| How do you catch the wily Northern Pike in late | | | | You might want to try "Weedless Spoons" in and |
| autumn period when the Northern Pile have set up | | | | around cover while the traditional style spoons |
| along weed and reed lines and along shorelines | | | | produce best fishing results in main lake areas |
| littered with fallen trees and submerged wood? | | | | especially around the rocky structures. Troll the |
| Be innovative - employ slightly larger than normal | | | | bigger heavier traditional style spoons during the late |
| (¾ to 1 ounce weight) bass-style willow leaf | | | | fall periods. Each spoon style has a different pattern |
| spinner baits. A worm or a "twister tale" can be | | | | to attract the Pike - moving around in a distinctive |
| added to further entice the fish out for a strike. In | | | | wobbling and thumping action. It all comes down to |
| addition this combination works to great effect being | | | | trial and error, day by day. It is as if those fish have |
| quickly retrieved as the lure bulges just below the | | | | distinct and yet changing personalities and |
| lake water's surface. You need not hop, pop or play | | | | preferences. Some like this, some like that, and they |
| around with the lure in any way. Just keep the lures | | | | seem to change their mind day to day as well. |
| moving continually through the water. | | | | While most experience anglers know that in line |
| When the bigger game Pike won't come to the | | | | spinners are just wonderful around vegetation few |
| surface though, you can dredge them up with a | | | | ever try casting them into shallow rock piles, reefs |
| heavier 1 ½ ounce to2 ½ ounce muskie | | | | and shoals that you find in your fishing travels. Even |
| size spinnerbait. Just let the spinnerbait flutter down | | | | more when the Northern Pike head for deep and |
| and then slowly crank it back to the boat, keeping | | | | deeper water patrol weedlines and the edges of hard |
| the lure within a foot of the lake bottom at all times. | | | | rock structures especially the sections exposed to |
| This will work best in thick grass but also on main | | | | the wind and the waves. Experienced anglers see, to |
| rocky lake structures as well. | | | | know that nothing seems to catch the Pike's |
| On the other hand hard crankbaits excel in "open | | | | attention more than a large (½ to 1 ounce) |
| water", on deep flats and around main lake rocky | | | | bass style, jig dressed with oversize 5 to 8 inch long |
| structures in the time periods from the mid summer | | | | soft plastic twister tail, minnow or eel baits. The |
| until freeze up at Lake Manitoba Narrows. You can | | | | weight of the jig and the size of the dressing depend |
| even employ lipless versions of these lures as they | | | | of course on the depth of the water and the size of |
| are superb around weed and seed lines. | | | | the fish. Of course big is better but when the fish |
| If you do troll with these lures, they can useful. Just | | | | are aggressive cast out the jig and soft plastic? Let it |
| do not troll around aimlessly. It is always easy to do | | | | fall to the bottom. Then quickly "snap" it back to |
| with a case of Canadian O.V. Concentrate on key | | | | your boat briskly using an exaggerated lift. Then fall, |
| transitions, edges, drop offs. Breaklines and specific | | | | pause and retrieve. |
| bottom contours. Remember that if you pause the | | | | Remember - you came all this way to get that |
| lure for only a split milli second, the Pike of your | | | | monster Pike of your dreams. That fish did not live |
| dreams, following your lure has only the option of | | | | this long and grow this big without being both smart |
| opening its mouth to grab that lure. | | | | as well as hungry. |