Here is one of the most consistent tackle busters found in fresh water, and the best known member of the pike family, the northern pike. Probably no other fish has provided as many thrills to vacationing fishermen.
I say “vacationing fishermen” because local fishermen ordinarily look down their noses at northern pike. This, of course, is a matter of relativity and no doubt due to the fact that local fishermen tire of pike fishing and prefer other available species, such as largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleyes, trout, etc. All generally conceded to be better eating fish, especially by the locals.
However, when these other “better eating” fish go on a “no-strike” spree, it’s usually the northern pike who saves the vacation and gives the vacationer the thrill of his lifetime. They do have a few repulsive characteristics but no one who appreciates a rugged scrapper at the end of his line will sell the northern pike short. It belongs in any listing of fresh water game fish.
The first one I ever latched onto left me in a quandary. After battling this 8-pounder to a standstill and admiring its stamina, I reached for its jaw just as I had done to plenty of bass before. One look at those vicious teeth and I sat back puzzled. My companion grinned and said, “G’wan, grab him!”
“Grab him yourself,” I suggested. “I promised to bring ten fingers home and hate to go back on my word.” My companion then proceeded to advise me with these fishing tips for handling a northern pike.
“There are three safe ways to boat a big northern pike,” he went on. “One, and the safest of all, is to bash it on the noggin with a club. Two, is to bash it on the noggin with an oar. And three, just bash it on the noggin with anything big enough to bash with.
“Don’t ever bring a lively northern pike into the boat with you. I have seen too many torn hands and legs. Those rascals are mean and tough. The only safe northern is a bashed one!”
Of course, this method is not used by old hands at the game, but it is recommended for any tenderfoot who finds himself tied to a really big northern pike he wishes to bring in, safely.
Most old-timers I have met either hold northern pike by the eye sockets, paralyzing them until they are safely on the stringer, or use a gaff or net. Smaller ones can be safely handled by grasping them firmly behind the gills until the hooks are worked out.
If you don’t plan on keeping your catch, go to this article to learn a safe way to handle a pike that you plan to release. The article here describes a safe way to handle a pike without bashing it in the head.
I have dwelt overly long on the landing of a northern pike because it seems to pose no problem to most beginner fishermen to catch one of these roughnecks. They have plenty of fun playing it, but suddenly start to ponder over that menacing snout bristling with strong, needle-sharp teeth. Well, just remember, if it’s a big one, bash it unless you have been schooled in a better method.
Characteristics
The northern pike is often confused with the muskellunge and pickerel, the other two members of the pike family. You can positively identify the northern pike by the scaling which covers the cheeks and the upper halves of the gill covers; on the muskellunge only the upper halves of the cheeks and gill covers are scaled; and on the pickerel the entire cheek and gill cover are scaled.
Coloration is another marked characteristic, ordinarily. Light bean-shaped markings stand out against a darker background. The back is dark-olive, growing lighter on the sides, and the belly is a yellowish-white. Fins usually are spotted.
There are those who still insist that the northern pike loses its teeth during dog days, or stinking hot weather. However, ichthyologists insist this is not so, but declare they merely shed broken or old teeth and grow new ones during this period. Choose your own side, we’ll string along with the authorities.
The average size is 2 to 4 pounds, anything over 10 pounds is a dandy, 20 pounds and over is a whopper, top 30 pounds and fishermen will beat a path to your door.
Other Names
Great Northern Pike, Jack Pike, Jackfish, Snake, Pickerel, Northerner, Lake Pickerel, Grass Pickerel, Giant Pickerel and Common Pike.
Range
The northern pike is found all over the world, wherever suitable fresh water is available. I examined some excellent pictures of northern pike taken by a correspondent in England and, as usual, I was impressed by the difference in body conformation. Northern pike in Europe are much heavier overall, and most are pot-bellied, similar to a largemouth bass.
In North America they are found throughout the Great Lakes region, through the Mississippi valley, all over Canada and in Alaska.
Habitat
Wherever a fish can hide, there you may find a northern pike. Weed beds, lily pads, sunken logs, deep holes, pilings, reeds and large boulders are first class places to lay a bait.
Foods
Not particular about what it eats, just so it’s reasonably digestible, the northern pike is known to eat small fish of all kinds (even small northern pike), frogs, field mice, small birds, baby ducks, leeches, snakes, worms, crawfish and larger insects.
Artificial Lures
If ever a fish preferred one particular type of lure it is the northern pike. It is a sucker for a spoon, most any type will do just so it flashes and wobbles. And in plugs it seems to prefer a slow, lazy wobble to a fast beat in the action.
Also productive on occasion are bucktails, large flies, spinner-pork rind combinations, surface commotion-type lures, and most types of floating and diving plugs.
Methods and Tackle
Baitcasting brings in more northern pike than any other method using artificial lures. The rod should be 5 to 5 & 1/2 feet in length and of medium action. This stiffer rod is recommended for properly driving home the hooks, and will give you the backbone needed to turn a big one headed for the weeds.
Turn him, that is, if your line is strong enough. If you would maintain a safety margin, use at least a 15 to 20 pound test line. Some prefer an 8 to 15 inch wire leader but I like the results obtained from 3 to 4 feet of 12 to 15 pound monofilament. This takes away the excessive fraying caused by the short wire leader and I have yet to see a northern pike sever it. Any good, fast baitcaster reel will do the job.
The best baits are topped by the aforementioned spoons, preferably red and white. When spoons won’t produce, slow wobbling plugs or noisy surface lures frequently turn the trick. Pork chunk lures are excellent when the pike are in dense weeds. Find the fish and most any lure will work when they’re in a biting mood.
Trolling with baitcasting lures also produces a large number of northern pike. When plugs won’t pay off, then slip on a large sucker minnow, frog, or some other tooth-some morsel. A heavy action rod is recommended for this sport, and trolling should be done alongside weed beds or cover.
Fly fishermen will find a rough playmate in the northern pike and nothing short of a 6 & 1/2 to 7 ounce rod should be used, with a B or GAC line. The leader should be 4 to 6 feet of 12 to 15 pound monofilament, a short wire leader can be used at the end if you prefer. Large popping bugs, big streamers and fly rod spoons are tops for bringing the big ones out.
Standard spinning tackle is satisfactory, provided the line is increased to 10 or 12 pound test. Light 4 or 6 pound lines are far too inadequate for these brawlers. Any of the standard spinning lures, especially small spoons, will get you action. The rod should be strong enough to set the hook and pump the fish when it sounds.
Cane poling with large minnows and king-size bobbers will bring in about as many northern pike, and big ones, as any method. The old-timers working the holes and cover with a 15 to 18 foot pole are tough to top when the score is totaled.
Biological Tidbits
Here is a rather startling case of high birth mortality. The northern pike is about the poorest imaginable parent for the eggs simply are strewn over the bottom. They are left unguarded and as a result the fingerling production is somewhere around 1% of the total eggs laid.
A female some 3 feet in length will weigh around 10 pounds and will produce about 100,000 eggs; while a 16 inch female weighing some 12 ounces will release under 10,000 eggs.
Although variable, here is an average rate growth: 1st year, 7 to 12 inches; 2nd, 13-18 inches; 3rd, 19-26 inches; 5th, 26-36 inches; and 10th year 40-48 inches, or somewhere around 20 pounds. In some aquariums northern pike have been kept alive for 75 years.
Remember This
A characteristic of the northern pike on some days is to barely nip your plug, just enough to let you know it was a short strike. And it will do this time and again. When this happens, slip on a topwater plug and toss it into the same spot, allowing it to “soak” for a long minute. Then, just barely twitch it — and brace yourself, there it comes!