I have yet to catch a pike from Calhoun that was shorter than 24 inches, and my average catch hovers right around 30 inches. The biggest pike I've caught throughout the spring and summer months have come out of the southeast corner between the large south beach and the fishing pier. In these locations, deep-running crank-baits are the best bet. The pike tend to relate to the thermocline as well as the sharp breaks. Located right offshore near some public restrooms is a hidden dropoff, where a school of big pike tend to hole up throughout the summer. Work the area well enough and you're sure to catch at least a few pike in the upper 20s or lower 30s.

Like all Minneapolis city lakes, there is a restriction on gasoline-powered motors, so make sure your trolling motor battery is fully charged before hitting the water. There is only one public access on Calhoun, and parking can be difficult after 8 a.m. But the action is worth enduring these "hardships."

Check out the Minneapolis Tourism Office at www.minneapolis.org, or call 1-800-491-6176.

"SLEEPER" LAKE
In the land of over 10,000 lakes, there may actually be a "Sleeper Lake," but this term refers to those pike lakes around Minnesota where monsters lurk but nobody wants to share the spot for fear of the lake being inundated with anglers.

Listing it like this is no cop-out. Plenty of lake fisheries officials and anglers were willing to share their secret spots but preferred to keep them from being printed.

"There are a few tremendous pike lakes with monster pike in them, but if I give you their names, I'll have people beating down my door," said Tim Brastrup, the DNR's fisheries manager for the Brainerd Lakes area.

Contact a local fisheries office and they'll share what they know. But be prepared to promise to keep it to yourself.

Finding a lake with lunker northerns is hard to come by these days, though the DNR is working to increase the number of lakes where pike over 30 inches are commonplace, not a rarity. They have put into place some statewide and lake-specific size restrictions with the intention of growing larger Esox. A statewide restriction allows anglers only one fish over 30 inches each day, though many find that still too liberal.

Pierce said the best way to find a quality northern lake near you is to check the fishing regulations and find the nearest lake with pike restrictions. "These lakes have been targeted for these regulations because they have good-sized pike populations that we'd like to continue getting larger."

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A big pike takes a lot of time to grow. Keep a few less than 24 inches and put the rest back. If you catch one for the wall, have a fiberglass reproduction made, and then brag that the fish is still swimming in that nameless lake.