I’m sure it’s no secret that I love to fish, and over the years I’ve pursued a lot of different species, and one of my favorites was northern pike.

My fishing buddies and I made frequent trips to the St. Lawrence River in New York to pursue pike and for good reason — the pike fishing there was outstanding. In the course of a single day, it wasn’t unusual to hook into 30 or 40 pike apiece.

When it comes to fishing for members of the toothy pike family, the northern pike is one of four species that are often pursued by anglers.

In addition to the northern pike, the generally much larger but not as abundant muskellunge is also a great fishing adventure.

Also, fairly common in some of our local lakes is the chain pickerel, and smaller and less common redfin pickerel.

When it comes to members of the pike family, one common trait is the long body with the snout shaped like a duck’s bill. Something else that is very obvious is the mouth full of needle-sharp teeth, and those mouths are large. Because of the large, toothy mouth, a pike can eat larger food items than other fish. A member of the pike family often grabs a fish too large to swallow whole, and the pike swims around with the tail protruding from its mouth. Once the head is digested, the rest of the fish is then swallowed.

Needless to say, care must be given when landing and handling one of these members of the pike family, especially the larger ones. It’s probably a good idea to use a net when landing a pike and also have a hook remover or pliers on hand to keep your fingers away from those razor-sharp teeth.

The largest member of the group is the muskellunge, and probably one of the most prized catches. Trust me, you can put a lot of time into casting for these fish, but it’s a real treat when you finally hook into one.

The world record muskie was taken in the St. Lawrence River in 1957 and weighed 69 pounds, 15 ounces.

The next in line when it comes to size is the northern pike. Pike in the upper 30-inch range or into the 40-inch class are real trophies. While we do have some northern pike in Pennsylvania, they are not particularly abundant.

Next in line is the chain pickerel, which gets its name from the chain-link markings on its side. A chain pickerel that reaches into the 20-plus inch range is a nice catch. Fortunately, we do have several lakes in our area that offer some pretty good pickerel action.

When it comes to fishing for members of the pike family, one of the key factors to keep in mind is those razor-sharp teeth that can cut through your line very quickly. Because of the sharp teeth, most serious pike fishermen convert their monofilament line to wire leaders to prevent break-offs.

Members of the pike family are very predatory and can be extremely aggressive when pursuing a meal.

Some of the best lures are big spoons, in-line spinners, and jerkbaits.

When fishing in deeper water, you may want to consider a weight-forward spinner to get down deeper. Spinnerbaits can be very effective in weedy areas, and members of the pike family often frequent weed growth.

Minnow-imitating plugs can also be great producers; use weighted lures with larger lips to fish deeper water. Definitely soft plastics like Texas-rigged worms or wacky worms are good producers as well, and I certainly wouldn’t leave a leadhead jig with a soft plastic tube or grub off my list of lures.

Another exciting approach is to fish a surface lure like a prop bait; that smash on the surface will definitely get your attention.