I've heard the term "versatility" associated with legendary running backs the likes of the Dallas Cowboys' Emmitt Smith and Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings. Swiss Army Knives are infinitely versatile, too. Same goes for WD-40 and peanut butter. But it wasn't until a recent discourse with Freshwater Fishing Hall of Famer Tom Neustrom that I'd considered versatility in relation to pike spawning.

Spawning pike often head for shallow water, sometimes as shallow as a foot or less. Photo by BLP Studio.

Neustrom was talking about northern pike -- big, beautiful, egg-swollen females with a need to breed and an open mind as to where to drop off the kids. Such versatility, said Neustrom, bodes well for population proliferation. Pike aren't overly selective about breeding habitat, which equates to fewer "bad years" in terms of reproduction.

Identifying pike spawning grounds directly affects an angler's prospects in the early spring. "Shallow water is the no-brainer, but just how shallow is sometimes a surprise to some," Neustrom explained. "Literally, pike will spawn in as little as a foot of water, so shallow you can see their backs in the water.

"Next, you need a soft, dark bottom. It can be muck or mud, even old dead weeds lying on the bottom. Just a nice, soft place where eggs are camouflaged against the bottom."

The best areas are sheltered from wind and waves. Such locations are common in the shallow back bays of many natural lakes. Shelter begets warmth, and that drives up the value of breeding property. "Add sun to an area that's blocked from the wind and it warms even faster," Neustrom said. "Pike choose those places first."

His final but perhaps most noteworthy factor is current. Pike are drawn to it. Even a spit of a creek has merit, especially if it conspires with yesterday's weeds and a spongy lake floor within a shallow bay.

What all of this means to the angler is that pike spawn in amazingly shallow water. Neustrom notes that pike will hunker down for a while afterward and are readily available to catch.

"The recuperation period is short, only a day or two," he said, citing the time it takes a pike to physically recover from the rigors of mating. "They stick nearby, too. Depending on the conditions, that can mean up to a month."

Those conditions, he said, include gradually warming water temperatures, availability of food, and light -- or at least moderate -- fishing pressure. Fishing pressure moves fish around faster than you'd think.

The vast majority of anglers target pike on natural lakes and large river systems, so let's begin there. Lake or river, Neustrom sets in motion an "inside-out" system. He begins searching in the hyper-shallows and moves deeper as required, tackling pike in the first of what will develop into a three-step progression.

"I get after them along the bank in 1 to 4 feet of water -- same depths they spawned in," said Neustrom. He concentrates on the largest beds of emergent vegetation, such as hardstem bulrushes, and pays particular attention to beds in the backs of bays or near river mouths. Once located, he backs off and starts hurling his foolproof spinnerbait tipped with a live sucker minnow. The spinnerbait symbolizes life. The sucker is life. The combination is sure-fire in the spring.

Neustrom's preferred spinnerbait, a Reed-Runner from Northland Fishing Tackle, features a single No. 3 or No. 4 gold Colorado blade and skirts showing orange and yellow tones.