The northern pike is one of North America’s most aggressive freshwater fish. During the warm season, pike anglers typically cast spoons, inline spinners, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and soft plastics.
A popular theory among fishermen is that northern pike prefer red and white colored lures. Because of their razor sharp teeth, some fishermen use wire leaders or braided fishing line when fishing for northern pike.
Some anglers use a special retrieval technique, called the “figure 8”, when fishing for pike. The technique involves moving the rod during the last few feet of a cast in order to impart a figure 8 type motion to the lure. This last second move has been known to trigger strikes from wary pike that follow the lure back to the boat.
Northern pike are also caught with fly fishing gear using mid-sized to large streamers, frogs, poppers, and other patterns.
During winter ice fishing, a tip-up with a large minnow can be effective combination for catching northern pike.