Large, aggressive pike like this one can often be caught soon after ice-out. Photo by Mitch Kezar/Windigo Images.

Most anglers enjoy catching fish that are abundant, easy to catch and taste great on the dining room table. The northern pike is one of the most abundant species in Michigan waters. They are great fighters on the end of the line and are aggressive eaters. They are one of those fish that even when you're not fishing for them and you hook one, you gladly put it in the boat and take it home.

Fishing for pike doesn't require specialized tackle. They will take almost any presentation you toss their way and run with it. They can be caught from the many piers in Michigan and with or without a boat. Northerns are great fish for kids to catch because if you can find their haunts, you'll probably catch fish after fish until the livewell is full.

With so many great spots to catch pike, narrowing down a list of the best lakes and rivers is difficult. I interviewed a couple of avid Michigan anglers who discussed their favorite honeyholes.

HARDY POND
Dan Lipski knows a few things about catching fish. Lipski, from Ravenna, operates the Riverkat Guide Service (www.riverkatfishing.com) and specializes in catching catfish. He also enjoys catching other species of fish, including northern pike at Hardy Pond in Newaygo County. Hardy, a 10-mile-long, 4,000-acre pond, was created by damming the Muskegon River and offers anglers miles of undeveloped shoreline. Pike fishing has improved over the last five or six years, largely because the infestation of invasive zebra mussels has cleared the water.

"The clear water has allowed the sunlight to penetrate the water," Lipski said. "Weedbeds are now growing all over where a few years ago, they didn't exist. With the increase in weedbeds comes an increase in perch and bluegills, which pike thrive on. Now that they have plenty of food, their numbers have increased and anglers can expect to catch a lot of pike in a variety of sizes. There are smaller pike, but there are also some big ones in Hardy Pond."

One of Lipski's favorite tactics is trolling along the weed edge in about 10 to 14 feet of water.

"Almost anywhere along the weed edge is a good place to start," Lipski said. "Once I'm launched, I go right to the edge and start fishing. I usually troll with crankbaits or crawler harnesses. I can troll around the edge of the pond and catch pike all day long."

When trolling with crankbaits, Lipski has had great success using No. 13 Rapalas.

"Bright-colored Rapalas seem to outperform all other colors when it comes to pike. When they are finicky, black and silver and gold and black are good options. I occasionally use soft plastics," Lipski noted.

Most anglers launch at Big Bend Park near an island called -- what else -- "the island."

"There is a deep river channel that bounces off the island. There are a lot of downed trees and structure around, especially on the downstream side," Lipski said. "This is a great place for anglers to fish for pike and it is very close to the launch."

In addition to fishing the weed edge, Lipski uses an electric motor to get into creek arms that feed into the Muskegon River.

"Motoring up into these areas with a trolling motor has been very effective and I don't think these areas get fished as hard as the main body of water," Lipski said.

When fishing Hardy Pond, anglers should expect to catch pike in several sizes.