5 Best Lures for Northern Pike

You have booked a fishing trip to Canada and are looking for the best northern pike lures. Well, you’ve come to the right place. Here at Grizzly Creek Lodge, we have been guiding serious pike anglers for over 40 years. In that time, our clients have caught and released thousands of northern pike that measured well over the magical 40-inch mark. The following lures have proven themselves year after year. They will catch pike in any conditions, even under the ice. In our opinion, these lures are the cream of the crop; the top 5 best lures for northern pike.

Listed in no particular order of preference, here are the top 5 northern pike lures. You will be well equipped for northern pike fishing anywhere in Canada if these five lures are the only lures in your box.

1. Eppinger Dardevle spoons are on everyone’s 5 best lures for northern pike.

The original Dardevle spoon was invented in the early 1900s by Luo Eppinger. Dardevles come in various colors, and these iconic spoons are some of the best northern pike lures ever designed.

A Dardevle spoon’s unique action will trigger strikes when nothing else will. Our favorite colors for northern pike include red/white, yellow five of diamonds, black magic, and grey lantern.

In addition to their incredible strike-provoking action, Dardevle spoons come in various sizes. The heavier spoons will run progressively deeper, making Dardevles the ideal lure to locate pike. A weed-less version is also available and a great choice when fishing weed beds.

Check prices here

Pro Tip: Barbless Dardevle spoons are available, and we highly recommend their use for northern pike. Barbless hooks will drastically reduce mortality rates.

2. Gibbs Kit-A-Mat

Gibbs Fishing is one of Canada’s oldest and largest sport fishing tackle companies. A fellow named Rufus Gibb started the company way back in 1908. The Kit-A-Mat is a short spoon made of heavy gauge brass and is available in three sizes, ½ oz. ¾ oz. and1 oz. 

Their brass and blue scale colors are top pike producers. Although the Kit-A-Mat is shorter than a Dardevle spoon of corresponding weight it does have a fast wobbling action that lends itself well to trolling or casting. 

The retail prices of the Kit-A-Mat spoons belie their quality. It’s not uncommon to see these spoons retail for half the price of other comparable lures. 

Pro Tip: The Gibbs Kit-A-Mat is one of our favorite spoons anywhere there is a current. Since this lure is shorter than other spoons of similar weight, the current won’t affect it as much.

3. Mepps Plain Giant Killer 

Mepps spinners certainly don’t need any introductions. Even casual anglers will recognize this company. Mepps makes several large spinners that are deadly for northern pike and muskie, but the Plain Giant Killer is our favorite. The Giant killer weighs in at 1/1/4 ounces, so it casts effortlessly. 

One of the advantages of a Mepps spinner is that it is easily fished shallow or deep by simply adjusting your retrieve rate. An angler would be hard-pressed to find a more versatile lure than a Mepps Plain Giant Killer. One of our clients has successfully used a Mepps spinner from the Florida Keys to Alaska. Now thats versatility!

Again, when fishing for northern pike, we recommend cutting the treble hook that comes on a Mepps spinner down to a single hook and pinching the remaining barb.

Find Mepps here.

Pro Tip: When pike are lethargic and uninterested, vary your retrieval speed. Sometimes I will stop completely for a second and let my spinner fall toward the bottom. The falling spinner will often trigger a strike.  

4. Super-sized Swimbait

Northern pike love swimbaits. The super-sized 8-inch Mag SwimZ is the best in this class of lures. You can rig this large swimbait on an 8/0 HeadlockZ HD jig or the ChinlockZ snagless weighted hook system (SWS.) We fit ours on a 10/0 ChinlockZ weighted hook because it allows us to fish in and around thick weed beds.

Many swimbaits on the market will work just fine for pike, but the downside with most is durability. Big northern pike will shred most of them in short order. The Mag SwimZ swimbait is different. They are easily the toughest swimbaits we’ve ever used. Made with ElaZtech material for saltwater use, I’ve seen a single Mag SwimZ catch dozens of pike without ripping or tearing.  

You can order the Mag SwimZ set-up here. 

Pro Tip: Later in the summer, large northern pike spend much of their time in the weed beds. Weed beds covered by 10-15 feet of water are ideal. Pike will sit suspended near the bottom right in the middle of these weed beds. A weedless swimbait cast right into the weeds will get strikes when nothing else will. 

5. Bondy Mini Wobbler

The Mini Wobbler is a heavy lure. Too heavy for early-season pike but ideal when the water warms and you are fishing those deep cool pockets of water. 

You can find Bondy’s Mini Wobbler here.

That’s it. That’s our picks for the top 5 best lures for northern pike. I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: the Yukon Territory is home to some of North America’s best northern pike fishing. At Grizzly Creek Lodge, our camp record is 51 inches, and pike over 40 inches are common. If a northern fishing trip is in your future, if you would like more information on these toothy predators, or if you just want to chat about fishing feel free to give us a call or send us an email.