the red and white striped pattern, and the yellow and red “Five of Diamonds” spoon, which features five red diamonds on a yellow spoon. The Dardevle spoons, like some other spoons, only have one hook; if you are using a one-hook spoon, make sure it is as effective as it can be by making sure it is sharp.

There are several good tactics to employ when fly fishing for pike. If you are in an area where the water is deep enough, allow your fly to drop to the bottom of the lake. If you are in a boat and have enough extra line out, use a steady retrieval speed. You will find that pike will often follow the fly all the way to the boat. If you are lacking extra line, twitch your rod several times to pique the pike’s interest.

Two good Northern Pike lures to try when you are fly fishing are streamers and poppers. Streamers are unique in that they do not resemble insects; instead, they try to imitate the features of baitfish and minnows, which are what pike naturally feed upon. Poppers are lures generally made of sponge or cork materials. Poppers float so they work well for topwater fishing; streamers work well if you want some depth. No matter what type of fly you tie, make certain it has a weedguard if you are going to be fishing in weed beds. Also, use a lightweight leader so that your fly will have maximum movement in the water.

There are many ways in which to fish for Northern Pike using live bait. A single hook can work well as long as you are attaching the hook to a wire leader and hook your bait through the nose. If you want to troll through weed beds, make sure you add enough weight to the line so that the bait remains near the bottom of the lake. You can also fish using no weight and utilizing a jerky retrieve method. This will trick the pike into thinking your bait is a dying or injured baitfish. Of course, the simple bobber method has been effective for many anglers as well.

With all the different types of Northern Pike lures available, it’s important not to forget about the power of live bait.

There are a couple techniques to keep in mind when Northern Pike fishing using spinnerbaits. First, be cognizant of your rod’s angle, because it will affect the depth of your bait. If you keep the rod tip low while reeling in slowly, your bait will have more depth. Bulging is a good technique to use when pike are active. When bulging, you will want the spinner blade to graze the top of the water’s surface. Do this by holding the rod’s tip high and reeling in rapidly.

Spinnerbaits can be used both when you are trolling and if you are casting. Picking the best size and color bait for your environment and season will help you to successfully land your next pike.