Why pike are a good target
Northern pike are aggressive ambush predators found across many cold and cool lakes, rivers and reservoirs in North America and Europe. They hit big lures, they often follow a bait to the boat, and they can be caught with fairly simple gear. The trade-offs are sharp teeth and gill plates, so the right leader and handling tools matter as much as the lure.
Where to find northern pike
Pike relate to cover and to prey. In most waters that means weeds, and the edges of weeds in particular.
- Weed beds and weed edges. Cabbage, coontail and similar vegetation hold baitfish, and pike sit inside or along the edge waiting to ambush them.
- Shallow bays and flats. These warm first in spring and are productive early in the year.
- Points, drop-offs and rock structure. Larger fish often move to cooler, deeper water in the heat of summer, so deeper weed lines and points become more important.
- Inlets and current breaks in rivers. Slack water beside current is a classic ambush spot.
Depths and timing vary a lot from one lake to the next, so treat any rule of thumb as a starting point and let the weeds and baitfish guide you.
Tackle: rod, reel, line and leader
A common all-around setup is a medium-heavy spinning or baitcasting rod of around 7 feet with a reel that holds a good amount of line. Braided line in the range of roughly 15 to 30 pounds is popular because it casts well and gives a solid hookset. Pike teeth cut regular line easily, so a leader is not optional.
- Leader. Use a wire or heavy fluorocarbon leader, often about 12 inches or longer, between your mainline and lure. Steel (or a titanium or similar wire) is the safer choice for most situations.
- Snaps and swivels. Use quality hardware rated well above the fish you expect. A weak snap is a common failure point.
- Tools. Bring long-nose pliers or hook-out tool, jaw spreaders if you use them, side cutters for cutting hooks, and a large landing net.
Local regulations sometimes specify hook types or barbless hooks, so check them before you go.
Lures and baits that work
You do not need a huge tackle box. A few lure types cover most situations:
- Spoons for flash and wobble, cast or trolled.
- Inline spinners and spinnerbaits for covering water around weeds.
- Jerkbaits and swimbaits for following fish and cold water.
- Weedless lures for thick cover.
- Live or dead bait under a float, or on a rig, in places where it is legal.
For specific picks and when to use each, see our guide to the best pike lures.
Tactics: retrieves and following fish
Pike often strike right at the boat, so keep your lure in the water through the end of the retrieve. Vary your speed until you find what the fish want: steady retrieves work with spinners and swimbaits, while a stop-and-go pause with a jerkbait can turn a follower into a biter. If a fish follows but does not commit, a figure eight beside the boat at the end of the cast is a common trick, done carefully with the rod tip in the water.
Cast along weed edges and across the openings between weed patches, then fan casts to cover a range of angles. Move on if you have worked an area thoroughly without a follow.
Fishing pike through the seasons
- Spring. Pike move shallow to warming bays and flats around ice-out and spawning. Slow presentations in cold water are often best; see our guide to early spring pike fishing.
- Summer. Fish may shift to deeper weed lines, points and cooler water. Early and late in the day can be productive.
- Fall. Pike often feed heavily and follow baitfish back toward weedy areas.
- Winter. Through the ice, tip-ups with live or dead bait are widely used. Local regulations on bait and the number of lines vary.
Musky anglers face a similar pattern with some differences; our article on early spring musky fishing shows how.
Pike through the ice: bait choices
Anglers commonly use large live minnows or suckers, or dead baitfish such as smelt, on a tip-up with a wire leader. Check your local rules, because some waters restrict the use of live bait or certain baitfish species.
Landing, handling and releasing pike
- Use a large net with a rubber or coated mesh when possible, and keep the fish in the water until you are ready.
- Support a larger fish horizontally and avoid hanging it by the jaw or gills.
- Use long pliers to remove hooks and cut the hook if it is deeply set. Keep fingers away from the mouth.
- Wet your hands and keep the fish out of the water for as short a time as possible for photos.
- Learn local size and bag limits, and consider releasing the largest fish, since big pike are slow to replace.
Reader questions
How old is a 20 pound northern pike? Growth varies widely by lake, food supply and climate, so no single answer fits every fish. In many northern waters a pike of that size is likely to be well into double-digit years old.
Is pike good to eat? Many people enjoy it, and the flesh is white and mild. Pike have Y-shaped bones that make filleting tricky, though techniques exist for removing them. Check local fish-consumption advisories, especially in waters with mercury advisories.
How rare is it to catch a northern pike? In waters with healthy populations, catching a pike is common; catching a trophy-size fish is much less so, and what counts as large depends on the region.