If you’re like us you love the fight of a monster pike at the end of your line. Pike are big, hungry and can be super aggressive. When the pike are biting they’ll eat up pretty much whatever you throw in the water, but what do you do when they aren’t so active. Here is a list of the top 3 lures to use when the getting gets tough.
The X-Rap is a main stay in pike tackle boxes around Canada, and for good reason. They cast far, can be retrieved at variable speeds or twitched to create a wounded baitfish swimming action. They also include Rapalas classic rattle that can be heard from a distance if the water is murky. If pike are lazy, retrieve with a stop and go, pausing to let your lure suspend in the strike zone. It won’t be long until you start a tug of war with a hug pike.
Len Thompson keeps producing winners and there is no greater winner than the 5 of diamonds. This spoon produces cast after cast after cast. Size 00 is our favorite size of the spoon. It’s easy to cast and the side to side action on the retrieve is like no other. A steady retrieve usually works wonders but if it doesn’t work for you try jerking the spoon a few times during the retrieve. That will bring the spoon up and then let fall for 1-2 seconds and jerk again, that is when you’ll get your fish on.
Last but not least, the Black Fury. I personally like the #3, It works over and over again for me, but if you believe the rule bigger lure bigger fish than you’re in luck, Mepps makes larger sizes and some specifically for pike and musky. Some people also like to remove the hook and replace it with a larger one, again, that’s preference and totally up to the angler. This spinner covers a ton of water and with the yellow colour spin pattern it gets noticed. We usually fish this lure with a steady retrieve but it is such a versatile lure that you can experiment and not worry about missing your chance.
We know there are many other lures that can be added to this list and some people will disagree with our choices. So let’s open this up for discussion. Leave a comment and let us know what you would add or subtract from the list.