JACK WOLLITZ This big game fish has a bad attitude

Big game fish with bad attitudes are the stuff of angling legend and lore.
Folks pay a lot of money to experience northwoods expeditions promising the thrill of jagged-tooth torpedoes racing through the water with lures stuck in their jaws.
Or they can visit a local lake.
Northern pike, some approaching trophy dimensions, are up and active right now, with the action peaking at Evans Lake in North Lima and Conneaut Lake near Meadville, Pa.
Evans opened April 13 and manager Larry Wehr said some good pike already have been checked in. At Conneaut Lake, meanwhile, the northerns are prowling the weedlines in search of springtime meals.
Spinnerbaits are good choices for those looking to hook up with a toothy pike. The lures enable anglers to cover a lot of water fairly quickly. You can experiment with the retrieve speed; a steady pace, slow to medium, is recommended. Avoid jerking the spinnerbait, as pike often miss a darting lure.
Live bait fishers catch a fair share of big pike, too. Large chubs and suckers are good offerings if you can find them.
Evans has been a consistently good producer of northerns over the years. The fish are in the shallows right now as they spawn and feed. The action should be pretty good right up until the lake closes May 16; Evans will reopen June 29.
In addition to Evans and Conneaut lakes, fishermen also score on pike in the spring at Mosquito Creek Reservoir. The lake was stocked -- accidentally -- many years ago and the resulting infusion started a population that has spawned successfully.
West Branch Reservoirs' tiger muskies also are on the move. Tigers are a cross between northerns and muskies and they willingly take lures of all shapes and sizes. Many a crappie angler has been startled to discover their minnow has been eaten not by a 10-inch crappie, but by a 40-inch missile that gets more angry by the moment.
Big time sponsors: Professional bass tournament angling opened a new chapter in sponsorship this week with the announcement by B.A.S.S. Inc. that it has signed four boat companies and two outboard manufacturers to promotional deals.
Beginning with the BASS Masters Classic in August in New Orleans, the BASSMASTER Tournament Trail will have two official boats and two official motors: Skeeter and Triton are the boat makers, while Yamaha and Mercury are the outboard brands.
What's more, Bass Cat and aluminum boat company G3 have signed on as associate sponsors.
The new era of "official" B.A.S.S. boats follows more than 30 years of involvement by the Ranger label. Ranger and B.A.S.S. last year announced that an extension of their relationship was unlikely.