With light spots over a dark background and a brilliant green to olive-green dorsal area, the northern pike is a striking fish (pun intended).
Our pike spawn as soon as the shallow marshy areas are ice free. This is typically a time when the main lake is still ice covered so we have never observed the spawning process at Scott. The fertilized eggs attach to vegetation and hatch into fry in a week to two weeks. The fry will live off their egg sacks until they start swimming and feeding on zooplankton and insect larvae. Females mature at about six years of age (around 20″ in length) and produce about 9,000 eggs per pound. Due to the cold waters and relatively low productivity (a measure of the “living things” in the water,) growth rates are very slow, but Scott pike are extremely long lived and still get to monster proportions. In warmer, southern waters the maximum life span might hit 10 years. At Scott and in similar far northern waters that age span will approach 30 years.
Age of a Mature Female Pike (years)
Average Age of Pike at Scott (years)
Largest Pike Caught at Scott (inches)
Gear for Trophy Pike Fishing
For most of our customers pike are the primary target. You will start catching pike on your first stop of the day. The lodge provides your rods and reels but which one you grab is entirely up to you. For pike most of our anglers pick up the open-face spinning reel, fitted out with Power Pro synthetic line which offers the “you feel every little bump” response. We have St. Croix heavy action rods and high end Shimano reels. Or you can grab bait-casing rig or a nine weight St. Croix fly rod. Any of these weapons will bring pike to your guide’s hand. Spinners and plastic lures are the standard items to have on the end of your line but top water plugs under the right conditions (warm, calm water) can be deadly. Your guide will walk you through all the lure options.