Fishing Time

Here in the midwest it is about time to start catching some fish. Within the next month or so, I hope to take a small fishing trip for some Northern Pike fishing. It has been a long winter, and ice fishing is not much fun in my opinion, so it will be great to get some action.

The first few months after ice out are never really that productive. However, I have found that many of the larger fish move to the spawning stage first, hence creating a great trophy pike opportunity. I do not like fishing too early in the year due to my hatred of the cold, so I can only fish for an hour at a time or so.

I hope to try fly fishing for northern pike later in the year, but I am not sure if I will get the opportunity. It will help if I learn to correctly fly fish first. It just seems there is not enough time to go regular fishing let alone learning a new style that is so unnatural to me.

I was watching an old in fisherman episode where they were fishing for gigantic lake trout up in Canada. This would also be an amazing trip I would like to make some day. They also have them in the great lakes, but that does not sound as fun as a canada fishing trip.

With Pike Fishing right around the corner for me, I have relined all my rods and reels and also put new hooks on some lures. I think this is a big place were most fisherman forget about. They assume all hooks are sharp and will hold fish.

However, hooks dull over time, and most hooks on cheap lures are already dull. You MUST have sharp hooks for Northern Pike since they have such a bony jaw and mouth.

Besides for that, my gear appears to be ready for my next trip. Hopefully it will come sooner rather than later. We will have to see.

Tips for Catching Trophies

Here are my simple rules for catching Northern Pike:

1. Medium heavy to heavy rod.
2. At least 10-12 lb line, if not more.
3. At least 30 lb + steel leader. About 1 foot long.
4. Lures that you can retrieve quickly and that create excitement.
5. Location- back bays early in the year, weedbeds later in the year.
6. Be creative- rule 5 is not always true.
7. A good landing net or cradle, if you prefer to do less harm to the fish.
8. Patience- while Pike fishing can be quick, you must always assume otherwise.
9. Enjoy yourself and relax.
10. And finally.. a camera to take a picture of your trophy!

Fly Fishing for Northern Pike

I just read an article about fly fishing for Northern Pike. I was amazed that one could battle such a powerful fish with what is normally gear meant for smaller fish such as trout.

Some of these Pike were over 40 inches long!! Since I can barely fly fish at all, this will take some time before I venture out. I believe the article i read was from Alberta or Manitoba up in Canada, but I am not certain.

I will post further information later about fly fishing for Pike, since it seems like the trip of a lifetime.

Enjoy.