| Northern Pike are normally found in the Northern Ontario Lakes. Since they come in an assortment of sizes, they also have varied hiding places and diets. For the small to medium sized pike, they are found in the back of bays among the thick weeds, wild rice and lily pads, feeding on small bugs, minnows, frogs and even fish of the same specie. The bigger pikes are found out the edge of the weeds looking for walleyes swimming, since they prefer walleyes, hammer handles, suckers, chub and whitefish for their lunch. They hang out in areas leading to the bays, rocky points, islands and shoals, especially places with walleyes. Muskies and Northern Pikes are usually mistaken for each other because of the similarities in their physical features. This is probably due to living in very similar environments, and not because of genetics.
The Northern pike is the easiest to catch as compared to other game fishes since they strike any lure, jigs, rapalas, and thundersticks. A popularly used lure for pike fishing is the red & silver lure and the yellow five-of-diamonds Daredevils. The pikes also play with your bait. They strike on your bait several times until you can be sure to reel him in. Their appetites overrule their sense of safety and common sense. To maximize the enticement that the Daredevil spoon holds, you have to make a slapping motion. Upon casting towards your target, cast up high so that the lure falls where you want it to. When the lure is about two to three feet above the water, jerk the line towards you to create a slapping sound on the surface of the water. This sound supposedly attracts pike to feed.
Bodies of water are classified generally into three types in Northern Ontario. Some may be crystal clear that the bottom is seen even at eight feet down. Some are shallow with murky and muddy water. Several lakes impart a wine red color, due to the iron content. The red and silver lure works best in clear water while the Daredevil works better in muddy or wine red colored water although there are some who prefer a rattle bait even more for muddy waters.
Old rapalas can also be used to catch Northern Pikes since they are very competitive and always want to assert their position in the food chain. A fish in hot pursuit of another can trigger the pike to join them for lunch, with them being lunch. Knowing this, your old rapala can be rigged to look like this, by placing a black steel leaders on your rapalas and a Daredevil. For bait, you may need six to eight inch chub or suckers that you either get at the bait store or fish for them using a small worm as bait. A big chub on the rigged rapala can help you catch a big northern pike.
Northern Pike should not be handled by the eye sockets, as was practiced before, since it may lead to the damage of their optic nerves and they die a slow death. They have to be held horizontally, on the body so they will still be healthy when you release them back into their natural habitat.
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