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 Northern PikeAfter watching the floatplane disappear in the distance we head west across the lake to the narrowed down section of Baie de Kipawa, we were told this would be the hotspot of the day, an area that had a deep hole, current and weeds, all the right ingredients for hungry pike. After casting and drifting for a while, we began to see schools of suckers and whitefish spooked by the shadow of our boat. Maybe they thought it was one of the huge pike that made their life a constant danger. As I throw a cast out along the river channel, suddenly something stretched my line tight. Quickly setting the hook, my rod bent from butt to tip. Quebec offers the most diverse northern pike fishing on the continent; it is considered one of the fiercest and most thrilling of all freshwater game fish. The northern pike is a voracious carnivore that will eat anything too slow to get away. Its mouth is filled with nearly 700 teeth, it will hurt prey nearly a half of its length. The pike will struggle mightily, often leaping out of the water once it has a hook in its mouth. TechniqueNorthern's utilize cover to ambush their prey, which is primarily other fish such as yellow perch, walleye, whitefish and other pike. They will attack large fish and can consume a fish that is up to one-third of their own size. The "great northern" generally prefers shallow weed beds in lakes and can often be caught in spring and fall in bays, off points and on sandbars dropping off into deeper waters. Northern Pike will hit spinners, spoons, plugs, spinner baits, jigs, and most anything that is presented resembling food. Daily Fishing QuotaDaily fishing quotas include only those fish caught and kept and do not include fish thrown back. The licence-holder must include in their quota the fish caught and kept by all of the persons fishing under the authority of their licence. This also includes fish caught and eaten the same day. Possession LimitThe authorized possession limit for Northern Pike is 6 in all. Length LimitThe length limit concerning Northern Pike in Quebec does not apply to water bodies situated in areas where outfitters have exclusive fishing rights. Dumoine Lake has exclusive fishing rights, therefore there is no length limit. Dates2006 - 2007 April 1 to April 15 May 19 to March 31 Bait and Tackle |
