Northern Pike

Northern Pike: Ontario’s Hard-Hitting Freshwater Predator

Northern pike are one of the most recognizable and exciting freshwater fish found in Ontario. Long, powerful, aggressive, and equipped with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, pike are perfectly built to ambush anything that swims within striking distance.

Whether you are fishing a quiet northern lake, a weedy bay, a river system, or one of Ontario’s larger bodies of water, northern pike can provide some of the most explosive strikes an angler will experience.

How to Identify a Northern Pike

Northern pike have a long, torpedo-shaped body that allows them to accelerate quickly when attacking prey. Their colour can range from dark olive green to lighter green or brown, with rows of pale yellow or white spots running along their sides.

One of their most noticeable features is their broad, flattened head and large mouth. Inside that mouth are hundreds of sharp teeth designed to grab and hold slippery prey.

Their dorsal fin sits far back on the body near the tail, giving pike much of the power they need for sudden bursts of speed.

Where Northern Pike Live

Northern pike are found throughout much of Ontario and can live in lakes, rivers, bays, backwaters, and slow-moving streams.

They are often associated with vegetation. Weed beds, reeds, cabbage, lily pads, submerged grass, and other forms of aquatic cover give pike excellent places to hide while waiting for prey.

Other productive areas can include:

• Rocky points

• Drop-offs

• Creek and river mouths

• Fallen trees

• Shallow bays

• Underwater humps

• Edges between weeds and open water

Pike are ambush predators, so areas where they can hide beside an open feeding lane can be especially productive.

What Do Northern Pike Eat?

Northern pike are aggressive predators with a varied diet.

Smaller pike commonly feed on insects, small fish, frogs, and other aquatic creatures. As they grow, fish become an increasingly important part of their diet.

Depending on the waterbody, their prey can include perch, suckers, minnows, ciscoes, sunfish, and many other species.

Large pike are opportunistic hunters. If something looks like an easy meal and fits in their mouth, there is a good chance a hungry pike will investigate it.

Fishing for Northern Pike

One of the great things about pike fishing is that you do not need an extremely complicated setup to get started.

Because pike are aggressive, moving lures are often very effective.

Popular options include spinnerbaits, spoons, crankbaits, jerkbaits, swimbaits, and large soft-plastic lures.

Bright colours can work well in stained water, while more natural patterns can be effective in clear water.

Casting along the outside edge of a weed bed is a classic technique. Try keeping your lure close to the vegetation while occasionally changing speed or direction.

Pike will often follow a lure before striking, so continue your retrieve all the way back to the boat or shoreline.

Spring Pike Fishing

Spring can provide excellent northern pike fishing.

After the ice disappears and water temperatures begin to rise, pike frequently move into shallow bays and other areas that warm faster than the main lake.

Dark-bottomed bays, creek mouths, shallow weed growth, and protected shorelines can all attract fish.

Slower presentations can sometimes work particularly well when the water remains cold.

Summer Pike Fishing

As summer progresses, smaller pike can often still be found around shallow vegetation.

Larger fish may move toward deeper and cooler water, especially during periods of high water temperatures.

Look for deeper weed lines, drop-offs, rocky structure, and areas where shallow feeding zones sit close to deeper water.

Early morning and evening can also be productive times to target active fish.

Fall Pike Fishing

Fall is one of the most exciting times of year to chase big northern pike.

As water temperatures begin to drop, pike often feed heavily in preparation for winter.

Larger presentations can be very effective during this period because big pike are capable of eating surprisingly large prey.

Focus on remaining green vegetation, rocky points, drop-offs, and areas holding concentrations of baitfish.

A slow-moving large lure can sometimes trigger a strike from a trophy-sized fish that ignored smaller presentations earlier in the season.

Use a Leader

Northern pike have extremely sharp teeth.

Fishing without some type of bite-resistant leader can result in lost lures and lost fish.

Wire, titanium, and heavy fluorocarbon leaders are commonly used by pike anglers.

Whatever leader material you choose, inspect it regularly for damage.

Handling Northern Pike Safely

Pike should be handled carefully for both the angler's safety and the health of the fish.

A large landing net can make controlling a fish much easier. Long-nose pliers are also extremely useful for removing hooks while keeping your hands away from the pike's teeth.

Support larger fish horizontally when lifting them. Avoid holding a large pike vertically for extended periods.

If you plan to release the fish, keep it out of the water for as little time as possible.

Having your camera, pliers, and other equipment ready before lifting the fish can make the release much quicker.

The Thrill of the Strike

There is something different about a northern pike strike.

Sometimes you see the fish racing behind your lure before it attacks. Other times the strike comes completely without warning.

A quiet retrieve can suddenly turn into a violent explosion of water followed by a screaming drag and a powerful fish trying to bury itself in the weeds.

That unpredictability is a big part of what makes northern pike fishing so much fun.

A True Ontario Favourite

Northern pike may not always receive the same attention as some other Ontario sportfish, but they offer incredible fishing opportunities across the province.

They are widespread, aggressive, powerful, and capable of reaching impressive sizes.

From catching smaller pike along a shoreline to hunting trophy fish in northern Ontario, there is always the possibility that the next cast could produce something memorable.

And when a big pike suddenly appears from the weeds and crushes your lure, you quickly remember why anglers keep coming back for more.