5 Hot Spots for River Northern Pike Fishing

Rivers often get overlooked for northern pike fishing. That's why those waters can offer some very good action — and sometimes some outsized fish!

The difference between rivers and lakes, other than dealing with current, is that water temperatures don't change from the top to bottom. Water is continually mixing and moving.

MUST READ: Make a Plan for Northern Pike Fishing in 2018

Here are five spots to work for river northern pike:

• In side channels with less current than the main flow.

• Behind points, where slack water provides habitat for baitfish that in turn attract pike.

• In slow-moving pools, or behind any kind of current break such as a wing dam or log jumble.

• In weedy backwater sloughs with some depth to them.

• Where a coldwater tributary enters the river, or where springs bubble up in late summer.