First Timer….I Hope

This year will be the first year I will be trying to land a northern. My almost 6 year old is all jacked up about catching a northern this year. By default, I’m jacked up about us both getting our hand on a toothy critter. We don’t care about how big it is at all. Since we don’t have a heavy duty set up, the 1 to 3 #ers would be ideal.

I grew up fishing ponds and streams in KY for bass and crappie. Now I live in Maple Grove, MN and will be exclusively fishing from shore on any local lake or stream I can get walking access to. I have a starter selection of spoons, inline spinners, buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, swim jigs, crankbaits, original floaters, xrap, poppers and soft plastics. Most are designed to run less than 6’ and are small in size due to fishing for bass from shore all the time.

Please hammer me with tips, techniques and strategies using my current lure selection. I don’t want to disappoint my son all year long by doing something wrong if I can learn something to improve my odds of success. We plan on being on the shore bright and early Saturday morning. Thanks in advance for all your help…I will need it.

A great place to go is peltier lake in Centerville just outside of Hugo they have a falls and you can catch plenty of pike right from shore just up from the falls there. Good luck!

Are falls a good thing for northerns or fish in general?

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A great place to go is peltier lake in Centerville just outside of Hugo they have a falls and you can catch plenty of pike right from shore just up from the falls there. Good luck!

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The one right off 14? Lots of fish there.

I am somewhat surprised you haven’t hooked into one by accident yet!

Nothern are ambush preditors, so you will want to throw toward any weedlines you can reach and any holes that they might be sitting and waiting. If you can fish the edge of a weedline (following the weeds about 1 foot out, not pulling through then), like from a fishing pier, that would be the way to go. Also anywhere on the corners of two waters coming together. Check out the FIN (fishing in the neighborhood) website and it has a ton of fishing docks and shorefishing spots in the Twin Cities.

Your gear should be OK if its Bass gear, but I would suggest using a steel leader at least 6 inches. I prefer spoons and spinners. Any Rapala should work, I just have not fished them enough to be really confident with them (that my goal this year). If the water stays cold, I would try for a reaction strike with any of those baits, make your retrieve over-exaggerated and flashy, yet slow.

You also want to make sure you have a good long pliers , forcepts, or hook-remover.

Good Luck and have fun, and remember to hold on. When you hook into even a smaller northern, they fight like heck. They do not just tug on your line, they will run 10-30 feet at times. Let them run and when they stop, then play them back in.

I hope this helps, and now I really cannot wait to hook into a big gator saturday morning.

Pick up some chatter baits. Every time I tie one on I get a snot rocket.

FDR

big bobber and a medium sucker like 8″ and thats it.

Welcome to Minnesota!

Especially early in the year use your bass fishing knowledge and it will apply well to Pike. It’s pretty common to pick up pike when bass fishing. Spoons, cranks, inline spinners/bucktails, plastics, spinnerbaits are all prime lures.

Some guys like to go big on bait and lures and others not so much. Depends on angler and the lake. My tackle box is set up for Pike and Walleye. Most of my cranks are in the 5″ range plus or minus. Ex. Shad Rap in size 7 or 8 to Husky Jerks in size 11 or 13.

I like the earlier suggestion to do a bobber when shore fishing. Not sure I would go with the big sucker minnows this early in the season but will default to others.

There’s good advice above on critical gear to have. Steel leaders – 8″ or so. I only do cross lock snaps after a couple bad experiences. Longer pliers or the extra long hook outs.

Bring a camera and have a good time!

Don’t forget a pair of spreaders “cost only couple of bucks”. I use a rubber net so I can release the fish unharmed.
personally I’ve never had luck on spoons and spinners for pike. You might want to purchase an X-Rap, size 12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNoQDU2uX5o This same technique can be used successfully with Husky Jerks and Suicks. With Suicks give it a little longer pull. These lures are all great for pike.
Sorry no pike picture yet this year. I caught a nice 10 pounder just after the opener but was by myself without a camera.

Understand this………those teeth and gill plates are razor sharp. Squeeze the Pike behind the gills to handle him, use the spreaders to open the mouth to get deep hooks out. Do not ever stick your fingers in the mouth to pop a hook. Since you are just starting out bring a good towel for wiping your hands and also some band aids.

Please note when the Walleye guys use the term “snot rockets”, they do it with affection.

I must have missed something. I have seen dozens of pike online picked up by the outside of the gill cover. Is this the wrong thing to do?

I have 6″ steel leaders, forcips and a mouth opener. I’ll add a towel and band-aids to the mix.

Never use a spreaders….Buy a fish grip.
If fish could thank you, they would.

Good luck. Nords are fairly easy to come by casting shallows with typical bass fishing tackle.

The fish is picked up by the very front of the gill covers and a small hollow in the bottom of the fishes jaw. Never anywhere near the gills themselves. Looks can be a deceiving when you see some of these pictures.

Good Luck

Fish Grip

Isn’t a better thing out there for removing hooks. Easy to keep mouth open and get fingers/pliers in the fish’s mouth without harming the fish or you.

Once locked onto the lower jaw, you have complete control of the fish. Even with a spreader, you still need to control a slimy fish with trebles hanging out of it’s mouth.

Best small investment i’ve made in a LONG time.

I use it to unhook almost all my northerns. Comes in handy with channel catfish and deep hooked walleyes.

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I must have missed something. I have seen dozens of pike online picked up by the outside of the gill cover. Is this the wrong thing to do?

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You can do it, but their gills are really sharp and they like to thrash around. So on top of not being that great for the health of the fish, your fingers will end up bloody and battered.

Slide your fingers to the very front of the opening nowhere near the gills, while the thumb grips the indent in the pikes lower jaw. You never go near the gills. The gills will cut you and likely hurt the fish if you mess with them. They are red and very easy to avoid.

This grip actually pacifies the fish vs. grapping it behind the head. I learned it just by watching others and asking.

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I must have missed something. I have seen dozens of pike online picked up by the outside of the gill cover. Is this the wrong thing to do?

I have 6″ steel leaders, forcips and a mouth opener. I’ll add a towel and band-aids to the mix.

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I use forceps on panfish in the winter and sometimes for walleye. For pike I’ve swapped a 6″ for an 8″ needlenose. I almost never need the long hook out. My point is get a needle nose so you can get leverage and keep the fingers away from the teeth.

My intent here is not to sound preachy. I learned this lesson the hard and bloody way. My buddy and I made the switch to the longer needlenose about 6 years ago for Canadian pike. One of the better but simple equipment changes we’ve made.

Don’t want to buy more stuff? No problem, I use my leatherman on canoe trips and any needlenose from the regular tool box will do.

Can’t resist but putting a pic up. You’ve starting the spring itch to get north and chase pike.

Specific to the line of this posting there’s some tools of the trade in the background. pliers, anti-liar device aka tape and scale, baitcaster, and large Rapala glider. That afternoon was big baits for big fish

Kentuckyboy – one more thing. please post how you did this weekend.

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Kentuckyboy – one more thing. please post how you did this weekend.

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Will do.

Works good for pictures with kids too.

It didn’t happen this weekend. We were at Peltier Lake by 7 am but there were a dozen people at the dam and a full lot at the pier. We fished by the bridge a few hours w/o a bite. We decided to try something closer to home. We found somewhere private but still didn’t get a bite.

Yup. Peltier is always packed but never see anybody really catching much. I just go there to get bullheads.