By Shane Dayton
There is a lot of advice floating around out there about fishing for northern pike, and while some of it may be really good, a lot of the advice is aimed at experienced anglers, semi-pro anglers, or it's rehashed information that may or may not be any different than advice you would get when starting to go after any type of fish for the first time.
While this can be frustrating, don't let it get you away from your goal of chasing down a trophy northern pike. After spending even a few weeks fighting with these ferocious fresh water game fish, you will be quite literally hooked. So if you're waiting, don't wait any longer. Follow these tips, get out to the water, and enjoy a great time fishing for your ideal fish.
Pike Fishing Tip #1: Make sure to get a medium or high action rod. This is a common mistake for beginning anglers, who often like to go for a light or ultra light action rod because they've heard about the pike's reputation as a fighter and they don't want to miss any action. You won't. The pike are hard enough fighters that even a high action rod is going to give plenty of bend and pull. Go with the heavier rods to pursue northern fishing.
Pike Fishing Tip #2: Use active lures. Jigging, rubber worms, or live bait might be okay for some species, but this fish takes pride in being a predator. You need to give it action to look appealing as food, or just be so annoying that they can't ignore it and come after the lure in attack mode. Either way is good as long as the fish ends up on the line.
Pike Fishing Tip #3: Be prepared for a major hit. While it can be easy to get distracted and drift off with many types of fishing, big pike can hit so hard that they yank the rod right out of your hand if you're not paying attention. So stay vigilant, and don't be one of many red faced anglers who lost their entire rod to a fish because they weren't paying close enough attention.
Pike Fishing Tip #4: Fish scent. Some people swear by this, others don't, but there are a lot of fish scents that can make your lure smell like pike prey. Up north a lot of times walleye scent is recommended, and many experienced anglers absolutely swear by the results that it produces.
Pike Fishing Tip #5: Go with twelve pound test line or better. This is a big one. While some ten pound line can do well, or even eight pound line for small fish, the twelve pound test line is a good combination of very strong and still open to action to help anglers out. Anything lighter and it could very easily snap, while heavier lines sometimes take some of the fight away, or can be seen more easily underwater.
Remember that fishing for pike is an on going learning experience, and every area is a little different.
However, by following these five tips for beginning pike anglers and talking with locals at your favorite fishing hole, often times experience along with this advice will be more than enough to really get you going in the right direction. And if you liked those tips and want to know where to find more great pike fishing tips for beginners, then please take a look at this online guide full of fantastic northern pike fishing tips for anglers of all experience levels.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful tips.
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