I hate northern pike, but I know they provide a biological service which is to clean house on panfish, and I suppose I don’t mind trophy caliber pike. Accidently catching northerns is often a big-time nuisance because they usually don’t surpass the pathetic 25 inch range, and cutting my line and tying on a new treble always leaves me with a smile. Shya right guy. But get this, specifically targeting huge northern pike is a whole new game, and often times leaves me with little regrets.
I think that bait size matters, because lets face it, huge minnows are only used to target one thing this time of year, northerns. And they work. Bait size becomes the biggest difference. Let me explain. While walleyes have slowed down and have become less opportunistic, northern pike have been fortunate enough to have the part of their genome turned off which says ‘stop eating’. In fact, I’m convinced that pike will never be able to activate this gene again. And the personality disorder of the northern pike that has succumbed as a result has provided me bountiful numbers of the species. Advantage to anglers; some have grown to a very respectable size. The big ones have capitalized, becoming the absolute best ambush predator on the block, and are very aggressive and ravenous when all other game species are shut down, ie muskies, walleyes, bass. Their gluttony is unmatched because they enjoy the taste of anything and everything, and the biggest specimens of the northern population prefer big, easy targets.
You know, studies show that piscivores prefer their meals to be about the lateral length of its mouth, from corner to corner, but with one exception, esox lucius, the northern pike, preferring meals a third their body length, and often times take fish up to half their own size. Adventurous eating, hey.
To say that pike are not choosy would be an understatement. They are anatomically built to sit, wait, and kill….all the time. With their awesome explosiveness generated from its dorsal, pelvic and anal fins located in a posterior position, and with a brilliant camouflage exterior, they do indeed eat, and eat often. I can’t tell you how often I drop my AquaView down and spin it slowly to gauge the environment, then suddenly on like the tenth revolution of the camera, just before I’m about to check another hole, there is a pike an inch from the camera looking it dead-on. Not only do they seemingly come out of nowhere, they often times make an honest attempt taste the camera.
The thing is, the biggest pike won’t waste its time with your wimpy walleye shiners, going big is key. Go to your local bait shop and get the biggest northern suckers they have, and don’t be afraid to use them, even after they die. Here in Wisconsin, it is legal to use anything you catch as bait as long as its in the same body of water and included in your bag limit. Try using anything around the 12 inch range, whether its white fish, crappie, bass, perch, whatever, just do it. Slaytime.
Anyway, my point is, most pike suck, but the big ones are dec.