I will admit I know very little about fishing so I need help. Is it hard to catch Pike in mid May? What bait works best? Gotta start somewhere.

Pike will hit almost anything. Last year I had a Pike come out of the water and strike an orange float I was using while fishing for perch. I was in the BW the first week of June and I had a lot of success with a shiny gold stickbait. I also used a chartreuse buzz bait and that seemed to really draw the big strikes. I have heard other people who swear by Mepps Spinners or spoons. Pike in the BW feed on perch, walleye, bass, and smaller pike so I try to stick with lures that have those color schemes. Try fishing weedy cover, Pike will be lurking in areas where they can ambush other fish. You will probably also find pike in areas where streams spill into lakes at that time of year. Don't forget to use wire leaders and heavy tackle. Good Luck!

Yep, Mepps spinners, or red & white Daredevel spoon.

I like Thompson Silver Minnows too. Anywhere a stream enters into a lake is prime for Northerns. They will hit almost anything. I caught one in the BWCA 2 years ago trolling with a crawfish crankbait.

Firetiger spoons, anything bright, charturuese Mepps Black Fury #3, just about any bait I have ever fished with...

Bruce

Stick a twister tail on the Silver minnow and they go crazy over it.
Little Cleos are great, they will also catch lakers trolling, jigging or casting. Cleos are my personal favorites. Even caught a couple of walleyes on them.
Bucktails, any type of spoons, and buzzbaits are fun to skim across the water pike will go airborne for them.

A tested method for me is to catch other, great fish you're excited about, and keep them on the stringer for dinner. Without fail, a northern will hit that sumbitch and cut your dinner plans in half (by volume).

Guaranteed Pike attractor... 12 inch walleye on a stringer over the side of the canoe...

Bruce

I like the little cleo too. I actually forgot that one.

There have been times when I've changed up artificial baits for an hour when fishing a proven spot. A change over to live bait at such times seems to draw a strike. Large minnows are best, but pike will also take a leech or a crawler. Think of it as last resort before moving on.

-YB