DALE SPARTAS
The open-water fishing fan of northern pike could get a bit discouraged after taking a close look at Michigan's Master Angler Award list. From lakes that have produced multiple Master Angler-class pike in the last few years, most of the trophy fish have come through the ice, not from open water. Tip-ups and spears did most of the work, not crankbaits and spoons.

But then, when the ice is gone, how many people really focus on pike the same way winter anglers do, with long hours. heavy tackle and single-species dedication? Those fish didn't just appear when ice sealed the lake, after all. That's just when they were caught in the fishing spotlight.

Let's hand it to the tip-uppers and thank them for their research, which points to a handful of lakes with big fish. And at the same time, let's not neglect those special waters that substitute huge numbers of feisty smaller pike for smaller numbers of big fish. Then you just have to sneak onto those lakes and others with rods stouter than usual, lines heavier than normal, tougher leaders and bigger baits.

Leave the bluegills, perch and walleyes to the tourists this season, and set your sights on the powerful pike in these award-winning waters.

HOUGHTON LAKE
This could be the Michigan lake most associated with northern pike fishing. At more than 20,000 acres, it's our state's largest inland lake, and anglers chase its northerns throughout every season.

Houghton is shallow, with an average depth of about 8 feet, and nothing deeper than 22 feet. It is incredibly fertile, producing bumper crops of almost all warm- and coolwater species, including northern pike. "It's just a fish factory," an admiring fisheries biologist once told me.

Match plenty of pike with a lot of fishing, and you get a fast-action water that will likely have you sorting through plenty of northerns to get a 24-inch keeper. It can be great fun, though, to tangle with all those pike.

Scott Cain, a Midland dentist who fishes many walleye tournaments, loves pike fishing on Houghton Lake. Sure, he makes pilgrimages to some of Canada's trophy-pike lakes, but what he really loves is fast action on pike of all sizes.

"The best 'action' spot in Michigan, bar none, is the Middle Grounds in Houghton Lake," Cain said. That's the 3-foot-deep flat spot in the center of the lake that is featured on almost any map. Cain said it's about 200 yards long by 200 yards wide. "You won't catch big ones, but a friend and I caught 116 pike by casting Beetle Spins in about two hours. None were legal size, but the action is unparalleled. It's better fished earlier in the season because it gets weed-choked fairly early, but if you take any kid there -- including big kids like us -- it is a riot."

Even though few Houghton Lake pike live long enough to stretch much longer than Michigan's 24-inch minimum length, a few lunkers invariably grow fat on the abundant forage. This lake gives up at least one 20-pound-plus pike every year.