Targeting northern pike with muskie lures on the Chicago lakefront

Bart Piet caught and released a 41-inch northern pike estimated at 14-20 pounds on Oct. 23 near Buckingham Fountain.

“I was using a Medussa lure,” Piet emailed. “It had followed up and missed at shore, then smoked it on the next cast. Some tourists from France had helped me net it and took the picture. As they were walking by, I yelled ‘Help!’ The fish came unhooked in the net and swam away with little help.

“It’s been a great year for pike all over the city and in the harbors. I’m a social studies CPS teacher and I can fish almost daily in the summer.”

Hang on, he caught it with a Medussa, a heavy plastic bait used for muskies? That meant he was targeting pike and not just catching them accidentally while trying for smallmouth bass or salmon.

“Correct,” he replied. “I’m a huge muskie guy and this is my local practice, which has been fruitful. The Chicago pike have enjoyed all of my muskie lures: big bucktails, jerkbaits, plastics, rubber, and more. They’re very aggressive and larger in Chicago, more so than northern Wisconsin, I have found.”

Zing.

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