Northern pike are ferocious predators. Identified to science as Esox lucius, these highly effective, glossy hunters hang-out the goals of many anglers, and so they’re prized for his or her legendary aggressiveness, highly effective fights, and acrobatic leaps.
We’ve supplied our greatest suggestions and favourite strategies to catch extra pike earlier than. However now it’s time to take an in-depth have a look at one of the best lures to snag these monsters.
We’ll clarify why we make the suggestions we do and assessment an inventory of our go-to pike lures.
So maintain studying!
Greatest Northern Pike Fishing Lures and Baits
Pike aren’t choosy eaters, however that doesn’t imply all lures are equally enticing to them!
Tender Baits
Storm WildEye Stay Pike
Storm is known for its hyper-realistic delicate baits, and the Stay Pike is not any exception. Profiting from the truth that pike are cannibalistic, it gives them a tempting meal. Accessible in 4, 5, and 6 inch lengths, all three are glorious selections.
The tail of this lure wriggles because it’s labored, making a vibration that’s as life-like because it appears to be like. And naturally, even the sharpest-eyed pike will discover this man exhausting to distinguish from the actual factor. In consequence, northerns hit this lure exhausting, typically swallowing it complete.
That includes a big dorsal hook and a ventral treble, you’ll be able to depend on a strong hookset.
Zoom Tremendous Flukes
Zoom’s Tremendous Flukes are a confirmed alternative for pike, and from their salty style to their delicate flukes, they provide a successful mixture of motion, look, vibration, and taste.
When rigged on a top quality hook like a Gamakatsu #1, you’ll be able to work these delicate baits like a small pike, perch, or shad, even rigging them weedless to penetrate deep cowl. And since that’s the place you’ll discover pike ready to ambush prey, it’s not exhausting to think about what occurs subsequent.
That’s one thing that units “plain” delicate baits other than their opponents, and so they get quite a lot of love in consequence! They’re obtainable in a rainbow of colours, and for pike, every little thing from Bubblegum to Watermelon Seed is a allure.
Zoom Bait 8-Inch Magnum Lizard
As we’ve defined, pike are avid feeders, and just about something is on the menu. Lizards, frogs, and snakes are common meals, and the Magnum Lizard is an effective way to get a extremely huge pike .
Totally 8 inches of wriggling, vibrating, salty goodness, this Zoom delicate bait is nothing however vibration and motion. When rigged weedless and pulled throughout the tops of weeds, alongside the edges, or via tall grass, you’ll know if a bruiser is ready in ambush.
Legendary amongst bass anglers, the Magnum Lizard ought to discover a place in your sort out field whenever you’re casting for pike.
Spinners
BigTooth Deal with Straight-Wire
A giant spinner with a colourful skirt, a curly tail, and an enormous blade is simply the recipe for optimum vibration, and with a delicate lateral line, pike simply can’t resist. This makes spinners one of the vital efficient baits to catch these brutes, and Massive Tooth’s Straight-Wire is among the many greatest.
Each the Stoop Buster and Inexperienced Lantern colours are good selections, and there’s a lot vibration and motion to those spinners that pike will reply from pure intuition. After they do, the Straight-Wire’s double hook design goes to lock them to your line.
Whether or not you go for a gradual retrieve, or let this spinner flutter and drop, it’s merely excellent for attracting northerns.
Mepps Aglia Dressed Spinner
Traditional in-line spinners just like the Mepps Aglia, particularly when dressed with a skirt and tail, are amazingly productive when angling for pike.
Particularly in massive sizes like ½ ounce, these are nice selections to buzz within the shallows. That giant blade creates a particular vibration and flash, and the skirt, tail, and physique present colour and motion.
Mepps spinners are powerful, too, and I discover that the central wire can actually take a beating with out getting bent.
Worden’s Unique Rooster Tail
Final, however most actually not least among the many spinners, we suggest the superior Worden’s Unique. In its 1 ounce dimension, this can be a huge in-line lure, and just like the Mepps, gives loads for pike.
From a flashing, vibrating blade to a colourful physique and skirt, this can be a powerful lure to beat. I just like the Rainbow colour lots, as I believe it mimics a small pike, once more taking part in on their ferocious cannibalism.
Crank and Jerk Baits
Rattlin’ Rapala
Pike are suckers for vibration, and nothing beats a rattling lure for that. The Rattlin’ Rapala is a powerful model of the lipless crankbait that makes use of an inside rattle to name pike from the weeds.
I just like the silver/gold, and as you’ll be able to see, it appears to be like like a shiny prey merchandise, providing the flash, colour, and look essential to idiot a pike’s excellent imaginative and prescient. And with two huge treble hooks, one mounted ventrally, the opposite trailing, you’re going to get a strong hookset.
Unsurprisingly, I wish to run these down weed beds, particularly once they’re close to a drop-off. Aggressive pike will typically swallow a lure ¾ ounce, 3 ⅛ inch lure, so make sure to run a tricky chief.
Invoice Lewis Unique Rat-L-Entice
There’s no discussing rattlers with out together with the superior Rat-L-Entice. These ½ ounce lipless crankbaits run 3 inches lengthy, however the vibration they create imitates a a lot bigger fish.
Supplied in a wide range of colours, I’d suggest one thing life-like like Yellow Perch. Outfitted with a pair of massive #2 Gamakatsu treble hooks, the unique Rat-L-Entice gained’t allow you to down.
I wish to run these fairly quick in summer time, burning them via the water to make that rattle sing. Massive, nasty pike will rush out to hit them, so maintain on!
Rapala Tremendous Shad Rap
If you happen to’re on the lookout for huge pike – and who isn’t? – you need to attempt the 5 ½ inch Rapala Tremendous Shad Rap.
This Rap has a number of issues going for it. First, whether or not you throw Perch or one other of the practical designs, it’s received what it takes to idiot a pike’s eyes. Second, it has unbeatable motion, as generations of pike and muskie anglers can attest. As you retrieve or rip it, it waggles like an injured fish, sending vibrations to the lateral line of ready pike.
It’s merely cash when labored by somebody who is aware of what they’re doing.
This huge lure runs between 5 and 9 ft deep, and whether or not you crank it persistently, let it float a bit between cranks, or rip it from the floor now and again, pike will devour it.
Spoons
Dardevle
Tried and true describes the Dardevle when fished for pike. These top-notch spoons flutter like no different, wagging their tail to create vibration and flash.
Whether or not you throw the 1 or 2 ounce, I like to recommend you go huge, and rattling close to any colour appears to work a trick on hungry pike. These spoons forged in addition to you’d anticipate, and from fluttering descents to regular retrieves, I don’t go pike fishing and not using a few with me.
What To Think about When Deciding on The Greatest Lure for Northern Pike
Pike Feeding Conduct
Northern pike are devoted ambush predators, and their speckled inexperienced our bodies mix completely with aquatic weeds and grasses, giving them loads of camouflage. Practically invisible as they sit immobile in cowl, utilizing virtually imperceptible motions of their fins to remain in place, they await prey to get shut earlier than exploding to full pace instantly.
Pike eat virtually something, together with different pike, and if they’ll swallow it, they’ll attempt it. That implies that fish of every kind, frogs and different amphibians, snakes, birds, bats, mice, and just about the rest you’ll discover in or on the water are honest recreation.
This is a vital truth to know: the place you discover vegetation and prey of any type, you’ll discover pike. They’re not picky, and when the water will get heat in late spring, the pike fishing will get scorching. As Greg Keefer explains, “Most pike start feeding closely when the water temperatures attain the 55- to 60-degree vary and go into the spring feeding frenzy when it climbs to 65 levels.”
Pike Senses
Pike are well-equipped for ambush predation.
Their massive eyes present glorious depth notion and low-light imaginative and prescient. They use this to their benefit: they feed at daybreak and nightfall once they take pleasure in a aggressive benefit over their prey, and the 90 minutes surrounding sunup and sunset are most likely one of the best instances to search for a chunk.
Pike even have a delicate lateral line, which they use to detect the vibrations brought on by injured or approaching prey. They’re conscious about the placement of wriggling fish, and any lure that creates a buzz, flutter, flash, or rattle can get them excited.
Pike Tooth
The typical pike sports activities a whole lot of razor-sharp tooth. These present an virtually foolproof grip on something they’ll get into their mouths, however in addition they merely destroy fishing line.
It’s important that you just use a frontrunner together with your lures. Don’t depend on abrasion resistant important line to face as much as pike!
One choice is to run very heavy fluorocarbon, like Berkley’s 100-pound pike leaders. They’re most likely thick sufficient to take a tooth or two, however I usually desire steel for pike.
There are many glorious choices, together with Rio’s tapered chief, which is a single strand of knotable wire coated in nylon.
If you happen to desire to tie your personal, I just like the No merchandise discovered.. It’s straightforward to make use of, and if you happen to discover a pike that may tear via titanium…properly…I recommend you avoid the water!
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If you wish to discover ways to tie your personal leaders, Ryan DeChaine from Wired2Fish gives clear directions:
What Does This Imply for You?
Pike are very good ambush predators, and it’s price taking a second to evaluate what this implies for you as an angler.
- Search for clear water and vegetation. Pike usually desire water with low turbidity, the place daylight can attain underwater crops and promote their development. The vegetation supplies the duvet these ambush masters want. That additionally implies that in your hunt for pike, you need to focus on weed beds and different thick cowl.
- Pike are aggressive. With most species, subtlety and finesse are key–but not with the mighty pike! They’ll hit most lures with an perspective, and there’s no should be afraid that you just’re throwing one thing too massive or fishing it too aggressively for them.
- Pike depend on their imaginative and prescient and lateral line to search out prey. That implies that colour, flash, and vibration are essential in lure alternative, and naturally, dwell bait is at all times a strong choice.
- Pike feed at daybreak and nightfall. Given the significance of sight to their ambush predation, the 90 minutes round dawn and sundown are sometimes the most efficient.
- All the time use a frontrunner. There’s no higher solution to lose a pleasant pike than to depend on thick braid as a substitute. Try our full article explaining the strengths, weaknesses, and myths related to mono, fluoro, and braid.
Last Ideas
Every of those excellent lures deserves a spot in your sort out field, and if there’s one you haven’t tried, you actually ought to! From delicate baits to spoons, they’re all pike magnets when fished correctly.
Is there a favourite pike lure of yours that we’ve missed? Tell us–we’d love to listen to from you!
