Favorite ways to catch Northern Pike?

What are your favorite ways to catch Northern Pike?

Here are some of mine...

Spring Casting:
Bays - weeds - medium size spinnerbaits

Summer Casting:
Current areas - rock bottom - swimbaits
Main lake - rock bottom - soft plastics

Fall Casting:
Main lake bays - weeds - 6-8 inch jerkbaits
Main lake points - rocks, weeds - 6-8 inch crankbaits and jerkbaits
Main lake shorelines - rocks - 6-8 inch crankbaits

Fall Trolling:
Main lake points - rocks - 8-10 inch crankbaits
Main lake - baitfish - 8-10 inch crankbaits

Northern Pike video

Twitching shallow raiders or walk the dog in early summer is deadly.  They LOVE the pause.  Summer action lakes it's white chatterbaits or black beatlespins over the cabbage.  Summer trophy lakes it's Buchtails or Mepps all day long.

I love going to a pike dominated lake/reservoir in the Fall and fishing it as if I were targeting muskies. I've put quite a few 40's in the bag over the years.

I like to take a kayak on a marshy stream that has some decent current.  cast  a large white inline spinner downstream and reel in slowly along the shoreline or  down trees. Have caught 20 to 30 nice pike in a day that way

My favorite way by far is on a topwater bait. Not every lake is suited for Pike on topwaters but I have a few lakes I fish that it works well. A tiny torpedo which I usually use for bass also catches pike on these lakes, and some buzz baits work awesome too!

Next favorite way is a number 2 Mepps.

And lastly, I absolutely love catching pike thru the ice using a tipup with a shiner or sucker minnow!

Good ole mepps buck tails.  4's or 5's or giant killers.   5 of diamonds spoons too.

swimbaits around weeds. All year except ice. Berkely flatback shads and storms. Cant beat them. Not for pike or walleye. On ice its definitely number 9 jigging rapalas, roaches on bobbers, and flags.

Ice fishing on a jigging rod, when that 36"er hits that firetiger jigging rap and almost rips the rod out of your hand.

I can make Rapalas dance and have seen stomach contents of Pike.  Spinning rod and whatever.

Spearing!  Nothing beats lying belly down , staring through a hole in the ice with a tarp over your head!    CARPIO 

Winter: tips ups with Smelt

Rest of the year: Spoons & spinners.

Winter: tips ups with Smelt

Rest of the year: Spoons & spinners.

I prefer to noodle for 'em!!! Lol

Fish for any other spieces, bound to catch all the pike you want! Lol!

 A sucker under a bobber.  I am not a real aggressive fisherman.

I try to hook them in the mouth and then reel them to my boat.