Crankbaits work great for very well for northern pike. There are many different crankbaits to choose from whether you are fishing shallow or deep.
Lipless crankbaits are great lures for targeting northern pike in shallow to medium depths from 2 to 12 feet of water. Find active northern pike around rocks, weeds and wood and work lipless crankbaits at various depths by counting them down before retrieving them.
Lipless Crankbaits Over Submerged Weeds
Lipless crankbaits are very effective over submerged weeds as long as you can keep the bait up out of the weeds. There is a video of Kevin showing his son how to rip these baits through the weeds and hook up with northern pike.
Shallow-diving crankbaits work well for northern pike when these fish are in the shallows feeding on bait fish. During the spring, you can catch some very nice-sized pike on these shallow-diving crankbaits, but once the summer and fall roll around, you will usually catch smaller pike by fishing with these lures in the shallows. Target shallow water cover such as weeds, rocks and wood and you should be able to catch plenty of pike.
Crankbaits that cover the medium depth ranges (6-10 feet) are some of the best crankbaits to use for northern pike. Whether you are fishing from spring through fall, you can usually find some northern pike in the bays, alongside weed edges or around the points in these depths.
Deep-diving crankbaits are great lures for targeting northern pike in deeper water. In the summer and fall, northern pike can often be found in deeper water near weeds, rocks and over open water around schools of bait fish. These lures allow anglers to get down to the correct depths, which help catch more fish.
