Lake of the Woods Pike Fishing
Nothing gets the heart racing more than a flag flying on a tip up. And it’s that time for Lake of the Woods, time to target those monster Northern Pike that is. Dust off your tip ups and get your gear ready. March brings the Pike into the areas adjacent to breeding grounds in bays or near streams. There is nothing like putting down a 10” sucker minnow or cisco and seeing a flag go off. Big bait equals big fish. For Lake of the Woods the pike fishing season never ends. The possession limit is 3 pike with only 1 being over the 40″ mark. Pike between 30-40″ must be immediately released.
These fish spawn in bays, back sloughs, streams, rivers and similar areas adjacent to key shoreline structure with soft bottoms and are always looking for an easy meal. Shallow water is the ideal place to lay your tip up. Some say that dead bait produces better than live bait when targeting large pike. Some anglers also prefer to use both and let the pike decide the bait.
Hand over hand reeling brings back fishing to its primal roots and there is nothing like bringing in a 45” pike with your two bare hands. You get to feel the full force of the fish, the head whips, rolls, and then dives.
Quick strike rigs seem to be the go to for anglers as it usually equals better hookups when compared to conventional lures. A quick strike rig is shown in the picture. Many anglers will construct them on their own and add different color beads and blades to add flash. Other anglers will purchase rigs as there are a number of them on the market.
If you have never tried tip up fishing now is the time to give it a try on Lake of the Woods. When the weather warms and spring is peeking through, there is nothing like enjoying a nice day on the ice with a group of friends. When the flag flies it’s a mad dash for the tip up. Come up and give this awesome type of fishing a try, it really is a blast!
