Fishing & Fly Fishing for Spring Pike on Georgian Bay – Spring 2025 Guide

A beautiful 35" pike caught the day after pike opener. This fish was found mixed in with dozens of smaller pike. Sometimes you just have to weed through them!

Each spring, Georgian Bay transforms into a northern pike angler’s paradise. As ice fades and water temperatures begin to climb, the bay’s intricate network of inlets, bays, and shallow flats becomes the perfect environment to target big, aggressive spring pike. Whether you're casting large streamers on a fly rod or meticulously twitching a jerkbait on spinning gear, spring is the prime time to connect with one of Canada’s fiercest freshwater predators.

In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about planning a successful spring pike trip on Georgian Bay. From using digital tools like Google Maps and Navionics to pinpoint ideal locations, to fly and spin fishing techniques tailored for cold water conditions, this article will prepare you to make the most of spring 2025.

Planning with Google Maps and Navionics: Locating Spring Pike Before You Launch

One of the best tools available to modern anglers is satellite and hydrographic mapping. Before you even hook up the boat or lace up your waders, you should be spending time on Google Maps and Navionics WebApp.

Start by looking for the biggest bays you can find on Georgian Bay. These large bays act like solar panels in spring, capturing warmth from the sun and warming faster than surrounding waters. Once you identify a big bay, zoom in and look for shallow, sheltered areas—back corners, inlets, or even man-made canals—that are likely to warm up quickly.

Navionics helps you visualize depth contours, which is key for understanding how deep these bays go and where shallow flats transition into deeper water. You're aiming for flats with quick access to deeper water, where pike can retreat on colder days and return to the shallows as things warm up.

Prep time off the water leads to more, and bigger fish, on the water!

Temperature is Everything:

In early spring, a 5-6 degree Fahrenheit increase in water temperature can make the difference between a barren bay and a fish-loaded flat. Look for warm water pockets that hover around 50-55°F (10-13°C)—this is the sweet spot. This temperature range brings pike into the shallows to feed and eventually spawn.

As a rule of thumb, begin your search in the largest bay available, then narrow it down to the warmest water you can find. Once you find that temperature edge—especially where new green weed growth is visible—you've likely struck gold.

Pike are social in spring. If you catch one, there are likely several more in the area. Spend extra time dissecting a productive spot instead of bouncing between locations.

Pick the water apart. Focus on covering 3-4 spots in a day, but really cover them. You will be rewarded with more bites then if you were running around from spot to spot all day.

Fly Fishing for Spring Pike:

Fly fishing for pike in cold water is a special kind of thrill. When done right, it’s one of the most effective—and visual—ways to catch them.

Use an intermediate sink line to help your fly suspend in the strike zone. Gamechangers, Yardsales, and simple Deceiver patterns in the 5-6" range are ideal. These flies imitate struggling baitfish and offer enough presence to tempt big fish, even in cold water.

Work your fly with long, slow strips, giving plenty of time between movements. Pike in cold water often won’t chase fast-moving prey, but they can’t resist an easy meal that appears wounded.

Some beautiful flat wings tied by local fly tier, Mike Crap.

Spinning Gear: Cold-Water Techniques for Hungry Pike:

If fly fishing isn’t your style, or if the wind is howling, spinning gear is your go-to. Cold water pike demand subtlety and extended pauses.

This is where jerkbaits shine. A 4-5” jerkbait that suspends in the water column is lethal. Twitch, pause, repeat. Most hits come on the pause, so always be ready to set the hook the moment you feel anything unusual.

This spring, I’ve been trying to find a jerkbait color that pike won’t eat—I haven’t succeeded yet. Top producers have been:

Blue/orange

Black/silver

Gold/black

Firetiger

Natural perch

For areas that are too shallow for a jerkbait, or when you’re fishing amongst dead weed mats, switch to a soft plastic jerk shad rigged on an unweighted or lightly weighted EWG hook. The Texas rig setup keeps your bait weedless and effective.

Use short, 1’ downward twitches, followed by a 1-2 second pause. That pause is everything. Pike usually inhale the bait during this window, so keep your line tight and your reflexes sharp.

Whether you soon or fly fish, make sure you work your baits slow, and pay attention on the pauses! Photo- @Nick Roman

Leader Setup for All Methods:

Whether fly fishing or using conventional gear, wire leaders are essential. I exclusively use tie-able wire for all my pike fishing.

Scientific Anglers’ 7-strand wire handles traditional knots and resists kinks well.

Nickel-Titanium wire is slightly trickier to tie but is incredibly durable—I've used the same leader for a month without issue.

Avoid using bulky snap clips. Instead, a light Mustad Fastach clip allows easy lure changes while maintaining lure action. This small detail can dramatically improve your hookup ratio in spring when pike often inspect baits closely before committing. I will add a ball bearing swivel if we are throwing lures that rotate, spoons and spinners.

You can grab these leaders and clips at Drift Outfitters. https://driftoutfitters.com/products/scientific-anglers-absolute-predator-1x7-niti-wire

Dealing with Out-of-Season Bass:

One common challenge during spring pike fishing is catching out-of-season largemouth and smallmouth bass. In cold water, especially when it’s in the 50s, bass are in full pre-spawn feed mode. They’re aggressive, and it's inevitable you’ll run into them.

While it’s exciting to catch a chunky smallie on a jerkbait, remember—you’re not targeting bass. Land them quickly, don’t remove them from the water for photos, and release them right away.

Interestingly, where there are bass, there are usually pike nearby. Some of the biggest pike I’ve caught each spring have come from areas crawling with bass. The two species often share the same warming back bays before they move to their separate spawning habitats.

Final Thoughts & Booking Info:

Spring on Georgian Bay is a fleeting window of prime pike fishing—when temperatures rise and predators flood the shallows. If you do the homework at home using Google Maps and Navionics, and bring the right gear and techniques, you’ll be in for some of the best fishing of the year.

And here’s the kicker: once you find one fish, you’ve probably found a dozen.

Only three spring dates remain for 2025:

May 13th

May 22nd

May 27th

Book your trip now at Smooth River Guiding Company. Let’s go find your next personal best pike before the season slips away.

Matt Martin

www.smoothriver.ca