What are some good tactics for Pike fishing in the summer?

I am going on a fishing trip up to Ontario this summer, around early July. Ive never done any serious pike fishing before, other than on occasion when i was little. We used to catch small 5-10 lb ones in the shallow lilly pads, but i know there were bigger ones out there. I was wondering what kind of advice you might have for fishing for Northern Pike in the summer (especially the large males). Best kind of lures (spoon vs spin lures), shallow vs. deeper (15 ft) water, What test lb# on Monofilament..best type of vegetation to look for..etc...Thanks!