Northern pike are extremely fun to catch and have potential to reach giant sizes.
At any moment, you could hook into a monster that gives you the fight of you life.
Fishing for pike is very unique and requires certain gear and lures to optimize your fishing and more importantly, your catching.
So what are the best pike lures to hook into a monster?
Inline spinners are a classic lure that catches all species of fish. Something about the spinner with a buck tail trailing behind attracts so many fish.
Inline spinners are my go-to lure for catching pike. I throw a big musky spinner most of the time, unless I am fishing a small pond or stream that doesn’t have big pike.
Some companies make big inline spinners allow you to attach big soft plastic swimbaits or curl tail baits in place of the classic buck tail.
This works extremely well for big pike. Inline spinners are super easy to use. Just cast out and retrieve.
There are weedless inline spinners for when you are fishing grass or other cover.
It is always a good idea to have a couple weedless pike lures ready to tie on.
You don’t need to give it any tugs or jerks to catch lots of fish.
Headbanger has a super impressive lineup of lures that are very unique and unlike any other lure company around.
The patented head design of their lures give them a crazy and erratic action that catches tons and tons of fish.
My Headbanger lure for pike is the Headbanger Shad 6″. This lure also comes in 4,5″ (I love for bass fishing) and 9″ (great for huge pike and musky) sizes.
These lures are really a category of their own, but operate similar to a swimbait and crankbait mixed together.
The head wobble and skitters back and forth while the tail gives a soft and realistic presentation.
Headbanger is a relatively new lure company and they hit it out of the park with this lure.
The unpredictable action of the Headbanger Shad drives pike of all sizes crazy, and is especially effective for aggressive summer pike fishing.
Hard-body swimbaits are a very big and realistic presentation that catches trophy pike and musky.
You can never go wrong with a realistic imitation. These swimbaits typically don’t have lots of sound or flash, which make them more effective in clear water.
This is typically not a limiting factor when pike fishing because pike prefer colder, clearer water anyway.
So if your body of water has pike, it will most likely have clear water also.
One of the beauties of these swimbaits is they come in limitless patterns and colors that can match the exact baitfish the pike are feeding on in your body of water.
These swimbaits are so realistic that they are almost like using live-bait that you have full control over and never dies.
I think that top water lures are overlooked by many pike fisherman.
Everyone knows that buzzbaits work great for bass, but lots of guys neglect to tie one on when fishing for pike.
My favorite time to use a buzzbait for pike is in shallow vegetation. When the weeds and grass are about a 1-2 feet below the surface is shallow waters, nothing works better than a buzzbait.
The blade splashes and makes lots of noise on the surface, while the body and skirt of the lure have 2-3 inches below the surface.
Pike are sometimes a bit timid and don’t want to blow up on a lure. But since the body of the buzzbait hangs below the surface, pike can come and slurp it up without having to break the surface itself.
Single hook lures like a buzzbait are also much easier to deal with when handling the strong, sharp teeth pike that can get your hands caught in treble hooks.
Walking lures are another top water that catches tons of pike. These lures work better when pike are very active and aggressive.
The erratic and energetic action of the lure skittering on the surface is a bit too much for timid or pressured pike.
But when the pike are aggressive, tie on a walking top water and fish it fast. The long, sleek body shape of pike makes them very fast and agile.
They will hit a walking bait so fast and hard it will make your heart skip a beat. Walking lures will also work best in shallow water.
This is typically the case with any top water. Since pike usually live in colder waters, the summertime is the best time to find shallow pike and throw top waters.
There are a couple lures out there that can be walked under water.
These lures are a mix between a topwater walking lure and a gliding jerkbait for pike. These are amazing lures for a bit deeper water or areas where the weeds are 4-6 feet below the surface.
The Rapala Sub-Walk is my favorite lure in this category. These lures are a bit harder to walk the dog with than a top water, but with the right gear and practice, it can be done with great effectiveness.
There are to types of colors I use when pike fishing. Either very realistic or very bright and flamboyant.
This might seem a bit odd since these are essentially opposite color patterns. Pike tend to be either very aggressive or very cautious.
When the are aggressive, I use really bright colors like Fire Tiger or a bright red/orange.
If they are more timid and cautious they I will use realistic patterns and try to math the hatch as best I can.
When in doubt, I always match the hatch.
If the water is stained or muddy (like I said previously, this usually isn’t the case when pike fishing), then I will always use a bright color.
Fire Tiger is my favorite all time color because it is obviously very bright, but is also semi realistic because the coloring matches perch very well.
Perch usually live in the same lakes as pike and are a favorite forage for big pike.
Pike fishing is some of the most exciting freshwater fishing you can do. Pike can reach huge sizes and fight very hard.
And something about those big, sharp teeth add a bit of excitement and thrill to the fishing experience.
These 5 lures have caught me so many pike all across the world and in all types of lakes and rivers.
Using the proper lures is crucial to having successful fishing trips. If you are using these 5 lures, rest assured, you are throwing the right baits.
So just trust the process and wait for a giant pike to bite.
