How to Pick a Good Pike Lure
Picking out a good northern pike lure is a critical part of determining your future fishing success, and is an issue that although not complicated, isn't completely cut and dry, either. There are many lures that can work with northern pike, and these fish are aggressive enough that even lures considered poor for pike fishing will probably work once in a while when you find a particularly hungry or aggressive pike in the fishing hole you're working. But that being said, there are certain types of lures that consistently tend to work better in catching pike than others, and making sure you load up on good pike fishing lures will help increase your chances of landing that trophy northern.
The first thing to look for is a "high action" lure. Fishing techniques, bait, and lures that are cast and then just sit there won't attract a lot of attention from pike. An angler needs to understand the type of fish they are fishing for. While northern pike have voracious appetites, they also ambush predators, meaning they want to hit a moving target when they eat. This is why crank baits, rapalas, spoons, and even an occasional spinner are much better choices than jigs, bobber and worms, or other similar set ups.
A second piece of advice is to look for local fishing strategies. If every pike angler in the area uses spoons instead of crank baits (or vice-versa) then there is probably a very good reason for that. The best local pike fishing guides will be able to give you a good idea of what is most successful in any given area, and what might not work so well. However it's safe to say that with high action lures like rapalas or other crank baits, chances are that you are going to get some serious action from aggressive local pike.
