The afternoon is usually the best time to fish for pike, especially if you are fishing murky water. Because pike are sight feeders, the extra light from the sun actually helps them find a meal. In clear water, the pike still feed well during the afternoon, but they will usually be deeper than you will find them in slightly stained water.
Use Flashy Lures
As the sun gets higher up in the sky, northern pike are at their best when it comes to attacking a bait. They are sight feeders and the flash that you can create from spinners, spoons and spinnerbaits will help attract a lot of fish to your bait to take a look. The middle of the day is by far the best time to attract pike with flashy lures.
Fish Deeper
In the spring and late fall, there are some awesome shallow water opportunities for targeting nice-sized pike, but when it comes to the rest of the fishing season, the middle of the day will usually position these fish much deeper.
Use Your Electronics
Using your electronics to find drop-offs. You may not actually find many pike on the fish finder, but if you can see bait fish or smaller fish around these deeper water drop-offs, there is a good chance there may be some pike around. It can be deep weed or rocks. Pike will be found around both types of cover.
