Northern Pike Fishing Tactics & Techniques on Lac Seul
Northern Pike are at the top of the food chain in most Ontario lakes. They eat just about anything. Walleyes, Bass, Perch, Chub, Shiners, Frogs, Snakes, Birds, bugs and other Pike are all on the menu.
Traditional Locations:
Small to medium size Northern Pike generally stay in thick weeds and close to shore. They will stick to the back of bays where water warms up quickly with the morning sun and they have lots of weeds to hide in.
You can find big Trophy Northern Pike in the back of bays and in thick weeds as well but generally the really large Northern Pike are more likely to hang around points leading into bays, narrows between islands or in river current. They need breathing room and like to ambush bigger prey like Walleyes and Bass. They like to hang around areas where Walleyes and Bass are migrating through.
Locations on Lac Seul:
Lac Seul's Northern Pike have giant Muskie to compete with. This changes things a little. Muskie behavior plays a big roll in Pike behavior.
Muskie are claustrophobic. They like to stay in areas where weeds and shallow bays are to their back but face the open lake. Rocky points facing the open lake and open water shoals are where Muskie hunt down Bass and Walleyes. The Muskie will also go out into open water and hunt down deep for Cisco, lake Herring, Suckers and Whitefish. Where does this leave the Northern Pike? In a lake like Lac Seul, you will find the large Northern Pike hanging around shoals and rocky points that do not face the open lake. Lets say there is a shallow weedy bay. There are two rocky points at the mouth of the bay but out in front of the bay is a big island. With the island being there, it's the perfect place for Northern Pike. If the island were not there, most likely a big Muskie would claim the territory.
