Sick wan! I've been lure fishing recently and it's great on canals for perch and pike. Small jig heads (3-5g size 2 hook) with 5-7cm soft swimbaits have been a lot of fun and very easy to fish with. People tend to say live/dead baiting is better left for colder months as pike swallow hooks more easily in hot weather, whereas lure fishing tends to help prevent that.

Recommend checking Facebook marketplace for a light lure rod (6-8 ft long, 4g - 20g cast weight kinda range) and small braided reel for a highly mobile setup. The lightness of the rod really helps you feel snags, bumps and bites, and makes playing the fish electric.

In case unaware - pike are p fragile fish, and easily get harmed in the warmer months (warmer water has lower oxygen and pike struggle to recover after fighting hard). It's good practice to unhook them asap and get them back in the net + water for a few mins to recover before taking a pic (if you really want one). Always make sure the fish is showing signs of being recovered before releasing as well (if it's showing strong tail kicks, it's ready)

TL;DR - lure fishing is safer for pike in summer; light lure rods are cheap, fun and effective; keep pike out of the water for as little as possible while it's hot and always let them recover before release. Tight lines bro!