Northern pike aren’t caught in Illinois often, but be careful if you do

One of the least caught game fish here in Illinois is the northern pike. I don’t know why.

They are tough fighters and are fairly easily caught. I think the small northern pike catch rate is because they are not widely available.

Northern pike for some reason are not stocked in public waters like other game fish are. In the few waters that receive northern pike attention, few fish are planted, and I would assume the ones that are, would be quickly caught. Northern pike are tremendous fighters and are fun to catch. They are excellent table fare, although I wouldn’t eat any unless I caught them in Canada, where they are plentiful.

I’ve met a lot of anglers who have told me that they’ve never caught a northern but would like to have the experience. It’s a tough recommendation for me to make because there are so few lakes, ponds and rivers that hold pike.

Like muskies, northern pike are apex predators that have mouthfuls of razor-sharp teeth. Pike need to be handled gingerly and the use of needle-nosed pliers that are extra long is a must. I’ve seen some terrific gashes inflicted by pike that were not all that big, so be careful when chasing them.

Many people have a hard time telling the difference between the notorious musky and its cousin, the northern pike. The easiest difference in identifying the two species is the shape of the fins. Both the tail fins and the bottom fins are quite different between the two species.

These fins on muskies are pointy, while the pike’s fins are rounded. There is a lesser-known species of musky called the tiger musky that has round fins, so it is important you can tell the other differences between the two fish before you fish for them.

The state’s DNR and the local counties all publish fishing guides that will help you to identify the kinds of fish you are catching. Learn the rules and avoid getting a fine. These fishing booklets list all the public waters and what fish are available for your pursuit. You’ll notice that not a lot of waterways are listed for pike, so please catch-and-release any pike you are lucky enough to catch.

If I were going fishing for pike, I’d probably check out the Fox Chain. The Chain is loaded with weeds and that is the habitat in which you are most likely to find northern pike. I don’t understand why the IDNR isn’t loading up the Chain with pike fingerlings; it would be a tremendous pike fishery, but I guess they are more interested in raising muskies.

The Chain’s pike have escaped into the Fox River, and you can catch the river pike from the shore. That’s a bonus that proves that northern pike are good fish to target on rivers. The DuPage River is a tremendous pike fishery, but the water is hard to access. You may have to do a little wading, but whoever said that fishing is easy?

River fish seem to be attracted to logs that are laying horizontal in the water. Northern pike are ambush feeders. They’ll lay next to a log or branch and wait for their next meal to come swimming by. They’ll dart out and attack without being seen.

If you can find beds of cabbage weeds, that is prime pike water. By the way, the aforementioned guidebooks all show the differences in area weeds. That’s good stuff to know. Speaking of weeds, the beds off the Government Pier at Lake Michigan at Waukegan holds some large pike.

As far as bait gores for pike fishing, I’m a huge fan of spinnerbaits. Change the speed of your retrieve to trigger strikes. I like white for my color, but the most important thing is a shiny blade, especially under sunny conditions. Good luck.

• Daily Herald Outdoors columnist Steve Sarley can be reached at sarfishing@yahoo.com.