Among the best freshwater game fish species of North America is the northern pike. Within North America, there are fantastic northern pike holds in West Virginia, Minnesota, Illinois, Maryland, New England, Alaska, The Ohio Valley, Great Lakes Basin, Missouri, Kansas, West Virginia and most of Canada. Many of these locations offer some great fishing for northern pike and another great way of catching pike is to use artificial lures.
Locational Pike are Vastly Different Same Fish Species
We need to set the facts straight regarding the populations of northern pike throughout the world. As North America is the location of the United States of America and Canada, this makes for the descriptions of locations of northern pike today as commonsensical. This does not mean that northern pike are not found throughout the entire northern hemisphere of the world, as they are. There are pike holds in the Baltic Sea as well as most of Russia and Europe. If the freshwater fishing angler is looking at a flat map of the world, locate the 40° latitudinal line.
40 Degrees of Joy
Within 1000 miles of the 40° latitude line, in either direction, there is a possibility of a population of northern pike. Does this mean that in every instance there will be at least a few northern pike in that location? Of course not as a variety of factors, with the most important being man, tops the list to be taken into account. The factors include water quality, food availability, shelter and breeding grounds, and of course, man’s heavy-handed influence on that body of water.
Northern Pike Found Throughout the World
Throughout the world it is important to remember that northern pike vary from each location and definitely from each continent. The same northern pike that are found in great numbers in Manitoba, Canada are, literally, different in Siberia, Russia. While the basic characteristics of northern pike vary from hemisphere to hemisphere, it is important to recall that on the whole, environmental evolution has altered the genetic makeup of these great freshwater fishing species, ever so slightly up to magnanimously. For this review we will focus on North American northern pike since this is where the majority of northern pike sports-fisherman exists.
Manitoba Canada Great Location for Pike
A great place to fish for northern pike would be Manitoba, Canada. Many factors come into play when fishing for these Canadian northern pike such as what to use and is live bait essential for hooking into a big nasty northern pike? And a short answer to that question would be a resounding ‘yes’. There are many artificial lures that rival the efficiency of live bait such as a frisky little live chub.
Silver-Spoons and Top-Water Baits
Some of the best artificial lures for northern pike are silver-spoons and topwater jerk-baits. The main factor when thinking about tossing artificials to a hold of northern pike in the near-frozen lakes in Manitoba, Canada will be ‘surface-slapping’. The art of surface slapping involves pitching the lure as close as possible to the intended target and then to over-compensate just a little. The goal is to create as much surface splashing as possible as the northern pike respond well to this type of distress call.
