"It's a good area to fish if you have a smaller boat because not everybody can get back in there, so the fish don't get a lot of action," Montgomery said.

Live-bait rigs tend to work the best on these lakes simply because the weed cover makes it tough to get a good trolling run going. Burning spinnerbaits and bucktails through the weeds is another tactic that will produce pike in these waters, though most anglers stick with live bait.

For additional information on these lakes, contact Buck's Hardware Hank at (218) 387-2280, or the Grand Marais Area Tourism Association at 1-888-922-5000. Information can also be found at www.grandmarais.com or at NorthernWilds.com.

BOUNDARY WATERS
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, also known as the BWCAW or "B-dub," consists of 1 million acres filled with about 1,000 lakes. The simple fact that these lakes have restricted access and usage creates the possibility for awesome pike fishing.

I've fished a lot of the lakes in the BWCAW and have found the average pike catch to far exceed the rest of our state. Most of the lakes are either too small or too infertile to support a state record, but there are some big waters where a record-setter is a possibility.

Basswood Lake is in the BWCAW, but there are motorized watercraft allowed on some parts of the lake if they are less than a specific horsepower. The same holds true on Saganaga and Seagull, where big northerns love to prowl. Even lakes adjacent to but still outside the BWCAW like Gunflint offer great pike fishing.

The toughest part about fishing these lakes is getting the entry permit to allow you to fish on them. Permits are available on a first-come, first-served basis beginning around the first of the year, but odds are that if you have a flexible schedule, you can go online now and still find a date and entry point open for motorized watercraft.

For information on the permit process, contact the BWCAW Reservation Center at www.bwcaw.org or 1-877-550-6777. Information on the area can be found online at CanoeCountry.com.

BEMIDJI AREA
For the past three years, I have fished in the Frank Schneider International Memorial Muskie Tournament, and I selected Lake Bemidji as my lake of choice. There are a lot of big muskies swimming in Lake Bemidji, but while they prefer to avoid my offerings, the pike have been more than willing to keep me smiling.

Each year, we averaged at least one northern an hour, and rarely did one measure under 25 inches. This past year was our best ever for pike, with a few 30-inch fish caught and one around 3 feet long. With plenty of deep water, lush cabbage beds, tons of mid-lake structure and ample food sources, there's no doubt Lake Bemidji can grow monster pike.

The cabbage is a great place to start because the pike can be found up in the middle of the beds or just off the edges. When the water is cooler, don't forget to fish as shallow as 4 or 5 feet; however, as the water warms, look for Esox along the deep edges where the cabbage stops abruptly at the dropoff to the basin of the lake. Live-bait rigs, casting artificial lures and trolling are all great tactics for these pike. Just remember to practice catch-and-release on Bemidji so I can catch them again!

Northland Tackle's Steve Ladany loves piking on Turtle Lake, where he owned a resort for 18 years.

"In the early part of the season, fish off the deep dropoffs where there's a good sharp drop from the shallows into the depths," Ladany said. "These are spots where the pike sit and wait for high-energy oily fish like tullibees and whitefish."

As the summer fades in August and September, try casting right up in the shallow cabbage locations.

For more information on the Bemidji area, go to VisitBemidji, or call 1-800-458-2223.