Sight Fishing for Northern Pike

Northern pike are one of my favorite fish to catch. They may not grow to the size of muskies or have the power of lake trout but their fearless aggression will always have a place in my heart.

I was originally introduced the concept of sight fishing for pike when I first went up north to work as a dishwasher at a luxurious fishing lodge in northern Manitoba. On my very first day, the guides took me for a short evening fish. It was an early spring day where the ice had probably only melted a few weeks ago. We went to a shallow bay behind the lodge with a mud bottom. I didn’t catch much but I remember the guide telling me a 40 inch pike followed my lure. I didn’t even notice a thing.

That would be my introduction to the shallow water pike bite. I never got to experience this again until I got my own boat and fished northern Manitoba. That opportunity came on a trip to Clearwater Lake near The Pas, Manitoba with some buddies.

Equipment

Pike are not super powerful fighters but your equipment should match the tackle. I recommend using a bass flipping stick baitcasting rod spooled with heavy braided line to handle the weight of the lures (1-4 oz). A wire leader is a must due to their sharp teeth.

As for lures, I would recommend bringing lures that work most efficiently in less than 5 feet of water. I personally prefer large spoons like a Williams Whitefish or a Johnson Silver Minnow. Jerkbaits such as the Rapala X-rap or Husky Jerk can be effective when a pause in the retrieve is required.

Due to the sharp teeth and the aggression of pike, always have release tools ready. A long pair of pliers and jaw spreaders will come in handy. Sometimes a pair of hook cutters can come in handy if it’s determined that the hook will be difficult to remove.

Since we’re sight fishing for pike, a pair of quality polarized sunglasses is a must. Being able to spot pike in the shallows from a distance is crucial to success.

Clearwater Lake

Clearwater Lake is a large lake that is incredibly… clear. It is primarily known as a lake trout destination but it does have good pike fishing. We did lake trout for a while but being in northern Manitoba, you should never ignore the pike potential. I wanted to re-experience the sight fishing bite that I had many years ago.

While many parts of Clearwater Lake are incredibly deep, there are shallow parts, especially in the northern section of the lake. These are pretty apparent of a satellite map of the lake.

It is these shallow bays that warm up faster than the rest of the lake. As a result, spring pike should be targeted in these types of areas.

Keep in mind with the shape of Clearwater Lake, strong winds can make travel across the lake unsafe. Be sure to watch the weather and prepare appropriate outerwear for the occasion. For the most part, Clearwater Lake does not have any boating hazards though I would exercise caution when driving in the north section. Currently, Clearwater Lake has been partially mapped by Anglers Edge Mapping.

Sight Fishing for Pike

As soon as we got to the bays I slowed down in case there were any unexpected hazards. As soon as we got into shallow water, I had my buddies watch the water for any signs of pike. What we wanted was a muddy bottom with some weed growth. Soon mud swirls appeared indicated that our boat was scaring off pike. We dropped the electric trolling motor and began fishing.

We began fan casting around the bay moving the boat with the trolling motor. We saw many large pike though not every pike was willing to bite. Though there were some aggressive pike to would smash the lures boatside.

We would land some large pike from 35″ to 40″. At some point, I saw tons of suckers in the shallows. At some point we even saw a large lake trout swim near our boat though it wouldn’t bite.

There was an area where we would catch a small pike on every cast, sometimes we even had a triple header. Honestly this was one of the best pike fishing experiences I ever had. The wind was not strong that day and the sun was out, allowing us to see far around the bays. We would eventually leave the bays to do more lake trout fishing.

Eating Northern Pike

Since the lake had no walleyes and we were getting tired of eating lake trout, we decided to keep a northern pike for our dinner back at the campsite. Northern pike have a lot of meat so all we needed was one decent sized pike to feed all of us. I was lucky to have learned how to clean a pike back when I worked as a fishing guide in northwest Ontario.

Interestingly enough the pike that I ended up cleaning had a large sucker in its stomach. Turns out that the pike were likely feeding on the suckers that we saw in the bay. It really shows how pike are able to take on large prey.

Cold water pike can rival walleye. Of course the Y-bone in the fillet is a reason that people avoid eating them but there are plenty of YouTube tutorials out there. At camp we would eat the pike with potatoes, onions, beans and beer.

Final Words

Overall, the beauty of northern Manitoba and the incredible fishing is something all anglers need to experience. It’s definitely not an easy trip to do for sure. Though seeing giant pike in the water, cruising on a calm blue lake and eating an amazing self-prepared meal is a memory that I will never forget.