Kenora Northern Pike Fishing


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The kenora part of Lake of the woods has some very good Northern Pike fishing.  Many anglers come here to fish for walleye to eat, then they target northern pike for the action.  You won’t be disappointed here.  There are plenty of bays that attract northern pike during the spring and fall and you can fish the deeper water near the points and islands once these fish go deeper in the summer.


Catch Lots of Northern Pike


Anglers that target pike here can catch very good numbers of fish by targeting the bays and islands with some vegetation.  The rocks will also hold a lot of pike too, so don’t rule them out.  Basically, you can find pike pretty much anywhere in the Kenora area.  You may have to move around a little and cover some water, but if you target them, you will catch a lot of pike here.


Catch Big Northern Pike


If you’re looking to target bigger pike, you can find some nice pike in the Kenora area.  You may have to take a 20 minute boat ride to fish less pressured waters to get some of the big fish to bite, but there are plenty of quality pike in this area.  Anglers routinely catch pike in mid to upper 30 inch range with fish up to and above 40 inches possible too.


Northern Pike Fishing Kenora in the Spring


Month Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo)
   
March 31° / 8°
April 48° / 26°
May 63° / 40°

The spring provides awesome fishing in shallower water.  Fish the bays and rocky shorelines and you will find plenty of northern pike.  With water temperatures being comfortable in the shallows through May, you can find some quality pike without having to go deep for them.


Northern Pike Fishing Kenora in the Summer


Month Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo)
   
June 72° / 49°
July 78° / 56°
August 74° / 53°

Plan on fishing the main lake structure and the many islands with nicer drop-offs for bigger pike once the summer patterns set in.  You can still find some quality pike shallower throughout the beginning of June, but the majority of quality pike are going to be found in deeper waters during the summer months.


Northern Pike Fishing Kenora in the Fall


Month Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo)
   
September 62° / 43°
October 49° / 34°
November 30° / 17°

Fall is a great time to fish for northern pike.  With the cooler water temperatures, pike will follow other fish into shallower water and they feed heavily before the ice sets in for the winter.  September through early October is the best time to target them, but they continue to bite as water temperatures drop even more.  However, the colder weather will become more of a problem for anglers than for the fish.


Northern Pike Fishing Kenora in the Winter (Ice Fishing)


Month Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo)
   
December 14° / -5°
January 10° / -11°
February 18° / -6°

There are several businesses that cater to the ice anglers here, so you can definitely spend some time up here ice fishing.  Northern pike will bite through the ice well.


Fishing the Bays


There are so many bays in the Kenora area.  Most of them will have rocks, some with have sand bottoms and some will have some weeds in them.  The bays with weeds will usually hold more pike, but don’t rule out the rocky bays either as many pike will be in these areas too.  The bays usually provide better fishing early and late in the year, but you can usually find some pike willing to cooperate in the bays during the summer as well.


Fishing the Drop-offs


There are many good drop-offs that will hold plenty of smallmouth bass and walleye.  In some of these areas, you are going to find some nicer sized pike here too.  On the deeper weed edges, you will most likely find more pike.  On the rocky areas, you will usually find more smallmouth bass and/or walleye, but don’t be surprised if you find some of the better sized pike in these spots from summer through fall.


Fishing the Points


There are so many points to fish.  Many of them have rocks on them.  Some of them have some weeds too.  The rocks and weeds will both hold plenty of pike around the points, so don’t just fish the points with weeds when seeking out northern pike.  The points that have access to some deeper water nearby will usually give you a better chance at finding bigger numbers of pike or better quality fish.


Fishing the Islands


There are so many islands to fish and many of them will be similar to the points.  You are going to have some rocks and weeds to fish, but pike will be found in both areas.  Find some deeper water closer to the islands and you will most likely find some of the better spots of the islands to fish for pike.


Fishing the Reefs


The reefs get overlooked for pike by many anglers, but you can usually find some quality pike hanging out around the reefs from summer through fall.  Most anglers will catch pike while targeting walleye with a simple jig and minnow.  Try trolling them to cover water more quickly to find some of the better reefs for pike.


Fishing the Rocks


There are so many rocks in this area that you’re going to definitely be fishing rocks if you’re targeting pike here.  You would have a hard time here if you’re just looking to fish weeds since many of the good pike spots will be full of rocks.  Fish the points and islands and you’ll find plenty of pike here.  Don’t forget about the offshore structure that is known for holding quality fish from summer through fall.


Fishing the Weeds


If you just target the weeds, you’re going to need to run and gun a little bit, which is possible.  However, you’re going to pass some good rocky spots though while you take off for the next spot.  Many of the islands and points will have some weeds around them.  Find the ones with a deeper weed edge and you’ll do a lot better for pike in the summer and early fall.  Some of the bays have plenty of weeds as well and can be very good in the spring and fall.