I was a professional pike guide in northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba. During that time, I spent more than 100 days a year leading anglers to trophy pike. Over the period, I learned quite a bit about northern pike, Esox lucius, their habits and the fishing techniques to catch this magnificent game fish.

Here are a few of my experiences and observations from 40 years as a pike angler and guide.

My first monster pike came when I was 5 years old. A 30-plus pound fish shot from under the boat and inhaled my five-of-diamonds Len Thompson as I lifted it from the water. Uncle Ed, my angling partner for the day, grabbed the rod as it was ripped from my tiny fingers. He thumbed the old level wind reel, with no new-fangled drag, all to no avail. The monster headed for the shelter of the weed bed and was gone. While we did not land the fish and it was a long time ago, the memory of that fish is vivid and plays a key role in my life-long obsession with trophy pike.

I began guiding for pike professionally when I was 16. By the time I was 25, I had guided on many of the top northern pike waters in Central Canada. Then, pike fishing etiquette was not what it is today. Pike were rarely a target species and were disparaged as a game fish. Catch-and-release was unheard of for trophy pike. Commercial fishermen threw pike on the shore to die on the grounds that they destroyed valuable nets. A particularly vivid memory is from a trip to the Churchill River in 1970. Hundreds of monster pike had been tossed on shore by commercial fishermen. They believed reducing the numbers of big pike would protect commercially more valuable walleyes and whitefish.

Fortunately, times have changed. Anglers, resort owners, tackle shop proprietors and many others now recognize trophy northern pike as wonderful game fish and generators of economic activity. Catch-and-release, often with barbless hooks, is practiced at most top-flight pike destinations. For many anglers, northern pike are now the "species of choice."

The following are a few of my thoughts and observations

Back when dinosaurs still inhabited our planet someone took a long piece of strong muscle, add powerful teeth to one end, give it a big appetite and a mean disposition and Esox Lucius more company know as the Northern Pike was born and unchanged by evolution it lurks in a variety of fresh water ecosystems ruling the waters at the top of the food chain.

Northern pike are a master freshwater predator. In most systems where they are found, pike are the top-of-the-food-chain predator.

Understanding the basic movements of northern pike will makes the pursuit a little easier to figure out.

In North America, pike are distributed widely. Native regions include Canada and the United States in the Great Lakes basin and northward. Stocking has increased the range of the pike. Pike are also found in northern Europe with Belgium, Germany, England, Ireland and Sweden having major angling interest.

While Esox lucius is the species most of us know, subspecies include the Amur pike, Esox reicherti, in the Amur River region separating Siberia and Manchuria, and the pike in Siberia, principally in the Ob’ River, Esox lucius baicalensis.

Pike, as is true with many other critters, are dependent on the quality of their habitat. Prime pike habitat is found in mesotrophic lakes with abundant eutrophic areas. Pike are found in areas of aquatic vegetation, particularly various pond weed species (often called pike weed or cabbage). Large pike are cold water fish and after shoreline areas warm, they seek deeper, colder water. Smaller pike, up to 7- or 10-pounds, usually remain in shallow water near shore.

Optimal water temperatures for pike range from 19° to 25° C (66°-77° F).

Adult pike feed almost exclusively on other fish, principally on suckers and yellow perch. Research shows the optimum size of prey for pike, that is the prey that maximizes reward for effort, is about one-third the length of the predator. A 30-inch pike is best served by a 10-inch prey. Suckers and yellow perch are both elongated species, easier for pike to swallow than rounder bluegills or bass. No doubt, as suggested by many tales, adult pike also eat a variety of other prey -- crayfish, frogs, even ducklings.

Growth of pike is a function of density of pike, water quality, and abundance of food. As is true with other fish species, many lakes have large numbers of small pike that compete for inadequate food supplies. Once small pike take over, the population rarely holds trophies as the small fish cull the prey.

Pike grow to much larger sizes in Europe than in North America. The North American record is a 20.97 kilo (46-pounds, 2-ounces) fish taken in Sacandaga Reservoir in New York, in 1940.

Life Cycle of Pike

Spawning

Izaak Walton in The Compleat Angler, accepted the ancient proposition that weeds, in appropriate ponds, became pike. We now know better.

Pike accumulate near spawning areas usually before winter ice melts, probably a result of photo period stimuli. In warmer regions, pike may mature in a single year, but more typically mature pike are 2- or 3- years old. Generally, pike seek shallow water with dark bottoms to spawn. Shallow marshes are prime spots. High water which floods otherwise dry marshes usually result in a large year class of pike.

Actual spawning takes place in late afternoon when water temperatures are at a peak for the season. The optimum temperature for the pike spawn is between 40° and 50° F. In the event of an unusually late spring, pike may spawn under the ice. In southern portions of the pike range, spawning takes place in March or April. In northern reaches, spawning may take place as late as July.

Post-spawn

After spawning, pike disperse. Among the spots that attract trophy pike in the post-spawn period are the mouths of creeks with spawning suckers. In much of the pike range, a group of white pelicans hanging around a small creek will be a dead "give away" that pike are also in the area.

In addition to dispersing, post-spawn pike also recuperate from the spawning effort. Within a week or 10-days, this effort is usually completed.

The post-spawn may be the best opportunity of the year to catch a trophy. In northern Canada, for example, monster pike congregate in pods of 5- to 30-fish in shallow, warm water bays. Warmer water may serve to speed metabolism, forage behavior, and recovery. In any event, trophy pike are available to anglers during this period.

Trophy pike gradually move toward deeper and cooler water and forage on open water pelagic species. Smaller pike linger in shallower water all summer.

Summer

Once several warm days in a row, pike establish summer patterns. Trophies generally move to deep water, though cool water creeks often congregate big fish in shallow water. Rock humps or points also attract big pike in summer; they can move from deep water to shallow water with minimum effort.

Summer time is classic, fish the weedbeds, time for pike. Large numbers of mid-sized pike congregate in and around weedbeds, pond weeds (also called pike weed or cabbage), pencil reeds, and lily pads. They forage on small fish, particularly shiners, suckers, or bullheads. Surface temperatures are in the mid-70° range in much of pike country.

Mid-size, of course, varies from region to region. In prime pike country in northern Canada, mid-size pike range from 8- to 15-pounds. In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, in most lakes mid-size pike are in the upper 20-inches.

Fall

Long about the time ice begins to rim northern lakes on chilly mornings, only to melt rapidly, one of the best times for trophy pike begins.

Trophy pike move shallow again in a sort of fall feeding frenzy. Weedbeds may still be a key location, as long as the weeds remain green. Frost and waves break up weeds and dying weeds pull dissolved oxygen from the water as they decay.

Feeding is a major autumn pike activity. Rocky humps, shoals, and points are spawning locations for pelagic bait fish. Monster pike suspend off such spots to intercept the movement of spawning ciscoes.

Winter

In much of the range of northern pike, lakes and some rivers freeze over. Metabolism of cold water species, like pike, slows. Pike are found close to prey rather than close to structural elements like humps, shoreline cover or other spots where pike are found in open water. Pike often feed during winter on dead, but not rotted, prey which has sunk to the bottom.

Pre-spawn

Before the ice melts, pike start moving toward spawning areas. While heading toward spawning locations, pike are nonetheless seeking something good to eat. They are opportunistic feeders during this period, chowing down on small fish, including dead fish, perhaps a duckling or some other critter that gets in the way.

Northern pike are adapted for shallow waters, moderately nutrient rich, eutrophic environments. Pike generally select shallower, vegetated water up to 4m(12ft) deep, usually not further than 300m(300yds) from shore. Aquatic vegetation seems crucial to Northern Pike success, although some have a dissenting opinion. Juveniles stay mostly near shore where there are covering plants. Adult Pike stay close to weed beds during summer, mostly in 1.5m(4ft) feet of water or shallower. Later, during fall, they frequently select deeper holes with steep sides. Winter, depending on ice thickness, Pike move into 4m(12ft) and deeper waters.

Northern Pike location seems to be connected with prey. Pike will also habituate connected sloughs as well as more torpid rivers. Experienced guides look for Northern Pike in lake areas that have aquatic vegetation

Northern Pike ae found in will migrate downstream towards salty oceans, tolerating brackish waters and caught by commercial fishermen in the adjacent salt-water inlets. It is assumed that pike only use brackish or salty water as hunting areas for short durations. Pike require a dissolved oxygen content of 3 mg/l and a Ph between 6 and 8.7 is critical for northern pike survival. 

Northern Pike are opportunistic feeders that reflect species availability. Prey that are spindle shaped are preferred, juvenile northern pike 10-12.5 mm (4-5 in.) are reported to feed on crustaceans and aquatic insects; juvenile pike feed on aquatic insects with reliance on smaller fishes increasing as size increases; adults feed mainly on smaller fish though as are opportunistic feeders they will include a variety in their diet including frogs, crayfish, ducks and ducklings.

Growth is regulated by Northern Pike density, water transparency, and abundance of food. Above 21°C(70°F) water temperatures will limit growth and overall size.

Northern pike fry are very adaptable, and are successful in wide ranging conditions. There is no documented success in angler control of northern pike populations. Observations on the food selectivity by Northern Pike increased doubts of the effectiveness of using Pike to control pan fish populations, and it appears that soft-rayed food fishes promote good growth of northern pike. Northern Pike are ineffective in controlling an overabundance of feed. Experimentally, Northern Pike removal in small select lakes utilizing trap-netting and unfettered angling was ineffective in altering population size structure.

Growth rate of fry varies with latitude. Stunted growth is observed where there is a lack of prey typically associated with high-density populations. When habitat is widely available and with removal by angling, netting or trapping, a compensatory response is triggered which results in an increase of small size Pike. The maximum weight of near a hundred pounds is reported in Europe. North American all-tackle Northern Pike world record weighed 20.97kg(46lbs2oz) caught in New York, USA in 1940. Class records range from 9-18kg(20-40lbs).

As a result of their eating habits, young pike grow rapidly in both length and weight. Females become sexually mature at age three or four years, and males at two to three years. Beyond sexual maturity, pike continue to gain weight, although more slowly.

Northern pike in the warmer, southerly section of its range can spawn at one year of age, but for the majority spawning occurs at two years. Typically 1% will spawn at one year of age, 84% are of between 2-5 years, and only 15% was over 5 years of age. In streams Pike have been seen spawning as far as 15km(9mi) from the lake mouth. Incubation occurs when the water temperature is in a range of between 7-15°C (45-6o°F) A 350g(o.75lb) female Pike produces 9-10,000 eggs, whereas a 10-pound female may produce 100,000 plus eggs. Embryonic stage lasts from 10 to 14 days.

In the spring, soon after ice out, Northern Pike migrate from lakes into tributary streams if available. Northern Pike will also spawn in shallow marshes with flooded and aquatic vegetation. Spawning activity peaks during afternoons in the marsh area of lakes and connected sloughs. Temperature, light intensity, as well as vegetation are reported to stimulate spawning. Duration can range from a few days to more than a month. Northern Pike seem not to use cattails for spawning, selecting instead dense plant mats as a preferred egg substrate be it grasses, sedges, or rushes.