Finesse a Northern Pike

The "water wolf" generally needs little encourage to slash a bait. Razor-sharp teeth allow pike to eat fish measuring up to a third of their own length. But northerns aren't always this eager. Finessing a pike can be the only way you'll get one to bite on some days. Hook a soft plastic shad body onto a heavy hook. The shad body looks a lot like the real thing and can fished along weed bed edges, under lily pads and in other prime pike territory. A slower than normal retrieve can attract pike who aren't even interested in eating. Maybe that's why they're called the "water wolf."