Fishing for northern pike in the spring of the year is one of my favourite times of the year to be a northern pike angler. Once the season opens (check your local Sportfishing Regulations) before you head out as the season-opening may vary across the province you are fishing. Once the season opens fishing for shallow-water northern pike is equally as exciting as fishing topwater or shallow-water bass.
By the time our fair-weather fishing season opens, northern pike have recently spent five months under the ice in low light conditions and low oxygen levels, and they are also recovering from the stresses of the spawn.
Northern pike, of all sizes, will retreat to the back bays and shallow water locations where the water is warmer, sometimes several degrees warmer, and rest to replenish their energy. In many cases, northern pike can be seen in the shallow bays resting or what I call sunning themselves, however, they are more than willing to feed when an easy meal presents itself. This is the time of the year anglers will have the best luck getting a northern pike to commit to that floating frog, shallow-water or topwater crankbaits, bass spinner and chopper baits, and the many other lures that are in your tackle box that catch more anglers in the store than fish in the lake. If you’re a fly fisherman this is also a great time to be casting streamers in the shallows for northern pike. However, there is more to topwater and shallow-water pike fishing than just casting and retrieving for resting pike. There are a few simple tricks to catching topwater and shallow-water northern pike that will make your shallow-water pike experience more successful.
Regardless if you are fishing from a boat or the shoreline, keep in mind, that shallow-water pike spook very easily. If you can see the pike, they can see you. Take a page from the fly fisherman handbook. Fly fishermen are always mindful of their movements and where they are casting a shadow on the water.
If you’re fishing from a boat, don’t race into the back bays with your big motor. Cut the big motor well before you enter the back bay or shallows, so you don’t create waves and noise in the area where you want to fish. Enter the area you want to fish using your trolling motor or oars. Once you’re situated, if you can see the pike or have a good idea where they are resting, don’t cast right at them. Casting directly at the pike will often spook them and in a worst-case scenario, they will leave the area and maybe even leave the bay completely. Cast well past the resting pike or the area you believe they are in and begin retrieving your lure. Casting past the pike and retrieving your lure overtop of them will allow your lure to swim in a natural swimming presentation as it passes over the top of the pike.
A common mistake when fishing shallow or topwater pike is setting the hook too soon. In most cases, we have been taught if you feel the bite set the hook. And that is true.
However, when fishing for topwater pike, they often hit the lure and push the lure forward or even out of the water.
With lighter lures and shallow water or in topwater situations, there is less resistance on the lure and the pike doesn’t always get the lure in its mouth. Anglers need to be patient and give the pike a three-count before setting the hook. This allows the pike time to get your lure into its mouth and allows you a positive hookset. If the pike hits your lure and doesn’t get it, an angler will often quickly retrieve their lure and recast. Don’t do this. A northern pike will often hit its prey in an effort to wound it and circle back around to take its wounded prey headfirst.
If a pike misses your lure, stop retrieving it and let the lure subtly fall within the water column as a wounded baitfish would. Ninety percent of the time, the pike will circle back and hit your lure again. This is a great practice whenever fishing for northern pike throughout the season.
There are hundreds of spring northern pike fishing opportunities across western Canada for both shoreline and boat anglers. Boat anglers, please be courteous to the shoreline anglers, as they may have less access to the shallows and the back bays.
Wes David Host & Producer of Fishing the Wild West TV
Wes David
Host / Producer
Fishing the Wild West TV
www.fishingthewildwesttv.com