I just started fishing for northerns in a specialist way this year and am so far delighted with it. I've had some follows from the larger than usual fish, but haven't caught any yet.
The great sight is when a big one looms like a submarine behind my spinner bait. Very beautiful. It makes me want to see it again.
One thing I've decided on with these fish is to use only single-hook lures with the barbs filed off. Because of their sometimes explosive nature when removing the hook, there's just too much chance of injuring a person or the fish if too much twisting and pulling of the hook is needed.
I've been using 1/2 to 1 ounce spinner baits. Is there some other kind of bait I can add to my arsenal that will work well without using a bunch of treble hooks? Big fish in my area run from 5 to 10 pounds, with some obviously larger and I estimate perhaps 15 pounds. There may be bigger ones, but I don't really want to target them.
thanks.