Northern Pike Fishing in Alaska

By Jane Mun

While Canada is renowned for its secluded fishing spots and giant trophy Northern Pike, Alaska is a great destination for Pike fishing. Northern Pike has their natural habitat north and west of the Alaska Range. In recent years, Pike had been illegally introduced into the lakes and rivers in the South-central region. This has resulted in a year-round Pike fishing season, as ordered by the Alaskan Department of Fish and Game. Around these parts, no Pike hunting technique is frowned upon by the authorities. There is no limit to the number and size of the Pike you manage to catch.

Further north, Pike fishing becomes the usual sportsmanlike activity that is enjoyed by so many anglers in North America. Despite a number of factors against the Pike becoming a sought-after catch, there is a lot of interest in the species from new anglers from the rest of the United States and renewed interest from local Alaskan residents. The large size of Alaskan and Canadian Northern Pike is due to the large fish species they prey on, such as Salmon, Trout and Walleyes. In Alaska, as in other northern hemisphere countries, the Pike are renowned for being ferocious eaters and hunters. They have been documented to eat all sorts of water fowl, amphibians and have even attacked small animals that hunt close to the water's edge.

In Alaska, after spawning, the Northern Pike will hide away in deep water channels in rivers or lakes, near to their spawning beds. They use this dormant period to gain strength before feeding and getting their weight up again. In the spring, before spawn, the males will be fairly lean, but well muscled and slow moving. In Alaska, the best time for fishing for Pike is 7 to 10 days before spawn and straight after. This gives you the opportunity to intercept the Pike on their migratory journey, while they are still fairly clustered together.

Large Alaskan lakes have very little organized structure in terms of the topographical outlay of the lake beds. This is somewhat confusing for the Pike to navigate to hunt and forage for food. For this reason, using dead bait is very effective. The Pike is forced to use their keen sense of smell underwater to trace the location of their food. By using the strong smell of dead bait, they will actively seek out an easy meal that does not require long distance tracking.

Weather conditions play a big part in catching Pike in Alaska. The windier it is, the more confused the Pike will be, due to the constant surface interference to its vision and hearing. This lack of sensory input will force a Pike to feed without fear or reservation, making any kind of bait or lure effective during rough, windy conditions.

Northern Pike fishing that yields big catches in Alaska is possible at a number of locations: the Chatanika River's sloughs and tributaries, near Beaver Springs on the Tanana River, lower Beaver Creek, Lower Dall Creek and Lower Chena. The Minto Flats also provide good Pike fishing spots and can be accessed by air, or inland roads.
 

The author is writing article in a full time basis. He also freelance in writing other articles such as occupational therapist salary and occupational therapist careers

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