Leech Lake is a good lake for northern pike fishing. This lake has good numbers of northern pike so you should be able to catch them if you target them and there are some trophy-sized pike as well.
Fish the Weeds in the Bays
You can find northern pike throughout Leech Lake in many different areas, but if you want to consistently catch them, you will usually have more success by targeting the weeds and cabbage beds that are found in the bays of Agency, Boy, Headquarters, Walker and Kabekona.
Fish the Flats
There are some huge flats on Leech Lake and these flats will hold a lot of fish such as walleye, perch, bluegill and more. Northern pike will roam these flats as well as they search for an easy meal. The weeds on these flats are better spots to fish, but you can find pike in areas without weeds as well.
Fish the Offshore Structure
Islands
You have a couple islands here to fish and they are large enough to hold some good numbers of fish at times. The weeds will hold more pike, but rocks will hold some fish too. Fish the drop-offs and the deeper water near these islands and you’ll have more success from summer through fall.
Reefs
Leech Lake has plenty of shallow rock reefs that provide some good fishing for anglers. Anglers usually report better fishing for walleye and some panfish around the rocks. Pike move into these areas as well to feed on a variety of different fish.
Fish the Points
There are several points on Leech Lake and some of these large pieces of structure can hold a lot of fish depending on the time of year, which way the wind is blowing and where the large schools of bait fish are currently at when you are here fishing. Weeds will hold more pike, especially, if you have some deeper water nearby. Don’t rule out the rocks either, but the weeds will usually hold more fish. The drop-offs will hold more fish from summer through fall.
Best Baits for Northern Pike
Northern pike are known for eating just about everything they can get the mouths on and there is definitely some truth to that. For the most part, if it swims, pike may eat it. There are some baits that definitely will catch more pike than others though. Spinners, crankbaits, spoons, swimbaits and soft plastics are some of the best lures for targeting pike. Live baits such as minnows and perch are great baits too.
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Best Rigs for Northern Pike
There are many different rigs you can use for northern pike, however, since pike are so aggressive, you really don’t need to use as many of them as you would if you were trying to get good at largemouth bass fishing. For most situations, you can keep it real simple with a jighead and a minnow or soft plastic bait. To learn about some of the rigs that you can use, take a look at our best rigs for northern pike page.
Best Techniques for Northern Pike
Anglers catch pike with many different techniques. Casting, trolling and drifting are most popular ways to target pike, but there are some other methods that also work well too.
To learn more, take a look at our best techniques for northern pike page.
Learn More About Northern Pike
Our northern pike fishing section has tons of tips on the best lures, live baits, where to catch them and how to catch them.
Visit our northern pike fishing website to learn more.
