Northern Pike are common in many of the lakes in the Ely, Minnesota area and there are plenty of trophy-sized pike as well. Most of the anglers that fish in this area will usually target walleye and smallmouth bass, so pike definitely aren’t highly pressured in this area. On some of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area lakes, it is much easier to catch good numbers of pike in the spring and fall because these fish can usually be found much shallower than in the summer. In this area, it can be more difficult to find the deep water pike because you will most likely be fishing from a canoe or a boat with a smaller motor on it depending on the lake that you are fishing. Don’t be discouraged though because the pike fishing is outstanding on many of the Ely, Minnesota area lakes. Basswood Lake is probably the most well-known pike lake in this area and there are truly some trophy fish in this lake. Pike in the upper 30 inch range and even up to 40 inches are consistently caught in Basswood Lake.
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.
