The Creek Chub® Wooden Pikie® – For things that go bump in the water.

When I was a child my parents would rent a cottage up north every summer. So far up north that my father would have to tie up our garbage cans tight because black bears would try and get into them at night. I would hear the bears just outside of my bedroom window, shuffling their heavy clawed feet and snorting. It was terrifying – they truly were the things that go bump in the night! It was on those same trips up north that I was introduced to the things that went bump in the water…

I remember it clearly. We would get down to the dock very early, while my mother and little sister still slept, perhaps dreaming of that day’s chores and chasing butterflies, respectively (my mother never really had a vacation, even when she was on vacation). My dad would sip his coffee by the glowing remnants of the previous night’s fire as I quickly loaded the aluminum boat with our gear and our packed lunch of ham sandwiches and juice. When I was done my father would fire up the 9.9, sending puffs of blue smoke into the air, starling nearby water birds. A final check of our tackle and we were on our way. Mist danced across the waters surface as we cruised towards our fishing spot across the calm lake. I’d breath deeply through my nose, as the early morning air was frigidly cold yet always invigorating. Just before we reached our destination, my dad would slow the boat to a crawl and then cut the engine completely, allowing the craft to drift into position. It was then that I would peer into the deep water and marvel at the sunken forest we would float over – hundreds of titanic blackened logs, sitting perpendicular in the water column, motionless, ancient – their cut tops sitting mere inches below the surface. I tried moving a few, but they didn’t budge and inch - ...still sends shivers down my spine. In any event, my dad would anchor and we would get down to the job of fishing. I would typically throw a Ratting Spot for Pike and Bass with good success, and my Dad, as awlays, a Rapala.

On one particular cast I was reeling back to the boat and took notice of a dark shadow following my lure. When I got the lure to boat side I saw what I thought was the head of an alligator following it. I panicked and removed the lure from the water instead of doing a figure 8. My dad, unbeknownst to me, was watching the whole thing unfold, and quietly pulled a green wooden plug from his tackle box. Not saying a word, he tossed it out, using the same cast trajectory that I had delivered. Not five feet into the retrieve a giant fish boiled the water, his drag screamed and the fight was on. 15 minutes later, after pulling up anchor and following the beast (for a spell I even held the rod as my father drove the boat), an absolute gator of a Pike was flanking our aluminum boat, defeated, with a Creek Chub® Wooden Pikie® stuck in its snapping maw - I had never seen a fish so big.

The Pikie is a lure’s lure; an old-school plug that embodies the North Country, and the pursuit for mammoth predators. Harkening back to days gone by, this lure is constructed from wood and is equipped with heavy-duty internals that connect the quality hardware components directly with metal diving lip.

If you go looking for monsters, you'd best arm yourself appropriately.

The new Pikie is a proven monster fish catcher, as the plug swims with a distinctive rolling wobble that can enrage even the most cunning and weary of fish. The bait dives down to 7' on the retrieve, and trolls to 11'. The overall length of the bait is a whopping 8’’; and it weighs in at a hefty 3-3/8 oz.

Eight is great - If you fish for trophy predators (Pike, Musky, Peacock Bass etc.) you should be throwing monster lures at least some of the time to up your odds of hooking a true once in a lifetime fish, and the Pikie is just such a lure (available in a number of richly painted colours).

There is also a jointed version of the bait that can be found in 6 and 11 inch sizes. I currently own all three versions in my collection, and I can confidently say that they are my favorites above all else. There is just something about them that evokes nostalgia in me - perhaps it’s the 70 pound musky that a Pikie is reported to have once caught that thrills me, or perhaps it's my father's catch from that day long ago. I would recommend using a “broomstick” type Musky or big game type rod, matched to an equally substantial baitcaster and ultra-high test line for this bait. Note: because throwing this lure would be a workout unto itself, I also highly recommend trolling as a way of presenting the larger versions.

Topwater Bottom Line: The Pikie is a quality wooden lure, made with traditional methods and heavy duty materials. If you are looking for a salt or freshwater trophy fish bait, then this may be it. Lure appreciators should particularily take note. The Pikie is the center piece of my entire collection, as it truly captures the spirit of big game fishing for me. The bait is still available at the remarkably good price of 12.99 per unit (the 11 inch jointed model at 14.99 per unit; and the 6 inch at 5.99 per unit). As always, please practice catch and release with this lure.

Topwater Rating:

5 out of 5 bobbers

A heavy weight bait for heavy weight gear - Creek Chub's 11" Jointed Wooden Pikie.