Pike Fishing Lures

February 21st, 2010 | in Fishing | Leave a comment

I’m sure you have been out trout fishing or another type of tasty fish and suddenly you get a massive strike and you engage in the fight of the day. Experienced anglers will know right away that they do not have a walleye on the line, but a good old pike. Fishermen don’t usually actively go fishing for pike because their flesh is filled with tiny little bones which make eating them not up to par with walleye or perch. However, fishermen who long for those thrilling fights may want to spend a day seeking out these sleek predators. In this article, I will give you some nice little pike fishing tips. Hopefully it might inspire you to spend a day going northern pike fishing.

Pike Fishing Tackle

If you are going to actively seek out northern pike, you are going to need to make a few adjustments to your usual fishing gear and pick up some northern pike fishing tackle. If you are a little strapped for cash, you may want to consider buying used fishing tackle. There are no specific pike fishing rods. Any rod will do as long as it is not too light and fragile. My uncle managed to catch some very nice pike on his ultra light rod and reel, but this is not recommended at all and he had to be very careful. What you need to do is get some heavier line (at least fifteen pound test) and stock up on steel leaders. Pike have very sharp teeth and can cut through a line very easily. Having a steel leader above your hook will minimize the colourful expressions you throw out when you lose that lucky fishing lure to a pike that bit through your line. Speaking of pike lures, spoons are a very good choice and are known to be excellent pike fishing lures. Baiting your lure for pike fishing is very easy, because pike will eat about anything they can get a hold of. Your best bet, however, will be to use an old fashioned minnow because they are plentiful everywhere and the pike know them to be a good source of food. If you are willing, you can also cut up another pike and use part of it with some skin attached to mimic a smaller fish. Since northern pike are cannibalistic, this could prove to be excellent bait. You also want to include a good pair of long nosed pliers in your tackle box when you go pike fishing. You don’t want to get your fingers anywhere near those razor sharp teeth. If you are unfamiliar with pike, they look and act a lot like barracuda, so you need to be careful when handling them.

Where to Fish for Pike

You can find pike anywhere, so there is no real reason to seek out certain lakes when you go pike fishing. However, you can increase your chances of catching pike by knowing where they like to hang out. Since pike are predators, they like to hide and ambush their prey. Look for weeds or secluded places and you have a very good chance of landing a nice one. Pike are also known for patrolling the edges of walleye schools, so if you see a group of boats in one place, plant your boat at the edges and try your luck.

Now that you are prepared for a little pike fishing, invite one of your friends who don’t have a lot of fishing experience out for a nice day of pike fishing. If the thrill of catching a monster pike doesn’t lean them towards being a good fishing buddy, then nothing will. Or, if you are unable to make it outside, I’m sure there are some pike fishing games available on the internet. Give them a try!

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Tags: fishing for pike, northern pike fishing, northern pike fishing tackle, pike fishing, pike fishing lures, pike fishing rods, pike fishing tackle, pike fishing tips

Pike Lures and You

February 20th, 2010 | in Fishing | 1 comment

While I don’t usually actively go out and seek pike, they are without a doubt one of the most fun fish to catch (in the summer at least, nothing makes you angrier ice fishing than when you see a big pike lurking down your hole scaring off all the perch.) They are fierce fighters and they taste pretty good as well (if you can get past picking tiny bones out of your mouth). Hell, I know a guy who would keep any pike he caught while ice fishing and feed it to his dog when he got back, so I guess they can make some pretty decent dog food as well. But, I digress. The reason you are here is because you want to know the best ways to catch pike. There is no better place to start than with the lure.

Now, there is really no such thing as pike fishing lures per se. Pike will usually bite on anything and some of the biggest pike have been caught on a simple walleye jigging lure (this is because the monster pike like to patrol the edges of a walleye school to hopefully catch a meal). That being said, however, there are some lures that can be classified as pike lures just because they are known to be more successful than others.

Some of the best pike lures out on the market currently are the “Five of Diamonds” and the “Red and Silver” spoon lures. You can find these at any fishing or sporting goods store and I’m sure a vast majority of you already have one or a hundred lying around your tackle boxes, because they are just that damn good. Now, I am not going to insult your intelligence by telling you how to fish with a spoon, but I will tell you one technique that you may not know about (and if you do know about it, feel free to twiddle your thumbs or start pinching all the barbs of the new hooks you got for this summer while I explain it). This technique is called “spoon slapping.” What you do is cast your spoon over to the place you want to fish, but cast it high. Then, when your lure is about 2 or 3 feet above the water, jerk the line towards you so that the spoon slaps on the water. The sound of a spoon slapping on the surface of the water seems to attract pike or trigger a feeding response. In general, though, spoons are usually used for casting and not jigging.

The best pike lure, in my opinion, is one that you make yourself. Do you have an old Rapala lying around that you don’t use anymore? Well, if you do, you can use it to make a very effective pike fishing lure. What you do is break off the little plastic fin and the hooks from the Rapala. Then you attach a black steel leader to the front and another to the back with a spring-slip-ring. Then attach your spoon to the leader on the back. What this does is the spoon simulates a fish swimming after the Rapala. Nothing gets a monster pike angrier than seeing other fish trying to eat. They are extremely competitive and love to assert their dominance in the food chain.

Now that you have read this, go make an excuse to the wife and spend the weekend fishing. Hopefully you can net that monster pike you have been dreaming about.