I've caught several Northern Pike here in Minnesota over 13 pounds. Bait of choice is a large sucker minnow (like 8" to 10" long) trolled without any weight very slowly behind a boat with about 50 feet of line out. If your shore fishing use a large bobber and have the minnow set about 3-4 feet under the bobber.

I like big spoons, spinner baits (both in-line &the safety pin style)and even crank baits. Slip bobbers fished over/around weed beds, you can use frozen herring sardines or any other bait fish........ but like was stated above nothing beats a big sucker, especially live. Remember these are predators and they often just sit and waitfor baitfish to present themselves in just the right fashion B4 they dart out like rockets and smash them. Good luck

Fire tiger rapalas (top) or a shinnywilliams wobbler are my favs. ive also got them on a jig rigged with a shinner minnow, but like wut everyone else said, pike arent picky eaters. They also taste really good. In Lesser Slave lake last year, wefryed up the fish we got that morning and u couldnt tell if u were eating wallye or pike