NORTHERN PIKE

:''This article is about the fish. For the Canadian band, see The Northern Pikes.''
The 'northern pike' (known as the 'pike' in Britain), ''Esox lucius'', is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and freshwaters of the northern hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are also known by the somewhat misleading folk name, "water wolf".

Contents

Geographic distribution

Description

Alternate forms

Habitat

Importance to humans

Sport fishing

Etymology

See also

References

Gallery

Geographic distribution

''E. lucius'' is found throughout the northern hemisphere, including Russia, Europe, the British Isles, and North America.
Within North America, there are northern pike populations in northern Minnesota, eastern New York, northern New England, most of Canada (though pike are rare in British Columbia), Alaska, the Ohio Valley, the upper Mississippi and its tributaries, the Great Lakes Basin and surrounding states, Missouri, and Nebraska. They are also stocked in some western lakes and reservoirs as game fish.

Description

Northern pike are most often olive, shading into yellow to white along the belly. The flank is marked with short, light barlike spots and there are a few to many dark spots on the fins. The lower half of the gill cover lacks scales and they have large sensory pores on their head and on the underside of the lower jaw which are part of the lateral line system. Unlike the similar-looking and closely related muskellunge, the northern pike has light markings on a dark body background and fewer than six sensory pores on the underside of each side of the lower jaw.
Pike grow to a relatively large size; lengths of and weights of 25 kg (55 pounds) are not unheard of. The heaviest specimen known so far was caught in an abandoned stone quarry, in Germany, in 1983. She (all pike over 8 kg (18 pounds) are females) was long and weighed 31 kg (67 pounds). The longest pike ever recorded was 152 cm long and weighed 28 kg (61 pounds). Historic reports of giant pike, caught in nets in Ireland in the late 1800s, of 41 to 42 kg (89 to 92 pounds), were researched by Fred Buller and published in "The Doomsday Book of Mammoth Pike". The British Isles have not managed to produce much in the way of giant pike in the last 50 years or so however; therefore there is substantial doubt surrounding those earlier claims. Currently, the IGFA recognizes a 26 kg (55 pound) pike caught by Lothar Louis in Lake of Grefeern, Germany, on 16 Oct, 1986 as the all-tackle world record northern pike. Northern pike in North America seldom reach the size of their European counterparts; one of the largest specimens known was a 21 kg (46 pound, 2 ounce) specimen from New York state. It was caught in Great Sacandaga Lake on September 15, 1940 by Peter Dubuc. There are reports of far larger pike, but these are either misidentifications of the pike's much larger relative the muskellunge, or simply have not been properly documented and belong in the realm of legend.

Alternate forms

Northern pike occasionally breed with muskellunge to produce the hybrid commonly known as the tiger muskellunge[1] (''Esox masquinongy x lucius'' or ''Esox lucius x masquinongy''[2], depending on the gender of each of the contributing species). In the hybrids, the males are almost invariably sterile although the females are sometimes fertile.[3] Another form of northern pike, the silver pike, is not a subspecies but rather a mutation that occurs in scattered populations. Silver pike, sometimes called silver muskellunge, lack the rows of spots and appear silver or silvery-blue in color. (Craig, 1).

Habitat

Pike are found in sluggish streams and shallow, weedy places in lakes, as well as in cold, clear, rocky waters. Pike are typical ambush predators; they lie in wait for prey, holding perfectly still for long periods and then exhibit remarkable acceleration as they strike. The fish has a distinctive habit of catching its prey sideways in the mouth, killing or immobilising it with its sharp teeth, and then turning the prey lengthwise to swallow it. It eats mainly fish, but on occasion water voles and ducklings have also been known to fall prey to pike. Pike will aggressively strike at any fish in the vicinity, even at other pike. Young pike have been found dead from choking on a pike of a similar size. Northern pike also feed on frogs, insects and leeches. It has often been suggested that pike optimally forage on prey that are from 25 to 35% of their body length.

Importance to humans

Although generally acknowledged as a "sporting" quarry, most anglers release pike they have caught because the flesh is considered bony, especially due to the substantial (epipleural) "Y-bones". However, the larger fish are more easily filleted, and pike have a long and distinguished history in cuisine and are popular fare in Europe. Historical references to cooking pike go as far back as the Romans. The flesh is white and mild-tasting. Fishing for pike is said to be very exciting with their aggressive hits and aerial acrobatics. Pike are among the largest freshwater fish.
Because of their prolific nature and their aggressiveness as predators, laws have been enacted in some places to help stop the spread of northern pike outside of their native range. For instance, in the State of Maine, anglers are required, by law, to remove the head from a pike once it has been caught.
Elsewhere, notably in the British Isles, pike are highly-prized as a sporting fish and they are returned alive to the water in order to safeguard future sport and maintain the balance of a fishery. [Pike Anglers Club] has campaigned to preserve pike since 1977. It argues removal of pike from waters can lead to an explosion of smaller fish, so damaging both the sport fishery and the natural balance.

Sport fishing

Pike angling is becoming an increasingly popular pastime in the UK and Europe. Effective methods for catching this hard fighting fish include dead baits, lure fishing, and jerk baiting. They are prized as game fish for their determined fighting and have been food fish since ancient times. In recent decade more and more pikes are released back to the water after catching (catch and release). They can easily be damaged when handled. Since they have very sharp teeth and the teeth are numerous, it is wise to take extreme care when unhooking the pike. The angler also needs to take great care when unhooking a caught pike, as to not harm the gills. It is recommended that barbless trebles are used when angling for this species as it vastly simplifies unhooking. Unhooking should be accomplished using long forceps—30 cm artery clamps are ideal. The pike should be kept out of the water for the minimum amount of time possible, and should be given some time to recover before being weighed and photographed.
The Pike Anglers Club was formed in 1977 to campaign for the preservation of the pike and the sport of pike fishing.

Etymology

The northern pike gets its name from its resemblance to the pole-weapon known as the pike (from the Middle English for pointed). The genus name, ''Esox'', comes from the Greek and Celtic for "big fish" and "salmon" (see Esox: Name). Various other unofficial trivial names are: American pike, common pike, great northern pike, Great Lakes pike, grass pike, pickerel, snake, northern, and jackfish. Numerous other names can be found in ''Field Museum Zool. Leaflet Number 9''.

See also

★ Muskellunge

★ Esox

References

★ New Jersey fact sheet on tiger musky

★ An image of a tiger muskie

★ NAS - USGS fact sheet on tiger musky

★

★

★ Broughton, Bruno. "A Review of the Scientific Basis for Pike Schools". N.p., 2000.

★ Craig, John F. ed. ''Pike: Biology and Exploitation.'' Chapman & Hall, London. 1996 pp. 1.

★ Eddy S, Surber T. ''Northern Game Fishes'' Univ. of Michigan Press, 1943.

★ La Monte Fancesca. ''North American Game Fishes'' Doubleday & Company, Inc. 1950 pp. 126.

★ Weed Alfred C. ''Pike, Pickerel, and Muskellunge.'' Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Dept. of Zoology, Leaflet No. 9, 52 pp., 8 plates.

Gallery