Pike

No fish in freshwater can match the ferocity and gluttonous feeding habits of the great northern pike. There is plenty of good pike fishing in the U.S., but often the most spectacular fishing comes on Canada's remote lakes.  If you’re planning a fishing trip to a northern U.S.

Northern pike are such an incredible predator.  Smooth and sleek with the curves of the most expensive sport car.  Rows of teeth that resemble tooth picks.  Amazing acceleration.  Pike are cool and really big pike are simply awesome to catch.

Consider this little tidbit of information.  Northern pike are found throughout the northern hemisphere across the upper third of North America from New York to Alaska.  These fish are also found across northern Europe and Asia.  A northern pike caught in the Balkens is almost identical to the same fish caught on Lake of the Woods.

In some respects the fall fishing season can be difficult for anglers because of cold weather, rough water and the weed beds dying off. However, for the dedicated pike fisherman, these conditions can equal success. In northern Wisconsin, the cooler fall water temperatures activate the bite for big northern pike as they try and pack on weight for the upcoming winter. This can move these toothy predators into predictable locations that anglers can target.

Caught from cold water, the firm, white flesh of northern pike or chain pickerel will rival fillets from any freshwater fish.  Some think pike is the best eating of all!  However, the pike’s bones layout differently than any other fish, so a special method of filleting is required. The result will be five boneless fillets from each pike.

Snow-covered landscapes and frozen bodies of water have a deliberate way of changing a pike angler's methods and routines.

If you're not casting swimbaits for northern pike you're missing out. Swimbaits are one of the hottest lures on the market right now, and for good reason — they catch a ton of different species.

The wheels screeching on the runway woke me from my two hour nap. The plane, my third one for the day safely landed at Chicago’s O’Hara airport. I have been traveling to Canada for more than 30 years and still get excited to pack my bags and head out on another adventure. On this recent trip I was fishing the

Many of the free flowing streams of the southern Missouri Ozarks contain a small fish which resembles the northern pike.

Few thrills in fishing can come close to watching a northern pike's toothy mouth clamp down on a fly twitching across the surface of a shallow cove. With brooding, baleful eyes, a pike looks positively prehistoric when it smashes into a topwater bug.

The northern pike seems to have it all. The ability to leap in the air with energetic somersaults that will amaze and excite you. A willingness to strike baits so aggressively that you'd swear your heart skipped a beat. Plus a biological make-up that allows them to attain extra heavy weights, backed by a muscular body and razor-sharp teeth. Put all of these traits together and you're up against one heck of a competitor! Fall is the time to catch the really fat 20 pound pike.