We used a portable, field-based approach (hereafter referred to as Biomeme approach) and a standard lab-based approach (hereafter referred to as lab approach) to analyze field water samples for northern pike ((Esox lucius) DNA. The Biomeme approach included a field-capable DNA extraction, a shelf-stable assay, and a portable real-time PCR thermocycler. The lab approach included lab-based DNA extraction, a lab-bound assay, and a benchtop real-time PCR thermocycler. Here, we provide raw data (detect, no detect) for each approach.