Seasonal Pike Locations:

Ice-out/Early Summer

• Location A is a creek mouth. The abundance of oxygenated water promotes early plant growth, concentrating aquatic life and baitfish into the area, a great place for an early season feast for any Pike.
• Location B is a beaver dam, providing cover. Keying in on unique structural elements such as this can produce excellent results.
• Location C is a shallow back bay, with some new early-season weed and water lilly growth. Baitfish are drawn to such waters, which warm quickly under the sun, harbor insect life, and provide a certain amount of cover. Pike will cruise these bays, often in mere inches of water, pursuing their quarry. Fan-casting the shoreline in early-season conditions can trigger huge strikes.
• Location D is a rocky point, possibly holding fish at this time of the year, but most likely, on the shallower inside edge leading towards the beaver dam. As the season progresses, this area holds greater potential because of its proximity to deeper water.
• Location E is a sunken, rocky reef, under five to fifteen feet of water, usually barren early in the season, but potentially a "gold mine" as the water warms up.

Mid-summer/Early Fall

• Locations A, B, & C now contain thick and prolific weed growth, much warmer water, and less desirable conditions for big fish. Although cruising Northerns, (often smaller) may still be taken in the shallows, percentages for bigger trophies diminish as the season progresses.
• Location D, the rocky point, is now a potential holding area for active fish, especially on the outside edge. Pike relate to colder water, therefore staging in deeper water. This type of rocky point provides Pike with cover, colder water, and an easy avenue to quickly cruise into shallower water to ambush dinner.
• Location E, the sunken reef has become a virtual "smorgasbord" for ravenous Pike at this time of the season. Rich with baitfish, well-oxygenated and providing cooler conditions in the hot summer sun, this type of structure should not be overlooked.
• Location F is the outside edge of thick weed beds. Close to the thick cover inside the weed bed, near cooler, deeper water, holding numbers of baitfish, this is a prime area for big fish. Look for abnormalities in the weed growth, such as pockets, and inside and outside turns. Cast to these first, then to secondary areas.
• Location G, is the sunken "cabbage patch", consisting of deep-water cabbage weeds, the tops just barely reaching the surface of the lake. These beds can be tricky to locate, but extremely productive, a small bed often holding a number of lunker fish. Colder, deeper water, an abundance of food, and superior camouflage, make the sunken weed bed a Big Pike condo! When attempting to identify this type of structure, look for darker shadows in deeper water and submerged weed tops. Find the outside edges and cast the bed. When trophy hunting, a big advantage to finding a "cabbage patch" is that will more than likely be much less-pressured than more obvious targets.

Fall

• All Locations are in transition. The lake is turning over, decreased daylight is causing weed growth to die off, weather is more unpredictable, and baitfish are on the move. In this time of rapid change, the key is to abandon any spring/summertime location patterns, become as versatile as possible, and be prepared to "run and gun". This time of the season can produce very large fish, as they chase baitfish, in an effort to prepare for winter. The feeding patterns of Northerns generally relate to light conditions, and although fall time sees daylight hours rapidly diminishing, feeding patterns can be intense and frenzied. The key is locating actively feeding fish.

Tackle

Lures:

Aggressive Pike will attack almost anything dangled in front of them. Topwater baits, spoons, bucktails, spinners, jigs and crankbaits can all be very effective. The old rule of thumb "big baits for big fish" applies in general, but when it comes to big Pike, versatility and variety are often the answer.  At times, Northerns can be finicky and seemingly uninterested in patterns which were previously "hot". This is when a well-stocked tackle box is an advantage.

Reels:

A well-maintained reel with a heavy duty drag system is a must. When it comes to casting big baits, we recommend higher end baitcasting reels, however, large-capacity spinning outfits will also do the trick. Baitcasting reels usually offer more sophisticated "drag" capabilities, but do require more skill to master. Spinning reels, although easier to use, tend to have more fragile drag systems.

Rods:

A good Pike rod should be capable of accurately casting big baits, have ample backbone for good hook sets, and be powerful enough to tame the largest quarry. In today's world of high modulus graphites, manufacturers have provided countless options. Rods ranging from 6' to 7'6", rated for l2-25 lb. test line, and heavier lure weights work fine. It is a good idea to have more than one rod in your Pike arsenal, as a backup in the event of breakage.

Terminal Tackle:

Big Pike have razor-sharp teeth which shred anything they touch. A healthy assortment of wire leaders (6"-12"), rated at 15 to 40 pounds, with heavy duty snaps and swivels are a must.

Pike on the Fly:

Flyfishing for Pike has quickly become a viable and exciting way to capture a trophy of a lifetime. Northerns will attack virtually anything with color and flash, so creating patterns for them is a fly tyers dream. Mylars, marabou, bucktail, rubber, deer hair, Flashabou.....the list of potential materials is endless.

7'6" to 9' eight to ten weight rods, equipped with high-capacity reels will handle large Pike. Floating lines, sinking tip lines, and strong shock leaders are also a necessity.