Northern Pike is plenty of fun to catch. If you plan to go ice fishing for pike, the right knowledge will help you catch the big one this year. The more you know about the fish and how it acts, the better equipped you will be to catch pike when you ice fish this year.

Pike is one of the most aggressive fish found in any lake. They are large and at the top of the food chain. They can be quite a bit of fun to catch and good eating if you can get past the Y-bone and the slime.

Catching more Northern Pike means you need to understand location and presentation. These are two of the most important keys when it comes to catching pike while ice fishing. Even if you have the best bait in the world, you won’t catch anything if the fish are nowhere near it.

If you’re going ice fishing for pike and you want to make sure you catch them, use our tips found here. You will be able to catch more and larger fish with our professional ice fishing tips.

Location of Pike During Ice Fishing Season

The Northern Pike will determine its’ location by it’s’ stomach. They are not found in schools and will often be found wherever they think they will get their next meal. They love rock piles, breaks, points, and humps found within lakes.

If the water is shallow, Northern Pike will usually be found at about mid-depth. However, as the water gets deeper, they become a bottom-feeding fish.

During the early portion of the ice fishing season, Pike is usually found in shallow water with weeded edges, bars and points. If other structures are found within the water, this is even better.

As the ice fishing season continues, Northern Pike will follow the food and move further out toward the middle of the lake. They will look for deeper water and they will go where the food will be found.

When spring starts to get close, the Northern Pike will once again move to a shallower area for pre-spawn. This time of year, they are found near shorelines, breaks, points and river mouths.

Location is just half of the battle when ice fishing for Pike. You want to drill more than just one hole whenever you are serious about catching Northern Pike during the ice fishing season. Drill several holes with varying depths and find out where the fish is found.

You can also use a modern electronic device for depth and fish finding. A couple of the top fish finders for ice fishing include:

• For a tight budget – Venterior Portable Wired Fish Finder
• For a moderate budget- Vexilar FL-8se Genz Pack with 19 Degree Ice Flasher
• When the price doesn’t matter and you want the absolute BEST! – Marcum LX-7 Ice Fishing Sonar System/Fishfinder

With the right fish finder and depth finder, you will be able to take some of the guesswork out of the process.

Presentation for Ice Fishing for Northern Pike

Along with location, you need to figure out the right presentation when ice fishing for pike. Even if you’ve found the fish, it takes the right technique to catch one.

The most common ice fishing technique for Pike is called a Tip-up. This is a simple contraption and often very effective. Many anglers will simply use a Tip-up with a plain hook and a sucker minnow to catch Northern Pike.

When it comes to your minnow, the larger it is, the larger fish you will most likely catch. If you’re after very large Northern Pike, rig up your Tip-up with a very large minnow. A minnow in the 6 to 8-inch range usually works well.

Another popular method for catching pike while ice fishing is jigging. This method allows you to enjoy more fun with fighting compared to a Tip-up.

Jigging for Pike includes dropping in your lure or bait and raising your rod tip about a foot or more, and then dropping it back down. You can do this with an artificial flash spoon or swimming lure. Some of the best choices for pike include:

• Rapala Jigging Rap W2 Fishing Lure
• Banjo Minnow
• Lindy Rattl’N Flyer Spoon
• Acme Kastmaster Lure

With one of these lures, you will have a good chance to catch a Northern Pike while ice fishing

If you want to ensure you have a great chance to catch a Northern Pike this year, make sure you concentrate on location and presentation. If you nail both of these while ice fishing for pike, you will get that big one you have been dreaming of catching.