While many of the best kept secrets are kept by veteran anglers, over the years a few good northern pike fishing tips have emerged that have allowed the majority of anglers to build a bread-and-butter collection of commonly successful pike fishing tackle and produce success in the majority of their pike fishing expeditions. Though many of these northern pike fishing tips have become commonplace and do work well, never be ashamed to deviate from the norm in attempt to add to the list of your own northern pike fishing tips.
The first thing to keep in mind while fishing for northern pike is that they will strike at virtually any lure. While they are not picky, red and black colored lures, or black and silver, or silver/gold combinations of lures tend to get the most bites. The red and black colored lures tend to work better on bright sunny days while the metallic colored lures work better on overcast days. Other anglers will recommend altering the natural color schemes with permanent markers such as red or orange. The idea behind this northern pike fishing tip is to match your lure as closely as you can to the pike’s natural prey fish, be it minnow, perch, sucker, or whatever.
Another northern pike fishing tip along a similar vein is to buy larger bait fish. A large northern pike trophy fish is not going to waste its time on things like grubs and worms. It will be feasting on small walleyes and other fish in the ½ pound to 1 pound range. As a general rule many bait shops will not carry the larger bait fish though some bait shops in Canada do. The bottom line is if you want to catch a larger pike, you need to feed it a larger bait.
If a northern pike is in ambush mode, its likely going to be waiting in narrower sections of a lake, the mouth of a river, or near a rocky outcrop. If you find your bait is too heavy to cast to this point drive your boat to the intended target area, drop your line in the water and drive away slowly letting line out as you go. Even if your rod is strong enough to cast the bait into a particular area, this is still sometimes a better option as a large rig entering the water with a big splash can sometimes spook the pike.
Once your rig is in the water and has gained the attention of a nearby pike its important not to always jump at the first sign of a bite. At times a pike will play with your bait in the same manner that a cat will play with a mouse, and may actually strike the bait several times before taking it. A general rule of thumb for this northern pike fishing tip is to let your rig be underwater for at least a minute before attempting to set the hook.
One of the more overlooked northern pike fishing tips is to use caution when setting split shot to your line. It is recommend almost exclusively to use heavy wire leaders steel leaders ahead of the bait you’re using as pike are strong enough to bite through the fishing line. Also pinching the line with split shot or a poorly tied fishing knot can produce weak spots in the fishing line and lower its overall test strength at that point. If this is the case you can wave farewell to the pike at the end of the line and whatever lure you were using.
If the pike you are fishing is feeling less aggressive but you are confident in your choice of lure and bait, another good northern pike fishing tip is to scent your bait and try to slow down your presentation to coax the northern pike into predatory mode. If you are less inclined to use artificial scents, try using smelts for bait or another oily fish.
While the above mentioned tips are intended to improve your chances of landing a northern pike, the last of the northern pike fishing tips is intended to preserve the health of the fish in catch and release scenarios. Always handle the fish carefully and never with bare hands. Bare hands will remove the protective mucous membrane the northern pike has over its scales which can lead to infection and death for pike. Using needle nosed pliers can aid in removing the hook which again is less damaging to the pike. Take any pictures quickly and keep the northern pike out of the water for a minimal amount of time. Employing these northern pike fishing tips will help lead to more successful fishing ventures and ensure that the same northern pike you just released can be caught again for several years to come.