Northern Pike Fishing

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Northern pike are one of the most exciting freshwater fish to catch. Whether they are attacking a lure next to the boat or trying to steal your walleye that you’re trying to catch, northern pike can always make your day on the water a little more exciting. At times, northern pike can be fairly easy to catch because they will hit such a wide variety of live bait and artificial lures.

Habitat

Northern pike can be found in many different lakes, reservoirs, rivers and streams. Pike prefer weeds over any other type of cover. You can still find some pike around wood and rocks, but weeds will most likely hold more fish.

How to Catch Northern Pike

Northern pike are very aggressive. Bigger pike will easily grab a 15 to 20 inch walleye or another pike and it is common to see pike go after walleye that are being reeled in by anglers, especially if you are fishing on some of the better lakes in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Canada. You can easily catch pike with artificial lures because they are so aggressive. Lures that have a lot of flash work great because pike are sight feeders. Spinnerbaits, spoons, swimbaits, jerkbaits, spinners and crankbaits all work well for catching pike. Live baits such as chubs, suckers and large shiners will also work well for pike.

Eating Northern Pike

Northern pike taste excellent, but there are lots of people that avoid eating them because of their Y-bones. Once you learn how to cut out the Y-bones, you can enjoy eating pike without worrying about choking on a bone. Pike are usually filleted, battered with a fish batter and fried in oil. Bigger pike can be also be cooked on the grill or baked.