Thanks for the welcome!  This is a great site and im glad to have found it!

There is nothing really tough about handling pike.  Don't buy the hype.  If the fish is small enough to simply grab the fish just behind the gills, from the top, do it and hold on.  Will not hurt the fish or you.  A jaw spreader is very handy if you are fishing with multi hook lures.  In fact it is a godsend.  Keep the fish out of the water as little as possible if you want it to survive.

If the fish is too big (about 36 inches) to handle this way, then grab it under the lower jaw by the structure that runs down the center of the jaw-not in the mouth, directly below the mouth.  Use a jaw spreader if necessary to remove your lure.

I catch lots of northerns in Canada every year and net only the bigger ones, release them all, and have never been attacked successfully.  For the bigger ones, net them then grab them as above.

I expect this would work with muskies.

I hope no one really believes that the pike attacked the guy.  He was just nailed by a thrashing pike.  If he had held the fish with one hand by the back of the neck, or, just by the tail with one hand, and let the fish go when seemed revived, no problem.  The only time I have been bitten by a pike is when I put my hands into their mouth-there is nothing that can prevent a stupid act from nailing you.

this is realy good reading , this past summer ive been fishin at a golf course pond that has northern pike in it which i didnt know  ive never caught northern pike before and i was fishin for bass ,i caught two in a row on a spinnerbait  they were about two feet long and i just grabbed them by the gills and  used my long pair of pliers to unhook them i would hate to try and unhook a  bunch of treble hooks out of one of these things while they are thrashing about.

Up to 10 lbs you can get hold from above at the back of the head and just lift the fish out, to open the mouth lay the pike on its back , it is more docile and the mouth opens . Spreaders can be a bit harsh on the fish and I have never found the need . Some people wear gloves , the chain mail butchers gloves . I don't , BUT NEVER put your fingers in the mouth - use long pliers or forceps.

This one was caught on fly froma float tube.

Bob