Pike gets my lure, and then my finger

You’d think I’d have it figured out by now.

After all, I’ve been catching northern pike for much of my life.

But I’ve only just begun fishing for those toothy critters again this spring and my fingers are already full of holes.

There’s nothing subtle about fishing for northerns. Save your light lines and delicate presentations for trout. Northern pike like big baits that hit the water with a splash.

They actually eat ducks. I thought that was an old wives tale until I found a half-grown mallard inside 30-incher I was cleaning a few years ago.

Northerns are aggressive predators tha...