Tooth and muscle

Every spring, summer and fall, armed with stout rods and heavy-duty fishing line, members of the North Idaho Pike Association go hunting.

They launch their boats and ply local waters, competing in tournaments across the Inland Northwest. Casting their lures into weedy bays, they search far and wide for the elusive Esox lucius - the northern pike.

Greenish-yellow, sharp-toothed and irascible, pike are known for their strength and size. They'll hit your bait like a sledgehammer, then strip all the line off your reel.

Some North Idaho monsters, the real trophies, can hit 30 pounds or more.

"They're such a big fish, and when they strike, they strike hard enough you feel the jolt all the way up your arm," said Bob Volz, president of the North Idaho Pike Association (NIPA). "We have some pike here that are bigger than what you get up in Canada."

Volz has been hunting pike since the late '80s. He moved to Spirit Lake in 1991, and about a decade later started up NIPA. Now boasting 14 boats and close to 30 members, the club has been in existence for nine years.

"What we try to do is bring people together that have a passion for pike fishing," Volz said. "You cannot get a better area (than North Idaho). It's an excellent area if you're a fisherman up here."

Club members vary in age. The youngest anglers are in their 20s, while others are much older. There's currently one woman in the club, Volz noted, and another might be joining this year.

"It can be anybody. As long as you have a fishing license," said Erin Beacham, the club's de facto press liaison. "It is a blast."

NIPA organizes many pike tournaments throughout the open-water season. The 2011 calendar features nine events in Idaho, Washington and Montana, on lakes, rivers and reservoirs.

Planning the tournaments is a time-consuming process - there are many logistical kinks to iron out. The club met last week at the Iron Horse in Coeur d'Alene to set up the season schedule.

"I think (the meeting) was great," Beacham said. "We had a really good turnout. Especially with the nice weather, and the ice melting, everybody is anxious to get on the water."

The NIPA season begins April 9 with a tournament on Hayden Lake. Boats will launch at Honeysuckle Landing.

Like most fishing tournaments, pike events are based on weight: The team that hauls in the heaviest catch wins.

"You're one cast away from being in the money," said Jeff Smith, owner of Fins & Feathers Tackle Shop in Coeur d'Alene. "If you cast out there and get that 25 to 30-pounder, bam, you're back in it."

Fins & Feathers, in conjunction with NIPA, runs a popular pike tournament on Lake Coeur d'Alene every spring. This year's event will begin April 30, and will launch out of Harrison. About 75 teams competed last year, Smith said.

NIPA's tournament policy is always catch-and release. The fish are caught, weighed and freed, a rule that ensures the survival of the species.

"They promote that style of fishing, and that's good," Smith said of NIPA. "They do a good job. Their tournaments are catch-and-release-based. Pike are a fish that can handle some harvest, but if you take all the big spawners out, you're going to have a tougher time down the road."

Northerns are not native to North Idaho, but the species prospered after being introduced in local waterways. Lake Coeur d'Alene is a first-rate pike fishery, as well as the Chain, Twin and Spirit lakes.

Fishing for pike is never short on excitement. Anglers flash a bucktail spinner along weed edges, or cast a big topwater plug. Everything is quiet and tranquil, and then, BOOM.

Even the smallest pike are usually quite aggressive and territorial.

Volz once hooked a 28-pounder on Twin Lakes. The club record is a Lake Coeur d'Alene leviathan that tipped the scales at 31 pounds. However, "The majority of the pike you catch are the 3 or 4-pounders," Volz said.

The fish can be found in local lakes, but also more obscure places. For instance, NIPA will host tournaments this year on Montana's Noxon Reservoir - a broad reach of the Clark Fork - and on the Pend Orielle River in Washington.

"It's really excellent on that (Pend Orielle) river," Volz said. "It's amazing how good fishing is there."

The tournament fee is $70 per team, but North Idaho Pike Association members receive a $20 discount. The club's initial membership fee is $70.

If you're interested in joining NIPA or would like more information, contact Bob Volz at 651-4547, or vice president Tim Hicks at 704-9266.