What is the best bait to catch northern pike with?

I have seen people use herring or some kind of fish like herring they just use a bobber big enough to suspend the bait with a two hook rig most likely a sliding hook rig,.And just use big sized lures that look like fish or ones that look like mice or this it will sound stupid but a kid when i lived in Fairbanks,Alaska his father rigged a rubber duck to have hooks on it and his son almost beat the world record with that little rubber duck homemade lure or he matched the record can't remember.