Artificial Baits:
As far as game fishing goes in Ontario, Northern Pike are generally the easiest fish to catch. They will hit just about anything, but spoons, Rapalas and spinner baits are the most popular. Troll or cast these baits near weedbeds, beaver houses or sunken trees. Work rocky points and channels that feed into the lake where these fighters are waiting to ambush their prey. Morning and evenings the Pike are generally shallow, but go deeper during the day and using deep diving lures are the trick. Throughout the season, as conditions change, you may need to alter your retrieveal speeds when casting. As the old saying goes, "you can never troll to fast for Pike" does not always hold true. Be sure to try different speeds and patterns when trolling.
Live Bait:
Minnows, sucker minnows and smelt are also a popular choice of Pike enthusiasts. Using a medium size treble hook tipped with your bait about 2-3 feet below a float is one fun filled method. Cast your rig and wait for a strike. Be sure your float is under water for 15-20 seconds before setting your hook. When using large sucker minnows, leave your bail open so the fish swims away with your bait. Wait a minute or so before setting the hook.
Steel Leaders:
Northern Pike have very sharp teeth and will be able to bite through just about any fishing line. Be sure to use at least a 9" steel leader when fishing with either live or artificial baits.
Kawartha Musky Rig:
A big sucker minnow chub on a traditional Kawartha Musky rig is another live bait method. To make a Musky rig, you need two 12 inch steel leaders and two medium size treble hooks. Clip the hooks onto the two leaders. Then clip the two leaders together so that you have a hook at one end and a hook where the two leaders are joined. Tie your line to the eye of the top leader. Next you want to get a medium size float and put the float about 1 foot above the rig. With the end hook, put the hook through the bottom lip of the Chub. With the middle hook, hook the Chub at the base of the tail. Make sure you do not hook the Chub at the end of the tail or the fish will not be able to swim around.