Northern Pike

Effective lures include spoons (especially gold/silver and local fish imitations), soft plastic swimbaits in chartreuse, red, yellow, and white, and inline spinners with vibrating blades.

Large streamers including Chip's Northern Magic, Monster Magic, Barry's Baitfish 2.0, Poor Man's Whistler, Pike Bunny, SeaDucer, Lefty's Deceiver, and topwater patterns like Bangers.

Best during post-spawn periods in late spring through early summer and again in fall. Pike prefer shallow, vegetated habitats especially for spawning, which occurs in early spring when water temperatures reach 40-45°F - during this period they should be left undisturbed.

Present lures with erratic retrieves, figure-eight patterns at the boat, and vary speeds since pike often follow before striking. Always perform a figure-eight retrieve pattern when you see follows. Use large cigar floats when bait fishing with 6-8 inch minnows.

Pike feed on fish, frogs, small mammals, birds, crayfish, and invertebrates, showing specialist feeding behavior. In Utah Lake, research shows pike are consuming June suckers, white bass, and walleye at alarming rates. Juveniles becoming piscivorous when they reach just 40-80mm within weeks of hatching.