WHERE TO FIND BIG NORTHERN PIKE

Top   predators aren’t pushovers and being at the top of the food chain they can muscle their way into the prime real estate on any water system. Northern   pike, especially big ones, inhabit the structures on a water system that best meets a variety of criteria, including access to food, shelter, ambushing   opportunities, water temperature, and oxygen levels.

Three prime areas that often meet these criteria for large northern after they’ve spawned in the shallows are points, humps and saddles. Here’s examples of these customary pike structures.

Points

Points are a piece of structure   that juts out into deep water off of shore or an island. They range in shapes   and sizes but ultimately points extend into and are surrounded by deeper   water. The variation they provide compared to the uniform surrounding   shoreline and underwater contours, along with fast access to deep water, make   them attractive to pike.

Northern   move on points to feed, whether on walleye, perch, bass, or any other species   they can get their mouths on. Wind-blown points attract big pike as the   turmoil created by waves often stimulates feeding activity as prey become   disoriented. Pike are active all day, but morning and evening are   particularly good times to try points. When choosing points consider that the   larger the structure the more fish it’s likely to hold.

Humps

A hump is an uprising in the bottom depth with a considerable area. They’re   also often referred to as bars or sunken islands. The same fish-attraction   structural qualities of points also make humps a common place to find   northern.  Mid-lake humps are particularly productive for trophy pike during summer and autumn. On large, deep lakes northern often inhabit cool, deep water where they’ll follow and   feed on schools of whitefish and lake herring.

Humps   often attract deep-water pike as both resting and foraging areas. Shallow humps that peak around 10′ to 15′ often have weed growth, which will   attract all sizes of pike. Deeper, rocky humps that top out around 20′ to 35′ appeal to big, deep-water fish.

Saddles   A saddle is best described as follows: Picture yourself holding a rubber band in two hands so it’s straight. Move your hands together and the band drops —   there’s your saddle. Your thumbs and forefingers represent either humps or islands, which could vary in size and shape, and the bends in the band are   the sloping, connected points that join these two land masses. Sometimes these slopes are relatively uniform, as in the rubber band example, while in   other instances one side may extend farther or drop faster than the other.

In   addition to the reasons listed above for points and humps, there are a few   other benefits to saddles. The first is they tend to be fairly sizeable structures giving them the potential to hold multiple big fish. Add to this the fact that saddles contain a variety of different depths plus plenty of   physical features all wrapped up in one interconnected formation, and it’s no wonder they’re a pike paradise and typically known as big fish spots.

Structure Details

When fishing points, humps and saddles, paying attention to the finer details in the layout of these areas will catch you more and bigger pike. You want to   find additional features that will concentrate fish. These zones are often   referred to as “the spot on the spot” and represent prime real estate   for fish. Small fingers, which could be described as miniature points, and   inside bends on any of these three spots have a tendency to attract fish and   funnel their movements. Focusing on deep weed walls is wise as pike will hunt   along these edges. Rock piles also attract fish.

If   you’re fishing the river section of our lake keep current in mind. Expect   northern to hunt on the middle to the downstream portion of structures more   often than the area being hit with flowing water. Walleye and suckers will   hold in the slack water created by these structures and pike won’t be far away from their food.

The next   time you’re pursuing a fishing map, keep points, humps and saddles in mind.   These structures regularly hold quality northern pike throughout the year   after fish have spawned. Fish them thoroughly and don’t be afraid to hit the   same structure multiple times in a day to better your chances at intercepting   a big pike feeding.

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Fishing Walleye with Minnows

 

Let’s talk live minnows for Walleye. Many have probably fished for walleye using live minnows and found that they didn’t stay on the hook for long or died fairly quickly. Let’s see if we can fix these problems. SHARP HOOKS You want first of all to make sure the hooks that you are using are not too large for the minnow, and secondly, that they are sharp. A small hone or sometimes a good nail file will touch up the points on hooks enough to penetrate a minnow or a walleyes mouth without a problem. Placing the hook against the top of a fingernail will tell you if it is sharp. If it seems to stick to the nail under its own weight, then the hook is sharp.  Hook sizes 2/0 3/0 and 4/0 are a few popular choices. SPINNER RIG Spinner rigs can be used for live minnow presentation if you hook the minnow through the top of the mouth ahead of the eyes. This allows the minnow to look natural in the water and still get oxygen through the gills. When trolled or retrieved it will not be as apt   to pull off the hook. Being in a natural position in the water the walleye   have a better chance of taking it as part of its feed. You can make your own rigs for this type of fishing, use only one hook on the rig and experiment with different colored beads.  A #5   blade is a good choice to start with and if it works well, leave it, otherwise go to a bit larger blade. Popular use often red bead arrangement for this presentation but you can fancy it up a little with different colored beads with the bead closest to the hook should be a different color from the rest.  Here’s a good video on how to hook a minnows by:  Ted Takasaki This seems to entice the walleye a little more and usually results in a good hook set. If the area you are fishing supports a good concentration of walleye, then try using a simple rig consisting of a small bell sinker on bottom ¼ or 3/8 oz. and two hooks set about eight inches apart on the line. Place the first hook within two inches   of bottom and the second about eight inches above the first. Tip both with a  medium size live minnow hooked either through the tail or top of the mouth.   Keep a snug line or use a float, but keep in mind that walleye will usually bite softly. A small amount of movement on the float or rod tip is your cue to set the hook. Do this by dropping the rod tip slightly and waiting for one more little tug on the line, then set the hook. This method will allow you to fish productively from shore, and also works well from a boat while sitting over a hole inhabited by walleye. Also, you can practice a slow retrieve to   cover just a bit more water. Another productive method is to use only one hook and a live minnow, with a small sinker about one foot above the hook, allowing the minnow to float up, just off bottom. This is a favorite for just a plain lazy cast and retrieve. Don’t try to get too much distance on the cast as you will tear the minnow off the hook with the fast flicking motion of the rod. A slow retrieve works best and I think that the minnow brings a lot of curious walleye to the bait. Slow down and enjoy. Not everybody enjoys the hectic   pace of covering an entire lake or river at fast speed looking for constant   action and throwing hooks at the rate of lightning flashes. I prefer on   occasion, to slow down, relax and thoroughly enjoy the time I have to fish.   If I land one fish every half-hour, that’s great! No longer is it a contest,   but a good time, and a most enjoyable one at that. Check out some of our GREAT fall SPECIALS   Name(required) Email(required) Comment(required) Email Me Fishing Rates Hunting Rates OUTBACK Adventure Rates Predator Hunting Booklet Brochure Submit Δ