TOPWATERS
WHEN TO FISH 'EM: Be careful if you have a bad heart. There's nothing more exciting than watching a huge pike crush a topwater lure. During the summer months, the best times are early in the morning, late in the afternoon and when it's overcast.

WHERE AND HOW: Deep weed edges, woody shorelines and rocky main-lake structures are perfect locations for topwaters. Instead of throwing a big, noisy buzzbait over a weedbed, position your boat parallel to the weed edge so you can keep your lure running over the prime pike zone. Do the same thing when you're fishing among fallen trees and logs. Remember, pike are ambush predators that hide along the fringes of cover rather than burying themselves deep inside it.


The biggest and loudest buzzbaits (in white, chartreuse, yellow and orange) will attract the most attention. When the fish are aggressive, add a stinger hook and a five-inch-long soft-plastic worm or grub, or a pork chunk to seal the deal. But here's the key: don't react to the explosion when a pike strikes. Keep your rod tip pointed up during the retrieve and keep reeling rather than dropping the tip to set the hook. When the fish are in a funk, however, scurry a Bull Ribbit or Hawg Frawg in the same locations. The lighter bait forces you to slow down your retrieve, but the frog will still kick up its heels. Only pause the frog when you swim it over an opening in the weeds.

Many pike anglers miss the best big-fish locations: isolated rock piles, underwater points and shallow boulder-strewn shoals. They also think they can only use topwater lures when conditions are calm. Actually, a slight chop is better than a slick surface for walking a big Zara Spook, Skitter Walk or Live Sammy. And a fast retrieve produces explosive strikes. When the fish are less belligerent, or when the water is dirty, dingy or stained, a prop bait such as the Boy Howdy, Splash-Tail or Skitter Prop sputtering on the surface will cause a pike to become unglued. Prop baits are also deadly when pike are resting beside isolated forms of cover, such as a giant deadhead poking
out of the water.

PYZER'S PICKS (click here for photo): [A] Cotton Cordell Boy Howdy, [B] Rapala Skitter Prop, [C] Lucky Craft Splash-Tail, [D] Mister Twister Top Prop, [E] Stanley Bull Ribbit, [F] Heddon Zara Spook, [G] Rapala Skitter Walk, [H] Lucky Craft Live Sammy, [I] Mister Twister Hawg Frawg, [J] Booyah Buzz.

SPINNERBAITS
WHEN TO FISH 'EM: Spinnerbaits produce well from late spring until mid-autumn, when the pike have set up along reed- and weedlines, and shorelines littered with fallen trees and submerged wood.

WHERE AND HOW: A slightly larger than normal (3/4- to one-ounce) bass-style, willowleaf spinnerbait tipped with a soft-plastic grub or worm is a marvellous tool when retrieved quickly just under the surface. Don't hop, pop or manipulate it in any way; just keep it moving.

When the biggest toothies turn off and won't come to the surface, dredge them up with a heavy 1 1/2- to 2 1/2-ounce Dick Pearson Grinder. Let it flutter down, then slowly crank it back to the boat, keeping it within a foot of bottom at all times. It works best in thick grass, but it can also be awesome on main-lake rocky structures.

PYZER'S PICKS (click here for photo): [A] Booyah Blade Spinnerbait, [B] Terminator Titanium Spinnerbait, [C] Stanley Spinner, [D] Dick Pearson Grinder.