The 44-inch fish mentioned earlier was caught on a bass spinnerbait, yet we took our best pike on spoons and spinners. However, Ron insisted that, if you were to fish strictly for a trophy, a jerkbait worked over and near the weeds would be the most productive lure. To be sure, he had a collection of these wooden freaks - baits in the 7 to 9-inch range worked best. Oh sure, he had a couple of "baseball bats" in there, too. Proven choices at Nagagami Lake include Suicks, Teddy Baits, Reef Hawgs and Hi-Fin Foolers. Casting and working these baits is hard work, so if you troll try a Believer, Swimm Whizz, Magnum Rapala or huge, jointed Kwikfish. Make sure that your equipment can handle this kind of tackle and strain before experiencing a day of frustration or worse, losing the fish of a lifetime.

As stated a moment ago, Dave and I successfully pitched #4 or 5 Mepps Agilia Long/Giant Killer spinners and large spoons (Daredevle, Five Diamonds) to the lake's weed-oriented pike. By simply moving around the perimeter of the eastern basin, fishing the intermittent weedline, we enjoyed fast-paced pike action throughout the afternoon. When fishing pike like this, please equip yourself with proper tools for extracting deeply taken baites from cavernous, toothy mouths - a "gag" to hold the fish's mouth open, long-reach hookouts, pliers or cutters. The careful and quick removal of hooks and immediate boatside resuscitation will insure a successful release of fish not intended for the dinner table. Sensible catch and release is an art form as much as it is a science.

Two other areas deserve special recognition when it comes to Nagagami pike fishing: The Meadows and Pike Alley. With current flows and plenty of weed cover, these areas consistently produce lots of pike as well as trophy-status fish. Bass spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, spinners, spoons and bucktails will get plenty of attention from big, aggressive northerns. Hang on!