Northern Pike Lures: Using Live Bait

Despite the fact that Northern Pike fishing using live bait is not popular now as it once was, it is still a highly effective way to land a lunker. In fact, when using live bait was a more prevalent technique, it accounted for 75% of the pike and muskies caught. If your other Northern Pike lures aren’t doing the job or you are looking for a change of pace, discover how live bait can work for you on your next fishing excursion.

Suckers, shiners, and chubs are the most popular types of live bait to use while fishing for Northern Pike. Generally speaking, you will want whatever live bait you choose to use to be at least five inches in length. However, depending on where you are fishing and what the conditions are, bait in excess of 12 inches can be appropriate and effective. Dead baitfish can also be a great way to catch pike, particularly in colder water before the spawn. Pike are more sluggish during this time and may strike on a dead baitfish since they are an easy target. Pike are attracted to the oily, smelly qualities of dead baitfish such as smelt and ciscoes.

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.