Door County offers some excellent northern pike fishing, but don’t expect to be able to come out here and just pound the pike. They are secondary here in terms of numbers and popularity. Because most anglers do not target them, there are some real good opportunities here, especially for anglers looking to catch a bigger pike. Trophy pike up to 20 pounds are not uncommon in these waters.
Most of the good northern pike fishing reports will come from the Green Bay side, however, there are plenty of pike caught in the northern part of Door County on the Lake Michigan side too. The peak months for pike are May, June, September and October. During these months you can find these fish a little shallower feeding on bait fish and gobies.
Fish the Bays
Some of the better spots for northern pike in Door County are the bays. These bays aren’t small areas to fish though, so think of these bays as small to medium sized lakes. Sturgeon Bay, Rowleys Bay and the Detroit Harbor are popular bays to fish for pike in Door County, Wisconsin.
Fish the Mink River
The Mink River forms Mink River Lake, which is known as a good spring and fall fishing spot for northern pike and smallmouth bass. There is a lot of weed growth and shallower water, so it’s a perfect area to target northern pike early in the year as fish move in here to spawn. The fall isn’t . as good as the spring typically, but anglers do report some good catches in the fall as well.
Fish the Weeds
Door County is definitely more of a rock or sand bottom fishery with clear water and a nice mix of shallow and deep water. You won’t find a ton of weeds throughout the county, however, if you fish the bays, you can find some areas with some weed growth. The new green weeds are key to finding pike early in the year. Later in the year, the deeper weed edges will be good spots to target pike.
Fish Deeper
With the clear waters in Door County, you will most likely find most of the northern pike in or near deeper waters. Besides the Mink River, most of the better quality pike will come from 15 to 30 feet of water in this area. This doesn’t mean that you can’t catch them shallow, but you will definitely find the better pike along the drop-offs and suspended over deeper water.
Fish the Islands
There are several islands in Door County and these islands usually offer good fishing for smallmouth bass and walleye. Northern pike will be found in these areas as well as they feed on these fish. The drop-offs and deeper water near the drop-offs will usually be the better spots to target pike.
Fish the Points
There are several points throughout Door County. Fish the drop-offs and the deeper water near the points and you’ll have a chance to find some fish. Northern pike will usually move onto these areas as they search for an easy meal.
Fish the Reefs
The reefs will usually be much better spots for walleye and smallmouth bass, but pike will move onto these reefs to find a meal. The deeper water near the reefs will usually be the better spots to fish for pike around the reefs.
Fish the Rocks
Weeds usually hold more pike, however, the Door County area is home to a lot more rock and sand than weeds, especially around the deeper water drop-offs. On most good pike waters, the deep water weeds will be the best place to target them. Those spots are still good on Door County, however, there are a lot less spots like that here. You will most likely run into northern pike while fishing the rocky bottoms for walleye and smallmouth bass.
Fish the Wind Blown Structure
Wind blown structure plays a huge role in where the walleye, smallmouth bass and bait fish will be found from summer through fall. The pike will follow as well. Fish the drop-offs and the deeper water near the wind blown structure and you’ll find an occasional big pike.
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.
