One of the most popular sports fish near and far is the pike, and summer days are meant for chasing them. They are widely distributed throughout the prairies, and no matter where you live, there is likely a pike lake near you. Close to me, I look no further than Isle Lake near Edmonton. It is full of pike, they are reasonable size, and they like to bite all summer long. This is a perfect combination for my children and I, who find pike fishing a lot of fun. "They are splashy," says Cedar. "They are big," says Fraser.
Lots of action and fun to catch, pike are an excellent summertime gamefish.
At Isle Lake the fishing is about as easy as boat fishing gets. We head out from the launch until we clear the last bit of surface weeds. This puts us in about 10 to 12 feet of water. When we do, we cast out two lines and troll. One will have a fire tiger spoon, the other will be a red and white spoon, both pike classics when it comes to colours and patterns. The spoons are around three to four inches long.
Troll a spoon and catch a pike.
Troll a spoon and catch a pike.
Rarely do we troll more than five minutes before someone is battling a fish. And because an average pike at Isle is around 24 inches, there is lots of excitement as they reel them in. Pike splash, they pull line, and they make it challenging for little arms and hands to bring them to the boat.
Pike are the people’s fish.
When we land a fish, everyone celebrates, and if they are big enough, we usually keep a fish or two to take home, where we can experience our adventure and success in a most tasty way.
All pike are happily celebrated.
Summer pike are fun and widely accessible. If you’re like me, you will find yourself on a pike lake near you this summer and that, is a lot of fun.