Our Biggest Pike Stateside

Up in Lake Wobegon country, pike that reach 20 pounds or more are commonly called gators. Today, most anglers accept the misnomer that consistent fishing for gators is confined to waters beyond the roads, somewhere deep in the Canadian wilderness. That’s a myth.

For one thing, pike grow faster here, in the lower 48 states. The North American record pike came from New York (46 pounds 2 ounces; Sacandaga Reservoir). Pike waters outside their native range, in the Western states, are coming into their own. And, with the advance of special regulations, consistent fishing for gators could easily become common enough to be found within a day’s drive from any spot in the contiguous United States.

For another thing, setting all theories and dreamy possibilities aside, consistent fishing for gators already exists. Right here. In the lower 48.

Lake Michigan

“This is no smallmouth,” I said, line blurring off the reel. I hoped it was a muskie. Filming for In-Fisherman TV on Lake Michigan in spring, with the water temperature hovering around 44°F, I hooked into something my tackle wasn’t quite ready for. Something intercepted a Rapala X-Rap on a slow roll through a shallow boulder field and made a torpedo-like run for the open expanse of the bay.

Brown trout? Steelhead? Nope. It was a 20-something northern pike. A true gator. My partner on the shoot was Tim Dawidiuk, a guide from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. He was surprised but hardly shocked. “The Door County area actually produces a lot of pigs like that,” he said. Dawidiuk once boated 7 pike over 20 pounds during a single guided trip on Lake Michigan in the northern Door County area. “About 12 years ago, over a 2-week span, we caught 15 over 20 pounds in the Washington Island area. That fishery has declined because of the dropping water levels over the past decade or so. But those same conditions have left trophy fisheries less accessible throughout the northern bays surrounding Door County, with so many ramps left high-and-dry.

“Pike are the Rodney Dangerfields of the fish world,” Dawidiuk says. “They get no respect, and we really need to protect them here. Lower Green Bay, the Fox River, and all the bays around Door County have the potential to produce trophy pike. They go out and suspend off deep structure in summer and people lose touch with them. But they can be found again in fall, adjacent to steep shores and structures close to shore. Pulling big cranks, you can successfully target gators throughout Green Bay in the fall. Pressure for pike exists in the community spots, like Washington Island and the channel of Sturgeon Bay. Those areas still produce big pike, but if you can get into the more remote bays the action tends to be hotter, and more consistent.”

The best time to target big pike in Green Bay and throughout the surrounding waters of Lake Michigan runs from August to October. “Concentrate on shoreline points and rockpiles rising out of deep water,” Dawidiuk says. “Trolling or casting deep-diving crankbaits is the best call. They’re not lone wolves. They’re in groups, though loosely associated. Find one gator and more can be found in that general area.”

Dawidiuk likes big crankbaits in fall, but not as big as you might pull for muskies. “The biggest Rapala Down-Deep Husky Jerk, the Norman DD 22, the Storm Deep Thunder, and the Rapala Deep Tail Dancer, size #11, are good examples. A large minnowbait deployed on a three-way rig is another good option. I like medium- to medium-heavy baitcasting gear holding 12- to 15-pound mono down to a steel leader. Bright colors like clown and firetiger seem to work best. When big Great Lakes pike are active in fall, they seem to be feeding in the 12- to 18-foot zone most of the time.”