Every decade or so Seneca lake in NYS has good pike fishing and the techniques may be applicable in PA. In good pike years the shallows get thick with milfoil weeds and no angler can catch much in the mess in summer. By some time in November the weeds die back, but some patches remain and all the pike are concentrated near the remaining clumps of weed. So the strategy is the run and gun to each patch of weeds throwing 5" streamers with some action around the edges and then hitting the next clump. The spinning alternatives are a Zoom fluke on a light jig head or some kind of jerk bait. I imagine some PA lakes have the same situation.
FYI, the pike fishing in Seneca is weird. Pike are native to the Finger Lakes and there is always some fishery, especially in the weed beds at the shallow Northern ends. But once in a blue moon there will be a fabulous year class that just gets bigger and breeds more. However, when the density gets too high some disease knocks the population down and you need to wait years until it is hot again.
