In order to catch a trophy-size northern pike at one of Loon Haunt’s five outposts, it is critical to have the right rod, reel, and line combo as well as a diverse range of tackle in your arsenal.

In these parts, a trophy-size is generally 38 inches or above and many of Loon Haunt guests’ boat several during their trips.

Pike are ferocious eaters, especially in the evenings when they come up from deeper waters to warm their bodies and feed. Pike tend to ambush their prey in the reeds, rocks, and weeds where they have ample protection and can find an easy meal.

If you are specifically targeting trophy-sized monsters or looking for a thrilling fight with aggressive predators, this primer is for the expert angler to review as well as the novice angler looking for ideas before heading off to the tackle shop.

Rods: Pike fishing rods have a wide range of lengths, powers, and actions but stick with a rod in the range of 6’8” to 7’2” …anything longer makes for a hassle in regard to transport on float planes in the rod tubes and storage in the boats. As for the power, choose a rod with a Medium to Medium-Heavy weight, which will easily handle some of the heavier lures described below. Finally, the action should be Fast as it can handle a wide variety of lures and fish sizes. When choosing between a spinning or casting, it is really up to personal preference. The more experienced angler may opt for a casting rod, but on a windy day a spinning rod is often selected first because there is zero chance of backlash or knots in the line. Best options: St. Croix, Daiwa, Dobyns, Fenwick

Reels: It seems simple, spinning reels for spinning rods, casting reels for casting rods. But mistakes have been made in the past, which is why it is critical to check your gear before you pack. Ensure you match the reel to the length and action of the rod. Typically, a Medium rod will garner a reel in the 1000-2000 range (or 100-200 range depending on the manufacturer). A Medium-Heavy rod will require a reel in 1500-3000 range (again 150-300 depending on the manufacturer). Anything above a 3000 (or 300) is just not necessary and you will find yourself swapping it for something lighter after a couple dozen casts. Best options: Daiwa, Shimano, Abu Garcia, Penn

Line: Braid, fluorocarbon, or monofilament line? For trophy pike fishing, it is best to stick with a braided mainline with a fluorocarbon or steel leader. The braided mainline should be 30-40 lbs. test (30 lbs. braid is the same diameter as 8-10 lbs. fluoro or mono; 40 lbs. braid is equivalent to 10-12 lbs. fluoro or mono) paired with a 30-50 lbs. fluoro or steel leader that is approximately 12 in. long. The leader will save your line from being cut by sharp pike teeth and make it easier to swap lures. Best options: PowerPro, Suffix, Spro (fluoro leaders), Cabela’s (steel leaders)

Lures: Guests come to Loon Haunt to have a great time, and they always do. Some bring every pike lure they have while others choose the minimalist option and only bring the go-to lures. For the purpose of this article, only the go-to lures that consistently work for guests year over year will be listed…otherwise, you will spend countless hours researching Smity Wizards and Bucher Top Raiders. Guests have landed trophy pike using either a spoon, swimbait, spinnerbait, or buzzbait.

Spoons include the Acme Little Cleo, Doctor Spoons, Johnson Silver Minnow, or Eppinger Dardevle. Colors can range from natural silvers and gold to chartreuse and five of diamond patterns, keep the weight of the spoons under 1 oz.

Swimbaits are available in hard or soft bodied versions. Hard are hard, soft are soft. Pike like the action of soft bodies but soft swimbait come with a price and guests end up using a lot of them during the week. Hard bodies swimbaits can also come with a hefty price tag, but they are much more durable overall. The choices are endless in terms of colors and sizes but keep the hard baits around 1 oz. and the soft body swimbaits no longer than 6 in.

Spinnerbaits are available in a wide assortment of styles but stick with the inline and bladed spinnerbaits. Inline spinnerbaits are popular with pike fisherman due to their diverse styles and colors. The Mepps Comet is hugely underrated, but don’t sleep on the wide assortment of inline bucktail spinners out there like the Musky Killer and the smaller sized inline double-blade options from Spanky Baits. Bladed wire spinnerbaits are typically used for bass, but several larger (3/4 oz. and higher) options are out there. There are countless colors, weights, options for blades but stick with Buchertails, Northland, and Booyah wire spinnerbaits with blades in gold or silver. Your personal preference for the type of blade as some are easier to get through water and weeds than others that may create more vibration in the water.

There are countless options when it comes to your pike combo and the lures used to catch these tooth critters. Hopefully, the information above can help guide your decisions. At any rate when in doubt, spend the extra money on the rod and reel combo it will be worth every penny and every pike.