and consistently caught limits of better-than-average walleyes. Fish were right in there, at the base of the weeds in the only cover in that part of the lake. To get these fish, baits had to get right in, amidst the stems and stalks; sometimes only to be grabbed first by Nagagami's opportunistic pike. Hey, that's OK, too!

While at Nagagami, don't pass up the incredible shore lunch fish fries put on at midweek by Nagagami Lodge and daily (weather permitting) by Timberwolf Lodge staff at the Twin Islands. The great outdoors, good friends and a hot shore lunch - "It doesn't get any better than this"!

NORTHERN PIKE

During our stay at Nagagami, one thing became abundantly clear: pike fishing was given high priority by visiting anglers, especially "repeaters" who were not only familiar with the lake's pike hotspots, but also very much aware of the potential for a mammoth northern pike-fish in the 20 to 30 pound range. In fact, while having dinner at Timberwolf Lodge one evening, one of the "regulars" made a point of coming over to us and showing us pictures of past catches of huge Nagagami pike. This was prompted, no doubt, by her excitement over having just caught a magnificent 44-inch, 20-plus pound pike at The Meadows, an extensive weedy area off the Nagagami River outlet. Not an uncommon fish out of Nagagami Lake; uncommon just about everywhere else.

Because pike, like walleyes, are predatory fish, their seasonal movements and feeding habits often parallel those of walleye. Very often, where walleyes are caught, big pike are caught, even on the same baits. Resultantly, Nagagami northerns are fished with live baits early and late in the season and with artificial baits or lures through the warm-water months.

Come spring, pike are the lake's first spawners and most aggressive fish. Immediately after the spawn, pike will begin taking live-bait offerings at typical springtime sites: weedy back bays and creek/river outflows. Top spots at Nagagami Lake include the Pody Creek area and a channel nearby appropriately dubbed "Pike Alley". Large live baitfish, especially suckers, regularly produce the biggest pike in the early season, although

occasional monsters will be caught by walleye fishermen, too.

 

Once the water warms, pike will scatter widely throughout the lake-to weedbeds/weedlines, shoals, current flows and deep-water basins - wherever their forage, oxygen and temperature requirements are met. It is at this time that fish start chasing down larger, faster-moving baits - e.g. spinners, spoons, bass spinnerbaits, bucktails and jerkbaits. At Nagagami, this period puts fish in the weeds and anglers looking for the lake's strange offshore weedlines. Once found, these weedlines consistently produce lots of healthy northerns: fish averaging 5 to 8 pounds. Both our hosts knew these weedlines well and unerringly kept us near them and "on pike". Ron is a diehard pike fanatic and spoke constantly of the lake's bigger northerns: historic catches, fish hooked and lost, the season's best, the lake's potential for a 50-inch, 30-pound gator!