Stalking Early Spring Trophy Pike: Part I

Winters grip now reluctantly fades as ice peals slowly away from bays and creek arms all over the frozen north. As Mother Nature sheds her winter blanket we too can dare to peal a few layers away and again feel the growing warmth of the sun. Ahh....could it be time to dust off a few long rods and make preparations for wonderful things to come? Very soon some of the best opportunities of the year will arise for trophy pike, true bruisers, and very possibly a chance for that fish of a lifetime. Wake Up...It's SpringWinter becomes shorter and the days become slowly but steadily longer. Sunlight increases while temperatures creep up beginning the process of eliminating the accumulated snow pack. Small streams of water meander into slightly larger ones and thousands of tiny trickles eventually merge into creeks, streams, and rivers. Throughout this process the water will pick up sediments and gather precious solar heat while gradually eroding the ice and snow it passes over en route to its final destination. A drop to a trickle...a trickle to a stream...a stream to a torrent flowing faster and wider becoming warm and rich while searching for a creek, river, lake, or bay to rush into and spread its warmth and treasures. At last, spring has shown promise and the scent of this promise is quickly picked up by baitfish, and very soon thereafter by hungry pre-spawn northern pike. This pre-spawn behavior may begin long before the ice retreats from the banks of the creek arms. Pike start late winter migrations into back bays and channels in search of baitfish and the need to satisfy their urge to seek out spawning habitat. Pike spawn in very cool water in comparison to other game fish. They are often the first to spawn in many systems since their preferred temperature range for spawning is 33 to 45 degrees. Females deposit up to 100,000 eggs at random in areas they find to be most suitable or available. On occasion they have even been known to spawn under the ice during late thaw years. The scent of spring seeping into the water below the ice appears to trigger a response that tells the pike that the spawn is nearing. The egg mass has been developing in the females since last fall but more energy is needed to fill out the eggs and prepare for the rigors of spawning. To store energy they need to feed aggressively by means of hunting available forage, or scavenging upon winter killed fish or amphibians left by retreating ice. The stage is now set for the largest pike of the year to be highly concentrated and ready to feed. Scouting PikeEven considering that large portions of the bays or adjoining lakes or reservoirs fed by the early spring runoff are most likely still largely covered by ice; this is the prime time to scout for early season hot spots. Water temperature has now become the crucial ingredient to locating trophy pike and prospective shore angling locations. As ice recedes from shoreline areas the nutrient and sediment rich waters left behind are rapidly warmed by the growing strength of the sun. During this period muddy bottom sheltered bay areas and murky creek flowages quickly heat up producing the ideal area for a multitude of pike to lounge in and ripen their bulging egg masses in preparation for spawning. Conveniently, lots of other tasty fish have the same idea so feeding is high on Mrs. Pike's mind, however she is not likely to pursue aggressive presentations during pre-spawn but rather key in on dead bait presentations that are more easily consumed.With all this in mind we look to sheltered back bays allowing warmth and security near likely spawning habitat. Prime habitat for successful spawning has proven to be newly flooded grass or brush. Cattail bays may hold fish but grass is a better spawning habitat and more easily functions as a good place for pike to deposit their eggs and offers a high degree of protection after the hatch has begun. The ambient air and water temperature will dictate the degree of hunting that pike may pursue during this phase. Experience has shown me that a mid to late afternoon bite is the norm in these very early unseasonable conditions. Scouting in the evenings or early morning pays dividends while in search of huge pike. Map out several good bays and creek arms noting the best wind direction for fishing each individual area. Many times the wind will change direction cooling a bay and sending the pike off to hunt for warmer waters. I like to fish pre-spawn monster pike in the creek arms associated with a major reservoir, such as Lake Oahe in South Dakota and Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota. Both systems yield monster pike that have hit the high 30-lb. range with some approaching 40 lbs...huge pike in anyone's book. These location tactics are not just restricted to those reservoirs but often will prove productive in smaller lake systems and flowages anywhere in the pike's home range. One handy trick I picked up years back from a long time pike wrangler was to take a pair of binoculars and scan the shoreline from one of the abundant bluffs that line the bays or creeks. Sometimes those "big black creek logs" out in the water just sort of swim off...funny deal! By scanning the water you can actually see large black shadowy hunters slowly moving through the water...huge pike...Mrs. Pike on the prowl. BINGO! Time to set some bait and see if she wants to play pop goes the bobber. Equipment OptionsFor shore casting baits I prefer using the long European style predator rods equipped with a good spinning or baitcast reel in order to make long casts with larger baits with relative ease and precision. My personal favorite rod and reel is the 11 foot ABU Boron graphite ABS 110-3M 20-60g #3 F-11 (913971) rigged with a Shimano Baitrunner 6500 reel. The long rod allows you to make effortless casts with float or slip rigs and also aids in fighting a big fish from heavy cover or steering the fish away from big trouble like logs or brush. The Shimano Baitrunner reel is a great tool for bait fishing situations. It's well engineered with two separate smoothly operating individually adjustable drag systems. One is the main drag and the other a running drag designed to allow a fish to take the bait with the least amount of resistance and run. The running drag is adjustable and easily activated by a flick of a lever after you have made your cast. After a strike while the fish is into a run you simply begin the retrieve and this disengages the running drag while simultaneously engaging the main fighting drag. Set the hook and Wee-Haaa, "piggy time." A very functional and dependable system for all bait fishing situations and it pulls double duty for me as a slip float catfish rod with the same great results. For Baitcaster combos that work very well for bruiser northern pike wrangling, look to Bass Pro's Pete Maina's line of rods and reel combos...some very sweet sticks for sure. The 8-ft. PM80XHT-T rod with a lure wt. of 2-8 oz. and a 15-40 lb. line test rating matched with a PQ 3000M 4.2:1 ratio reel with an adjustable casting weight balancing system to manage casting fatigue. This uniquely matched combo comes together to produce one smooth pike rig. I look for versatility in a combo and this offers a wide range of cross over potential from trolling for walleye to live baiting flathead catfish. This combo has what it takes to dance with big fish at a very reasonable price to boot. Line choice is a personal preference, but as long as it is Berkley XT or Big Game you can't go wrong. Abrasion resistance is the key factor to consider in your personal choice. I feel a little stretch is a good thing while fighting bruiser pike. No stretch super lines may lead to hooks pulling free on a thrashing head shake during a bank or boat side battle.Look for Stalking Early Spring Trophy Pike: Part II in the coming weeks. In Part II I will examine rigging options and specific bait placement while stalking monster northern pike at ice out. I will also discuss our responsibilities that we all must share to ensure fishing opportunities for future generations.Editors Note: Check out Ed Carlson's Team Fishing Buddy Outdoors Field Staff Bio located in our news area and learn more about "ED on the Red". Top Photo: Ed Carlson with a dandy early spring northern pike. Right Middle Photo: Late spring ice fishing can provide wonderful opportunities for trophy pike. (Photo credit Greg Gullickson) Left Middle Photo: Contour lake image taken from Pro-Pointer Maps; Section 1, Lake Sakakawea. Pro-Pointer Maps can be found in the FBO Store. Bottom Photo: Shimano Baitrunner reel that the author suggests using while shore fishing for monster pike.