Few freshwater fish can withstand Northern pike, and considering the large sizes these fish can grow to, it’s no wonder they’re so popular with anglers. Northern pike can often reach sizes over 20 or even 30 pounds in North America and, while rare, sometimes even over 40 pounds. You need to have excellent fishing gear to go after trophy-sized northern pike, including finding the right lures.
Every body of water is slightly different, so finding the best lure can be difficult and will require at least some trial and error. However, pike have a lot of common clothing no matter where they are, so there are some general assumptions you can make. Crank baits are lures that give a lot of movement, mimic real fish, and some even have flashing lights or rattles to make noise and basically irritate the fish. Northern pike are predatory and territorial, which means that even if they don’t want to eat a flashing red light or annoying pinging lure, they might attack on principle alone.
Generally speaking, these types of fishing lures are fantastic for catching pike. Northerners like to hunt other fish, so having lures that mimic a pike’s natural food will definitely improve your chances of success. In areas that have a lot of vegetation or reeds, other lures like spinners or frogs may be a bit more effective, but it’s very rare to find a spot where northern pike won’t consistently hit the right crank lure.
One of the main things to consider is the color of the lure. Even if crank baits work great in a certain spot, color can make a world of difference. Many anglers swear by blue and silver lures and black and silver lures as the two best (or at least most consistent) out there. If one doesn’t work, try the other. Usually one of these two will get you some kind of results.
The other thing to remember is to have other crank baits that look like your local feeding fish. If there are a lot of perch, look for crank baits that are the color of the perch, while lakes with a lot of perch should have lures that reflect those designs. By pairing the perfect colors with a great crank lure, you have a great chance of massive success fishing for northern pike.