How do i catch a big northern?

Question

I want to win this fishing contest that we have at our annual family reunion camping trip... the contest is just length so a small northern would win over a good size bass because the northern is longer... so if u have any tips on catching northern i appreciate it

Answer 1

Great tips by stop_makin_cents. Here are SOME of my secrets off my list. Keyword SOME. I am a slow typer are dont have alot of time to type 'em all. But this list will get you off to a great start.

Try a large jointed floating rapala, one that is about 6-9 inches and is a deep runner.. For some reason, pike are generally attracted more to the jointed rapalas than the not jointed ones. I know this from expierience. It may not be true for everyone though.

Other things you can try are:

-1. trolling with a spinnerbait. Remember, as you are trolling with this spinnerbait, you need to give it erratic jerks. This is going to catch you both bass and pike.
--2. put a hook through a small bluegill, perch, crappie, or shad, or anyother small fish on a big hook about 4-6 feet down from a big bobber and through it along a weedline.
---3. Try spoons ex. red devils, johnson, little cleo, etc... This is probably the most popular way to catch pike.
----4. Senkos or yum dingers. I have caught many northerns on these while going for bass. Give it many erattic jerks and you will catch more pike than bass on these
-----5. When there are lily pads around or moss on top of water, throw a frog. I perfer a yum buzzfrog. It is an amazing lure. I have tried two colors of these so far and they work wonders. (carolina pumpkin/yellow and watermelon red flake.) I bought mine at meijer so you can get them almost anywhere that sells Yum products. Also buy some Gamagatsu size 4 offset hooks. Make sure the point of the hook is on TOP of the frog not underneath. You can use these any time during the day but at sun up and sun down are the best times due to the low light conditions or when there are lily pads or moss. You will also catch bass doing this. Both of the species will explode on this tantalizing lure.
------6. Get yourself some muskie sized jigs and add a matching 5 or 6 inch grub to it. I learned this excellent tip off of in-fisherman tv. This lure choice will most likely give you the best chance to get the trophy northern pike.
-------7. Get yourself some bass jigs if you dont have any already and add a soft plastic leech or goby as a trailor. Another excellent tip from in-fisherman tv.
--------8. Get yourself some 8 inch or so jerkbaits and make sure to give them erratic movements to entice the finicky /lethargic monster northerns.
---------9. If you want to try flies out for pike fishing, here is a website that can best help you...

http://www.msu.edu/~connert/pikefly.htm

good luck!

Answer 2

Nothing catches BIG fish like live bait. Get the biggest shiners you can find. Or use a small bluegill if it's legal to do so in the lake your fishing. Hook it through the lips with a weedless hook. Place it under a float / bobber about half way to the bottom. Lob this rig out to the edge of a good weedline and hold on. When you get bit let the fish take the bait and swim off with it. watch the bobber. It will start moving the first time the fish takes it. Then it will stop. Give it a second or two for the fish to eat the bait. Then set the hook hard and hold on.

Answer 3

go to the lake or wherever you are fishing at with a worm and a bobber. Within a little bit you will start catching pan fish and either these or i strongly recommend use a perch if you catch one. Bring a large hook and hook it right in the mouth if you want so it can swim. Put the bobber on it and cast it out and just sit there and wait or bring another pole and cast lures out while you are waiting. This would be your best bet to catch one, i've caught several over 40 inches and all of them were on a live fish. Use a lure like these people say if you want the small dumb 20 inch ones. Yes, in Canada anyone can catch a pike but you probably arent in Canada where you catch one every cast on anything besides a rock. I've been there, its fun to catch so many but its not that easy here.

Answer 4

Stop_Makin_Cent's SUPER ULTRA secret Northern info.

Rig up a 6" swimming/ribbon-tailed worm,(I like Berkley PowerWorm's in "Red Shad" color), with a 3/0 offset worm-hook & a 1/8-1/4 OZ "worm-weight", Texas Style.

This time of the year the weeds are THICK & it can be tough to fish any "lure" unless it's Weedless. IMHO, either swim a weedless-worm through weedbeds & weed-lines,

OR, get yourself some 6" Shiner's and float them near a drop-off with a good "weedbed". You can also use "Sucker's" for bait, BUT I think shiner's do the job nicely AND they also give you an opp to catch a nice Bass.

OR throw a 6" Floating Rapala along weed-lines. Or a weedless spoon. Or a 1/4-1/2 OZ spinnerbait in white.

Northern's LOVE bait's/lures to be "moving" erractic. So if you do throw a lure remember to reel erracticly!

Hope this helps? Good luck!

Answer 5

I lived on the Minnesota/Canadian border for many years, on a lake in the wilderness that no one fished because simply, no one was ever there. I would float along catching Sunnies but, when I got tired I would put a large sucker minnow on a number three hook, a minnow about ten inches long.
A big baseball sized bobber and toss it out, let it float around.
I always got a pike that was anywhere from five to twelve pounds. I'm sure there were some much bigger that broke everything and got away. One was so big I couldn't pull it in, it started pulling the canoe and I was forced to cut the line.

Answer 6

A #5 Mepps spinner with a steel leader is a good Northern Pike catching fishing lure.

Answer 7

Big northerns in the heat of summer can be very hard to catch!I would fish a deep weed line right at the break with a large live sucker under a cork or a dead sucker on the bottom!
Lure fishing I would do as others say and troll or cast big inline bucktail spinners,big rapalas or cast strike kings Magnum spinner bait with a big 5" grub in chartreues/white/orange/yellow(These spinners can be trolled also but you will need heavy mono or braid)!

Answer 8

The fishing lure that worked the best for me would be 3" to 3" 1/2 Dardeviles or other spoons. On cloudy days, use a darker colored spoon. On sunny days, use a bright colored spoon. If you are fishing in brown, murky water, use a spoon with a brass back. If you are fishing in clear water, use a spoon with a silver back.

Answer 9

34 inches. Didn't weigh it. Caught at the only lake in kansas capable of supporting a northern pike population. Its currently dry.

Answer 10

The best bait period is a little Cleo.It is a lure called a spoon.
NOTHING OUT FISHES THE LITTLE CLEO(especially when fishing for northerns.