Hey! I'm planning my second trip to the BW for this coming May and could use some fishing advice. I caught my first pike up there not really knowing what I was doing. I'm looking to catch some northerns again and I'm currently finding mixed info online about reel and line weights. I'm using a Pflueger Tri40 spinning reel max 20lb and a Cabelas Fish Eagle rod. My questions for you fisherman out there are:

What weight reel and line do you recommend for pike, and will my current set up suffice?

I planned on using the original rapala floater, what depths and colors should I bring? Any other spinning bait you like?

Sorry if these are dumb questions, just trying to get better!
Happy fishing, Chris.

Hi Chris. Although I don't spend a lot of time fishing for them , I always take a rod set up for them. My set up consists of a 7 foot medium to medium heavy rod. My reel is a Shimano symetre. Either a 2500 or 4000 spooled with 12 pound clear trilene XL. For lures I usually use # 4 or #5 mepps spinners. I also use a 24 inch titanium leader. That being said I have caught probably more Northerns when fishing for Walleyes with my regular Walleye gear. Actually my two 20+ pounders were caught on 6 pound test with a medium light rod with a 1/2 jig. One was on a twister tail, the other on a leech.

What is the power of your fish eagle rod? I would like a dedicated pike rod to be medium-heavy but medium will get the job done. Your reel is a fine choice. I like the idea of 12 lb mono for a self described rookie, much easier to handle/tie than braid. Tie on a nice steel/titanium leader, clip a big lure on and cast to your hearts content. As for lures, spoons, spinnerbaits, big swimbaits, and rapalas all work well. My personal favorite pike lure is the rattlin rapala.

In May I would target shallow areas that are warmer than the rest of the lake. If they have green weeds even better

I can use the same rod for all fish up there. Medium action rod, medium sized spinning reel and 10# Trilene XL. This setup has worked fine for me over the years. I sometimes take an extra spool with 20 or 30 # Fireline when fishing the Lucky 13. The non stretch in the line gives this lure more of a pop. I also like to use a 6 inch titanium leader. They cost more than steel but they are stronger, don't kink, thinner in diameter and last forever.

Here is part of my Grand Slam Lure article on pike.......if you want to read the whole article send me an email at - queticomike@yahoo.com - request the Grand Slam Lure article.

Northern Pike

The question here isn’t what lure to use to catch northern pike, but rather what lure to use to catch giant ones. There are not too many lures or locations that pike in Quetico do not desire. No matter what lure, when it was used, where it was used or even what type of fish being targeted, I have caught pike. The only time location might matter the most is in the very early spring phase just after ice out when large pike can be located in the shallow waters of a warming bay or set up at a flowing mouth of an incoming creek. Unless you are fishing extremely deep for lake trout in the summer, for the most part pike can found wherever else you might be fishing, no matter the species. The small to medium sized pike are generally found in the back of bays in the thick weeds, lily pads and wild rice.

What lures to use for pike is a simple one for me. Do you want to catch huge pike? Then use a big lure. The Heddon Lucky 13 in the bull frog pattern fits the bill. The Lucky 13 is 3-3/4” long and shaped like a fat cigar with a concave nose. The most productive way to use this bait is by “chugging” it on the surface. Basically you pop the lure with a quick snap of the rod. It is very similar to other “popping” lures, but displays a larger presence.

My personal three best pike were caught with the Lucky 13 in Quetico. A 45” pike came out of the Basswood depths to suck up my Lucky 13 on a nice September day a few years ago. I made a cast as far out as possible into the lake while standing on an island point during a canoe seat break. As with most floating top water lures I let the lure settle for a brief time before it was to be moved. While staring at the lure bobbing in the slight rolls of the lake this Loch Ness monster type head slowly came straight up out of the water and fully engulfed the plastic bull frog with nearly a wrinkle on the surface. I truly couldn’t believe what I had just witnessed. I reeled up the slack and set the hook. I was glad to be on shore and not in a canoe when landing that fish!

This lure has also delivered many smallmouth in the 4 to 5 pound range. Other popping type lures such as a Pop-R or Skitter Pop are similar, but smaller. When smallmouth hit these smaller lures, they don’t attack with the same aggressiveness they use on a Lucky 13. One fishing partner exclaimed, “smallmouth want to kill the Lucky 13 when they attack the lure!” Pop-R or Skitter Pop hits aren’t half as volatile.

The most popular lure for pike is the Dardevle Spoon. The 3 ½ and 4 ½ inch, red and white spoons work best. This lure can be trolled along shorelines or casted around bays. This lure is productive during all open water phases and has a unique wiggle and wobble that is hard for a pike to resist.

An effective method for fishing this spoon is called “slapping”. By casting this lure with a high arc and when it is about 2 or 3 feet above the surface jerk the line back towards you. If done correctly the lure will make a loud slapping noise on the surface. This commotion will sometimes trigger pike into a feeding mood. If the water is stained, try changing the lure color out to a yellow “five-of-diamonds”. The brighter colors will help the pike locate the lure after the slap on the surface.

The Mepps Aglia #5 size blade with a hair dressing works best for targeting pike in thick weed beds adjacent to deep water in the summer time. A varying slow to medium retrieve along the edge of weed beds should bring the pike calling for a taste of this lure. Increase your retrieval speed while casting over the top of weed beds to avoid bringing back in the “cabbage” with your lure. When you do feel weeds, try to jerk them off your lure with a quick snap of the rod. Sometimes this procedure will also trigger strikes by trailing northerns. If a pike follows the lure to the canoe without striking, leave the lure in the water and do a “figure 8” pattern with the lure, this will often times provoke a lurking pike. If this doesn’t work, try changing up the retrieve to erratic, starting and stopping the lure.

Big bucktail spinners and big safety pin type spinner-baits are also great options.

Sometimes pike are very aggressive and will hit just about anything, and other times you'd think they had lock-jaw. I like to use Johnson Spoons and Rattling Raps. Make sure you bring some Sluggos for a slow presentation. The key is to find what is working. Change lures, presentation and color. A few years ago I'd been fishing all day and hadn't caught a fish. At about 4 I was filtering some water. I thought just in case I'll put my Rattlin Rap down 6 or 7 feet while I filtered the water. After I was done filtering, I grabbed my rod and in less than second a 20lb northern was on the other end.

Listen to Qmike;
Dardevle's catch pike in lakes that don't have pike.

+1 (yes)

quote das1660: "
Listen to Qmike;
Dardevle's catch pike in lakes that don't have pike."

May? I like the rapala at this time of year..........get the larger original in perch and you would be hard pressed to go wrong. The advantage over the daredevil is the smaller hooks on the rapala are easily set on average canoe country fishing gear. Be sure you don't overpower the action of the rapala with a big heavy clunky shiny steel leader. Think titanium and think light.......heavy steel is not required.

If you want to throw spoons get a spare spool for your reel and fill it with 30 lb braid. Daredevils have fairly beefy hooks which require a bit of force to set. I hand sharpen daredevil hooks using a file and cut a diamond pattern (4 cutting surfaces as opposed to round)......this helps substantially. Another option which may be better at that time of year is a Williams Whitefish spoon in the largest size. Not as heavy as the Daredevil and equipped with a better suited hook for lighter tackle (thinner wire, easier to set). FWIW I have had great luck with the crackle frog pattern for the daredevils.........the 1/2 silver 1/2 brass gets the nod for the Williams spoon.

The #5 vibrax spinner has devotees as well and for good reason. Another solid option for typical medium action canoe country gear and could be thrown on mono as light as 10 # test.

Be advised that both spoons and spinners have the tendency to cause line twist if precautions aren't taken. My advice is to not skimp on your leader and titanium with black ball bearing swivels with quality snaps will serve you well for years despite the high initial cost. Cheap premade shiny silver wire leaders will cost you in lost fish, bad presentation and line twist problems......no good.

quote QueticoMike: "I can use the same rod for all fish up there. Medium action rod, medium sized spinning reel and 10# Trilene XL. This setup has worked fine for me over the years.

Based on your photos, you do awesome with that, but I am still surprised. Most people I talk to around here seem to top out at 8 lb, particularly in the clear lakes.

I am no professional - but I can tell you that pike like things that move and make noise. My buddy did really good on buzz baits. I've done good with big spoons and Rapalas. Trolling behind the canoe works really well, far enough off shore so you don't get snagged, but not too far out.

When I target pike, which is rarely because they're typically targeting me, I go with lures with single hooks, like a spinner bait. Some people fear the teeth of pike. Don't. Those teeth have a mouth wrapped around them. Fear you lure's hooks when the pike goes berserk beside the boat or in the canoe. Bass leave their fight in the water. Pike save their tussle for the boat.

quote missmolly: "When I target pike, which is rarely because they're typically targeting me, I go with lures with single hooks, like a spinner bait. Some people fear the teeth of pike. Don't. Those teeth have a mouth wrapped around them. Fear you lure's hooks when the pike goes berserk beside the boat or in the canoe. Bass leave their fight in the water. Pike save their tussle for the boat. "

I couldn't agree more!!! The biggest pike I ever landed, I never even got a picture of. It was in the canoe, tail sticking above the port side, head above the starboard side, and its fat belly on the floor. One violent flop and it was gone. My buddy and I were digging out our cameras at the time. All we could do is stare at each other in disbelief, and burst out laughing!!!

cololivin, how early in May? If around MN Fishing Opener, you may want to try some dead/frozen smelt (ciscoes are going to be hard to find this spring unfortunately).

Sometimes, in some of the lakes, the pike are still sluggish and like something that looks appetizing but don't want to work for it. Smelt smell enticing (to a pike) and could be a good bet.

We sell a lot of those in spring. You don't have to keep them alive like live bait, just keep them in ziploc bags because they will reek (to humans anyway) after the first day once they are thawed.

quote walllee: "

quote missmolly: "When I target pike, which is rarely because they're typically targeting me, I go with lures with single hooks, like a spinner bait. Some people fear the teeth of pike. Don't. Those teeth have a mouth wrapped around them. Fear you lure's hooks when the pike goes berserk beside the boat or in the canoe. Bass leave their fight in the water. Pike save their tussle for the boat. "

I couldn't agree more!!! The biggest pike I ever landed, I never even got a picture of. It was in the canoe, tail sticking above the port side, head above the starboard side, and its fat belly on the floor. One violent flop and it was gone. My buddy and I were digging out our cameras at the time. All we could do is stare at each other in disbelief, and burst out laughing!!!"

Many pike even roll onto their sides, playing dead as you bring them boatside.

In their heads, they're coaching themselves to stay cool/dead until they're within range of our fingers, hands, and thighs: "Closer, closer. Just a few inches more. Almost there."

And then they coil and strike.

"Aren't these hooks yours? Fine! Take 'em!!!"

Walllee, I'm assuming you got some high res brain photos of your beast.

quote OSLO: "

quote QueticoMike: "I can use the same rod for all fish up there. Medium action rod, medium sized spinning reel and 10# Trilene XL. This setup has worked fine for me over the years.

Based on your photos, you do awesome with that, but I am still surprised. Most people I talk to around here seem to top out at 8 lb, particularly in the clear lakes."

The 2 pound difference in line has not slowed my fishing production. No issues catching fish here, even while finesse fishing. I sometimes still use 8 pound, but not as often as the old days.

quote QueticoMike: "

quote OSLO: "

quote QueticoMike: "I can use the same rod for all fish up there. Medium action rod, medium sized spinning reel and 10# Trilene XL. This setup has worked fine for me over the years.

Based on your photos, you do awesome with that, but I am still surprised. Most people I talk to around here seem to top out at 8 lb, particularly in the clear lakes."

The 2 pound difference in line has not slowed my fishing production. No issues catching fish here, even while finesse fishing. I sometimes still use 8 pound, but not as often as the old days. "

Oh, yeah? Prove it! J/K

Match your line to the lure not to the fish. Big lures and big hooks need heavier line.......small hooks and light lures perform much better on light line.

You don't throw daredevils on 6lb test and you don't slip bobber live bait fish with 12lb line.

Even the largest fish in canoe country can be handled on very light line but your not setting the hooks on a big lure with it.

The problem with a one size fits all mentality is it's hard to make comparisons. This cannot be overstated even though it seems obvious. This was struck home to me many times on offshore party boats......30 guys fishing and only 2 are catching fish. Talk about a wake up call.......often it was a difference in lb test. Everybody is using 50 and these two guys are using 30 with fluorocarbon leaders.

Lb test can make a huge difference and to compare and contrast accurately all you need is a few trips with someone kicking your tail before the correct and lasting impression is made. I have fished with tournament bass fishermen on clear water and it wasn't long before they were asking me the right questions (what lb test are you using).

Does it make a diff in canoe country. Maybe and maybe not. Circumstances and presentations answer that question. Give me 6lb test and a bunch of crawlers and all things being equal you will usually catch more and bigger fish than the guy using heavier line and the same bait. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

quote missmolly: "When I target pike, which is rarely because they're typically targeting me, I go with lures with single hooks, like a spinner bait. Some people fear the teeth of pike. Don't. Those teeth have a mouth wrapped around them. Fear you lure's hooks when the pike goes berserk beside the boat or in the canoe. Bass leave their fight in the water. Pike save their tussle for the boat. "

+1.

quote missmolly: "

quote QueticoMike: "

quote OSLO: "

quote QueticoMike: "I can use the same rod for all fish up there. Medium action rod, medium sized spinning reel and 10# Trilene XL. This setup has worked fine for me over the years.

Based on your photos, you do awesome with that, but I am still surprised. Most people I talk to around here seem to top out at 8 lb, particularly in the clear lakes."

The 2 pound difference in line has not slowed my fishing production. No issues catching fish here, even while finesse fishing. I sometimes still use 8 pound, but not as often as the old days. "

Oh, yeah? Prove it! J/K"

I'm going to continue to use 10 pound Trilene XL and possibly 8 pound at times, but I see no reason to go with a lower test. I really don't think the bass in Quetico are line shy. 10 pound seems like a good average line for all types of fish in Quetico. You don't stress out the fish as much when having to tire a fish out to land it with 10 pound. Plus fishing in the rocky areas it might help with abrasions. I will also continue to use Fireline in 20 or 30 pound non stretch line when fishing the Lucky 13. Anyways, I decided to look on the good ol' inter-webs to see what the "bass" guys are throwing these days and it looked like most were using more than 10 pound test. KVD looks to be using 12 to 14 pound test for most of his fishing. But like any good pro he changes depending on the type of lure or structure he is fishing. Here is a little chart that shows the different types of lines used for the different lures and presentations used. Take it for what you will........

Pitching to sparse cover: 15 to 20-pound fluoro
Pitching to heavy cover: 20-fluoro / 65- braid
Frogs over matted grass: 65-pound braid
Cold water jerk baits: 8 to 10-pound fluoro / mono
Deep diving crankbait: 8 to 15-pound mono
Shallow crankbaits: 10 to 17 pound mono
Lipless crankbaits: 12 to 20-pound fluoro / mono
Topwaters: 15- mono / 30- braid
Spinnerbaits: 15 to 20-pound mono
Big Swimbaits: 15 to 25- fluoro / 65- braid
Small Swimbaits: 10 to 15-pound fluoro
Umbrella Rigs: 65 to 80-pound braid
Senkos: 10 to 20-pound fluoro
Big Flutter Spoons: 15 to 25-pound fluoro
Offshore football jigs: 15 to 20-pound fluoro
Big plastic worms: 15 to 20-pound fluoro
Jigging spoons: 10 to 15-pound fluoro
Drop shots: 4-10 fluoro / 10-20 braid
Shaky heads: 6-12 fluoro / 10-20 braid
Casting a Jig: 8- to 12-pound fluoro
Spybaiting: 6-8-pound fluoro
Skipping jigs: 15-20-pound-fluoro
Swimming a jig: 30-65-pound braid

quote walllee: "

quote missmolly: "When I target pike, which is rarely because they're typically targeting me, I go with lures with single hooks, like a spinner bait. Some people fear the teeth of pike. Don't. Those teeth have a mouth wrapped around them. Fear you lure's hooks when the pike goes berserk beside the boat or in the canoe. Bass leave their fight in the water. Pike save their tussle for the boat. "

I couldn't agree more!!! The biggest pike I ever landed, I never even got a picture of. It was in the canoe, tail sticking above the port side, head above the starboard side, and its fat belly on the floor. One violent flop and it was gone. My buddy and I were digging out our cameras at the time. All we could do is stare at each other in disbelief, and burst out laughing!!!"

+2 This past fall trip with one of my daughters I caught, I am sure, my biggest pike (I have caught 3 at 39 inches). Got it out of the water with a grip under her chin, just getting my other hand under her belly to get a picture and she gave a big kick, I lost my grip and it flipped over the side of the canoe. No pic...just screen shots in my head. Worse part, didn't get a measurement to confirm it was 40+...

quote Bdubguy: "

quote walllee: "

quote missmolly: "When I target pike, which is rarely because they're typically targeting me, I go with lures with single hooks, like a spinner bait. Some people fear the teeth of pike. Don't. Those teeth have a mouth wrapped around them. Fear you lure's hooks when the pike goes berserk beside the boat or in the canoe. Bass leave their fight in the water. Pike save their tussle for the boat. "

I couldn't agree more!!! The biggest pike I ever landed, I never even got a picture of. It was in the canoe, tail sticking above the port side, head above the starboard side, and its fat belly on the floor. One violent flop and it was gone. My buddy and I were digging out our cameras at the time. All we could do is stare at each other in disbelief, and burst out laughing!!!"

+2 This past fall trip with one of my daughters I caught, I am sure, my biggest pike (I have caught 3 at 39 inches). Got it out of the water with a grip under her chin, just getting my other hand under her belly to get a picture and she gave a big kick, I lost my grip and it flipped over the side of the canoe. No pic...just screen shots in my head. Worse part, didn't get a measurement to confirm it was 40+..."

That would be gut wrenching for sure. Keep on trying, there will be one in your future.

No pro here either. I've landed a couple 3 footers and the monster was by chance but not landed. He hit a small walleye as I reeled it in. He slowly surface rolled right beside our canoe and then chomped and bit off. He even swam by for another pass. We were in a shallow bay not far from a narrows in late May.
Nearby and a few minutes later my semi-pro bow partner caught a 40+ on a big ugly suicide duckling lure. We had laughed at it and called it his rubber ducky until he caught that big pike.
The only serious pike guy I know likes frozen Cisco's.

If I had to pick one line for bass I like QM's 10b xl for throwing bigger bass lures.......seems about the right combination and comes in very handy should a good pike crash the party.

But if your going down to say a 4" robo worm and a 1/16 oz jig head I have seen them refuse 8lb and then refuse 6lb.......4lb put lunch in the boat (one good pike and a fat bass) on a bright sunny mid day for my 4 guys fishing that very clear little lake on Kings point. I think much depends on what your throwing. Match your line to the size of your baits and conditions is my advice.

If I had to pick one line for walleye, which gets my attention a bit more than bass in canoe country, I would probably go with 6lb if I could fish live bait and 8lb if I were fishing crankbaits. But again much depends on what approach your using.

For pike I have learned my lesson the hard way and 65lb braid is now standard operating procedure.

On my last trip my baits were such that my lightest line was 15b fluorocarbon so go figure. Lots of ways to skin the cat.......make a plan, stay with it but when things get tough theres nothing like going very fine, sometimes that can make a big difference.

hey it occurs to me the thread has been wandering bit........."rookie and pike fishing" and we are talking about lb test............Sorry bout that.

May? I'm still good with the rapala and 10b test. Bring an extra spool of heavier line say 12lb mono or 30lb braid to throw some spoons or in line spinners. Get quality leaders. Watch those hooks like Miss Molly says.

quote QueticoMike: "

quote OSLO: "

quote QueticoMike: "I can use the same rod for all fish up there. Medium action rod, medium sized spinning reel and 10# Trilene XL. This setup has worked fine for me over the years.

Based on your photos, you do awesome with that, but I am still surprised. Most people I talk to around here seem to top out at 8 lb, particularly in the clear lakes."

The 2 pound difference in line has not slowed my fishing production. No issues catching fish here, even while finesse fishing. I sometimes still use 8 pound, but not as often as the old days. "

What about for trout? I've caught bass and northerns consistently on heavier line, but when I first started fishing for rainbows up here, I didn't catch anything. Some people I know told me to use lighter line, and then I started having success. I can't say for sure that the line was the difference, but my success did begin about the same time I switched to light line.

quote OSLO: "

quote QueticoMike: "

quote OSLO: "

quote QueticoMike: "I can use the same rod for all fish up there. Medium action rod, medium sized spinning reel and 10# Trilene XL. This setup has worked fine for me over the years.

Based on your photos, you do awesome with that, but I am still surprised. Most people I talk to around here seem to top out at 8 lb, particularly in the clear lakes."

The 2 pound difference in line has not slowed my fishing production. No issues catching fish here, even while finesse fishing. I sometimes still use 8 pound, but not as often as the old days. "

What about for trout? I've caught bass and northerns consistently on heavier line, but when I first started fishing for rainbows up here, I didn't catch anything. Some people I know told me to use lighter line, and then I started having success. I can't say for sure that the line was the difference, but my success did begin about the same time I switched to light line."

I have never fished for rainbow trout in the Boundary Waters, but that is possible it might make a difference fishing for them. Are there many lakes with rainbows in the Boundary Waters? I have caught lakers and have seen brookies caught, but I don't hear much about rainbows in the Boundary Waters.

quote QueticoMike: "

quote OSLO: "

quote QueticoMike: "

quote OSLO: "

quote QueticoMike: "I can use the same rod for all fish up there. Medium action rod, medium sized spinning reel and 10# Trilene XL. This setup has worked fine for me over the years.

Based on your photos, you do awesome with that, but I am still surprised. Most people I talk to around here seem to top out at 8 lb, particularly in the clear lakes."

The 2 pound difference in line has not slowed my fishing production. No issues catching fish here, even while finesse fishing. I sometimes still use 8 pound, but not as often as the old days. "

What about for trout? I've caught bass and northerns consistently on heavier line, but when I first started fishing for rainbows up here, I didn't catch anything. Some people I know told me to use lighter line, and then I started having success. I can't say for sure that the line was the difference, but my success did begin about the same time I switched to light line."

I have never fished for rainbow trout in the Boundary Waters, but that is possible it might make a difference fishing for them. Are there many lakes with rainbows in the Boundary Waters? I have caught lakers and have seen brookies caught, but I don't hear much about rainbows in the Boundary Waters."

Sorry, my post may have been unclear. When I referred to catching rainbows in northern MN, I did not mean in the BWCA. I do believe there are a very small number of rainbows in the BWCA though. Based on my non-BWCA experience though, I was just asking about heavier line potentially spooking trout in general up there. I have used heavier line with success with lakers, but if they were in shallower in a real clear lake...maybe thinner line would work better? What about for brookies?

Hey Mike thanks for taking the time to post that.......good stuff and seems about right.

The only point I was making is lots and lots of exceptions exist. There are pros who make a living fishing bass with light stuff (Guido Hibdon etc) and just this morning I was reading in Bassmaster mag about a pro who made a living fishing a swimbait that Bass Pro discontinued because you had to reel it so slow (it turned over under anything other than a super slow retrieve). He bought over 300 of them at $1.99 after searching the country for them. Anyways......he mentioned going as light as 10b test in clear lakes like Shasta in California, which for a 2oz swimbait, is light line indeed.

My thinking is thus........in open clear water with slow presentations you better be fishing skinny line IMO if you want Mr big. Faster retrieves which get reaction bites (think Zulus) and tubes and other lures which are fished near the bottom (helps conceal line) you can certainly go heavier.

The classic book "Lunkers Love Nightcrawlers" opened my eyes to the light line difference when targeting big fish in clear waters while using finesse presentations. FWIW.....Folks if you have never read this book it is very worthwhile especially in highly pressured clear water lakes. It changed my fishing life and where I began a pursuit of light line, small hooks, long rods and back reeling. Just one more tool in the bag as it were.

quote QueticoMike: "

The most popular lure for pike is the Dardevle Spoon. The 3 ½ and 4 ½ inch, red and white spoons work best. This lure can be trolled along shorelines or casted around bays. This lure is productive during all open water phases and has a unique wiggle and wobble that is hard for a pike to resist.
"

We do a lot big northern fishing in Canada and the primary lure where we go to is the dardevle spoon. Yes, red and white spoons are very reliable. This one in the picture is a slight variation, but red and white just the same. Primary equipment is medium 6'5 rod paired with bait caster and 15 - 20# braid line with a leader.