Northwest Fishing Magazine September 2025 Volume 5 Issue 1 - Flipbook - Page 21
Other popular casting
lures include spinners,
plastic paddle tail jigs, and
spoons. These are all lures
that pike will pursue and
strike. Your retrieve should
be steady and not too
fast. A pike depends on
sight, sound, and vibration.
Often, that first splash of
the lure hitting the water
is what will alert the pike
to a feeding opportunity,
and strikes may come
soon after your lure hits
the water, so be ready to
retrieve. Especially with
buzz baits, the trick is to
immediately close your bail,
keep your rod tip up, and
reel. You’ll find the sweet
spot for retrieval speed that
keeps the lure skimming
the surface and making a
big splashing commotion –
so much fun!
As mentioned earlier, pike
are predators, and one look
at their mouth full of razorsharp teeth will confirm
that! Most pike anglers will
use a metal leader to save
those expensive lures. The
pike aren’t leader shy, so
no worries about scaring
them off. When you catch
your pike, if you plan to
catch and release, handle
them with care. Pike are
surprisingly fragile. Barbless
hooks, needle-nose pliers,
and jaw pliers will help
get that fish back into the
water for others to enjoy.
Pike will hit just about
any lure that moves, and
they will also hit bait,
including live or dead bait
under a float. My personal
preference is casting and
moving locations. To each
their own…
If you decide to keep a
few, save the larger ones
and keep the smaller fish.
Pike are good eating, but
a bit of a hassle to clean.
The accursed “Y” bone
can present an issue when
cleaning. I recommend
checking out some
YouTube videos on how to
filet your catch. Meanwhile,
releasing those bigger fish
will allow other anglers to
pursue the pike of their
dreams!
Rods and reels should
match the lure you’re
tossing, and both level and
spinning reels work just
fine. A medium/heavy rod
will help pull those fish out
of cover easier.
Braid in a 20-30-pound
weight is a good option.
The best time to fish for
pike is the morning and the
evening hours, although
they will bite all day long,
and all season long, making
them a good choice
when other fish aren’t
cooperating.
