Photo by Greg Keefer

Even the old-timers will tell you that fishing is good these days.

Minnesota’s walleye factories -- Lake of the Woods, Lake Winnibigoshish, Mille Lacs, Cass and Red lakes -- have never been better. Leech Lake is making a strong comeback and in our smaller bodies of water where stocking is prevalent, walleye numbers are high and fishing is good.

Bass fishing also gets a five-star rating from the anglers who appreciate this species. Largemouths seem to be bigger and more plentiful as milfoil takes over many lakes. Now anglers that have figured out how to fish in this thick vegetation seem to think of it more as a blessing than a curse.

Although pike numbers are high in most lakes, those old-timers are disappointed because there aren’t many big ones swimming in the mix.

Professional angler and aquatic biologist Adam Johnson said we only have ourselves to blame for this predicament.

“When you harvest all the big fish, you don’t have any left to catch,” Johnson said. “Those pike take a long time to grow big and if you pluck all the nice fish before they get to trophy size, there won’t be any for other anglers.”

Johnson sees an end to this dilemma. Of the 250 lakes enforcing special regulations, almost a quarter of them are for growing bigger pike.

“There is still a long way to go before we’ll know if these special regulations will produce big pike, but it is a good start,” he said.

If Johnson had his way, there wouldn’t be a harvest of any large pike.

“Even one per angler over a certain level can hinder the ability for some bodies of water to maintain enough bigger fish to put a dent in that hammer-handle population,” Johnson said. “Anglers are just too smart these days and can target the bigger fish. But there are some lakes where all big pike must go back and it’s those I’m keeping my eye on.”

Are there still lakes in Minnesota where an angler has a better-than-average shot at catching a trophy-sized pike?

“You bet there is,” Johnson said. “Muskie fishermen on Mille Lacs catch loads of huge pike when they’re tossing those huge lures, and look at Red Lake and Lake of the Woods, even Winni. Did I mention the Boundary Waters?”

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is one of Johnson’s favorite spots for big pike.

“Because there is very little fishing pressure on these lakes, that gives the pike an opportunity to grow big,” he said. “If you time it right on some of the lakes in the BWCAW, you’ll get into some of the best pike fishing of your life.”

Johnson said although you’re allowed to keep one pike over the slot limit on most special regulations lakes, if you want to maintain a great pike fishery, keep the smaller fish and throw the big ones back. Here are some lakes where you can practice.