One reason why anglers like Northern pike fishing in the spring is because it is a great time of year to catch a trophy fish. However, because of spawning, there is a period of time in which the opportunity for good fishing is interrupted. It is important to understand fish behavior during all the phases of spring so that you are not wasting your time trying to land a lunker during a poor time for fishing.

Pre-spawn is the time of year that takes place before spawning, as the name suggests. Spring pike fishing during this time is at its peak. For the best chance of catching a trophy fish, you will want to try your hand very early in the season, while there is still a good amount of ice covering the lakessmallmouth bass fishing. This may cause you to have to cast from the shore instead of fishing from a boat, but this small inconvenience can be worth it. The best types of Northern pike fishing lures to use during pre-spawn are plugs and spoons. They need to be used extremely slowly, though. Anything that moves too quickly will scare off a lethargic pike.

It is important that anglers avoid trying to fish for Northerns while they are spawning because their efforts will be futile. The fish just are not biting during this time. At most, you might get a strike from a male who is waiting on a female, but this would be an unlikely occurrence. It is best to wait until spawning has ended in your geographic location. In the continental United States, this is typically sometime in April, but you will need to research your specific area and gain a good understanding of the weather and spawning patterns in your region.

Post-spawn is a great time to use live bait on your Northern pike fishing rig. Females will take awhile to recover from spawning, but males should be out swimming soon after the spawn. They will not be as active in the spring as they will be in the summer, so it is still a good idea to fish slowly and present them with an easy meal that they will not have to work hard at to get. Because of this, dead bait also works well for attracting sluggish Northerns during the springtime.