Our Top 3 Lures For Pike Fishing
There’s nothing that gets the heart pumping like a toothy critter nailing your lure up high in the water column, splashing water everywhere as it fights you back to the boat. The sharp teeth, the missile-like bodies, and the adrenaline rush of catching one, make pike one of my favourite species to fish for.
With a little over a week to go until pike opener here in FMZ16, we’re checking through the tackle boxes to make sure we’ve got our favourite pike fishing lures ready to go. Those razor-sharp teeth have a tendency to be rough on lures, so spring is a great time to replace anything that’s too damaged, or that we’re getting low on.
I figured this would be a good time to share some of our favourite pike fishing lures, for anyone who’s new to fishing for them. If I hadn’t been lucky enough to have my live-in fishing buddy when I got started in this hobby, this is the information I would have liked to have. I’ve included the brand names of the lures we use most often, but don’t assume that those are what you need. Use whatever brands you like best or are easiest to find for you.
SPINNERBAIT
Not surprising anyone, our number one lure for pike fishing is a spinnerbait. Pike go crazy for these on most days, so we each start the day with a spinnerbait tied on to one of our rods. The pulsing skirts and flashy blades have everything you need to pique a toothy critter’s interest.
Spinnerbaits have a lot of advantages. They’re the ultimate search bait. You can cover a lot of water by casting these around, or by trolling with them. They don’t snag on things too easily, so you can fish them in all sorts of cover. And since they have single hooks, spinnerbaits typically make for an easy release. If we’re working through a bunch of hammer-handles (small pike), we can usually release them boat side, just grabbing the hook and pulling it up.
I’m not a patient angler. I get bored so easily using finesse lures and techniques if the fish aren’t biting. I’ll stick with a spinnerbait all day, even if the bite is slow, because at least I’m actively doing something.
When using a spinnerbait for pike, I find they often follow the lure and bump it before they’re willing to bite. If you’re retrieving your cast and feel your lure move ever so slightly, or just feel like the rhythm changed for a split-second, you should cast right back out to the same area. They’ll often bite on that next cast, or we’ll follow up with one of the other lures listed here.
What we use most often: Terminator Pro Series and Strike King Bottom Dwellers, in whites and chartreuse. Orange seems to be most popular in the fall.
JERKBAIT
Jerkbaits are, in my opinion, the most versatile baits you can throw for pike. They can be fished quickly and used as a search bait, much like a spinnerbait. Or they can be fished ever so slowly, driving those toothy critters insane and inciting a bite.
These lures typically have a wobble to under a steady retrieve, but that’s not how they’re meant to be fished, and it’s not how they shine. Instead, try the jerk-jerk-pause retrieve. Or jerk-slow reel-pause. Or any combination you can think of. You can give these lures all sorts of action and figure out exactly what will trigger a bite.
If we’re having a slow day on the water, we’ll often resort to trolling to locate fish, and nothing works better than putting a spinnerbait out one side, and a jerkbait out the other. The spinnerbait brings them in, but the pike choose to bite the jerkbait. We’ve tested this by running two jerkbaits, or a jerkbait and something other than a spinnerbait, and our hook-ups are so much higher with a spinnerbait and a jerkbait.
Pike love these lures, as evidenced by all the bite marks on our favourite jerkbaits, and the many hooks we’ve had to replace over the years. The treble hooks can be a pain for releasing fish. Pike are slimy and impatient and will throw themselves everywhere while you attempt to pull out the hooks. Be careful with your hands and always use pliers.
What we use most often: Rapala Husky Jerks and X-Raps in silver, tennessee shad, and fire tiger.
SWIMBAIT
Soft plastic paddle tail swimbaits are a go-to for the days when the bite is slow, or when we need a follow-up bait because the pike are showing themselves, but not biting the spinnerbait or jerkbait.
These baits are dynamite when dropped into pockets in weeds, or fished along weed edges. They’re perfect for dropping right in front of a fish. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen a swimbait hit the water, only to be smashed before we start to reel it in.
The key with this bait is to not get too excited and retrieve too quickly. A nice, slow retrieve, that’s just fast enough to keep the tail moving is perfect. Again, change up your retrieve and see what works best.
What we use most often: Berkley PowerBait Ripple Shad in smelt or green back pearl.
Northern pike are aggressive fish and they’re willing to bite anything on the right day. It’s part of what makes them so fun. If you’re not sure where to start, give the three baits listed above a try. If you don’t have them, try whatever you do have. We routinely catch pike on panfish lures. Every lake and every day is different, so don’t be afraid to experiment. Get out there and enjoy some pike fishing!
Some of my favourite bass openers have involved far more pike than bass, like our trip to the Moon River, or this opener a few years after that trip.
argosgirl
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Adding a swimbait or, even better, a white twister tail grub to the spinnerbait makes a big difference.
Yes, it can make a huge difference!