Photo by Jim Bedford.

Michigan is blessed with numerous lakes and streams that hold good numbers of northern pike. While northerns may not be as glamorous in the eyes of many anglers as walleyes or bass, they’re a lot bigger and readily strike a variety of lures, flies or bait. Another plus for these fast swimmers is they are found throughout the state, so you can usually find good pike fishing close to home. We asked fisheries biologists around the Great Lakes State to suggest places you should try during the coming season. We’ll start in the Upper Peninsula and group the waters by their DNR watershed management unit.

WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR
Portage Lake, a 10,000-acre lake in the Keweenaw Peninsula, produces plenty of northerns, many trophy-sized.

As is the case in many lakes, concentrating on weedlines is a good plan. Portage Lake is connected to Lake Superior by the Portage Ship Canal and the Portage River. The weedbeds near the river entrances and exits merit special attention.

Biologist George Madison suggests anglers wanting to fish smaller waters try Otter Lake, about eight miles south of Portage or the Cisco Chain of Lakes at the headwaters of the Ontonagon River, about 10 miles west of Watersmeet. You may launch your boat at the north end of Cisco Lake or the east side of Thousand Island Lake.

Lake Independence produces almost as many master angler pike as Portage, although it is considerably smaller. Independence is an impoundment of the Yellow Dog River, about 20 miles northwest of Marquette. The weedbeds in and near Alder Creek Bay are prime pike hangouts. The lake is highly stained with tannins, so using bright lures will help get the attention of the pike. For more information on these lakes, contact the DNR at (906) 353-6651.

EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR
Large lakes are relatively scarce in the watersheds of eastern Lake Superior, but you will still find some good pike fishing. Au Train Lake, located about 10 miles west of Munising on the Au Train River, offers some of the area’s best pike fishing, according to DNR biologist Jim Waybrant.

He also noted improved northern pike fishing on two lakes where the DNR removed the minimum size limit on pike. The average size of pike has increased significantly on Muskallonge and Nawakwa lakes, resulting in better fishing. Nawakwa is located in the eastern part of Alger County, about 10 miles south of Grand Marais. Muskallonge Lake is less than a mile from Lake Superior in northern Luce County. Waybrant also recommended the Blind Sucker Flooding, west of Muskallonge if you like to catch plenty of small pike with a chance at an occasional large fish.