how to catch a northern pike today

If you are looking for the classic, tried and true method for catching a northern pike you are not going to find it here.  I never had much luck with the patented troll of the daredevil spoon behind the boat.  And don't get me wrong, everyone you talk to about catching pike will lead you down that avenue and undoubtedly it will catch pike.  I just have found several other ways over the years to catch pike, most while trying to catch them, but also some while trying to catch other fish (mostly bass).  As you will see, there are many ways to skin a cat (or I guess in this hub catch a northern pike).

For those that don't want to go too crazy with the setup or casthing constantly, the simple bobber rig is a perfect way to fish for northern pike.  All that is needed is a rod/reel combo (opt for a medium heavy rod and at least 10 pound test on your reel), a large bobber and a minnow.  The best minnow I have found for this type of fishing is a sucker minnow, but shiners are commonly used and to a lesser degree fatheads.  The trick is to hook the minnow behind the dorsal (top) fin and cast it out and wait.  The best spot to find pike is to head to a weedline and snuggle your minnow basically up to the weeds are shortly out deeper than them.  Once you get a hit, don't set the hook right away.  We want the pike to fully get the minnow in its mouth and run with it a bit.  A simple count to 10 often is enough, but you mileage may vary.

Anyone who has bass fished for a while will tell of the many stories that include a northern pike breaking off their lure while attempting to catch bass.  To thse fishermen the pike is a nuissance, but that doesn't mean you can't learn from the way they are catching the fish.  Many bass lures work well for pike, but the one that stands above the rest is the spinner bait.  Designed to look like some minnows zooming across the water column with a bait trailing it, the spinnerbait is a great lure to not only get the attention of northern pike, but they are engulf the lure readily.  I once saw a guy catch northern pike on 8 consecutive casts with a spinnerbait while fishing for bass.  Needless to say the guy was none to pleased, but the lesson was clear in my head:  Spinnerbaits flat out work for pike.  The other beauty of the spinner bait is that it can be used in both shallow and deep water.  Simply change the size and retrieve to the specific water you are fishing in.

Other bass lures that I have had success with northern pike include the texas rigged plastic worm, the rattle trap, and the mepps.  Texas rigged worms are troublesome as they only have 1 hook and are very easily broken off by the northern pike's mouth so I won't elaborate into how to use them.  The mepps is an inline spinner with a treble hook at the back.  Again we have the classic flash that attracts the pike and with a treble hook you have a better chance of hooking and catching a pike.  Simply cast the lure is relatively shallow water and retrieve.   Perhpas my favorite lure to use when casting is the rattle trap.  Heavy for its size, this thing casts for a mile.  On top of that the patented rattle from inside the lure drives pike crazy.  Again fish on the outside weed edge and even cast up into the weeds slightly.  The lure has a pair of treble hooks ready waiting for whatever fish comes and eats it.  Bass are the normal target of this lure, but trust me northern pike readily eat it.

Perhaps the most common and successful way to catch pike it by trolling lures behind a boat.  This has definitely been proven the most effective in my fishing travels.  The basic premise is to place a lure behind the boat 50-150 feet and drive the boat in a slow fashion across the lake.  The idea is to cover a lot of water in a relatively short period of time.  Given that pike normally are fairly nomadic and that they rarely school up into any appreciable number of fish, trolling is a great way to target these fish.  My personal favorite lure to troll with is the rapala shad rap, size 7 in a the black and silver pattern.  I have caught more fish on this lure than any other in my tackle box over the years.  Again the best place I have found is the weed edge and also allows for the easiest time to troll.  If you get into the weeds you are constantly retrieving your lure and removing the weeds.