Life of a Northern Pike and How to Fish for Pike

Northern pike are a top-level predator of fresh waters, and a popular species to fish for. This video discusses the biology of the northern pike, spawning activity, and how to catch a pike with fishing tackle.

#fishing
#howtofish
#learntofish

with bullet-like speed and hundreds of sharp teeth on its jaws and the roof of its mouth the northern pike is a fierce Ambush predator of freshwaters around the world Pikes sit at the top of the Aquatic food web swallowing frogs ducklings squirrels other Pike and anything else they can shove into their giant mouths northern pike prefer to hang around shallow areas of lakes and streams warm well-vegetated areas tend to hold the greatest abundance of northern pike although this type of habitat favors an abundance of smaller Pike big Pike tend to to stay in cooler deeper areas with sparse vegetation the small Pike are smart to avoid the larger ones who are more than happy to eat their younger brothers and sisters Pike Thrive best in waters with moderate levels of dissolved nutrients they’re considered a cool water species struggling at temperatures over 77° Fahrenheit and experiencing optimal growth rates around 68° for adults and 73° for young Pike the best recipe for big fast growing Pike is a cool deep lake with an abundance of large for forage like suckers shiners or cisos like their cousins the muscal lunge and piols Northern Pike are strongly associated with aquatic vegetation they use aquatic plants as spawning substrate Nursery areas for their young and Ambush cover for the adults the plants most often used for spawning are the bases of flooded sedges grasses and bull rushes tall large pond weeds and mixed stands of aquatic plants are most likely to hold large Pike during the majority of the Year these fish can reach speeds of over 10 mph as they dart out to Ambush their unsuspecting prey with a long torpedo like body thick slime coat and fins concentrated near the back like an arrow their prey don’t even see them coming Pike also have pores on their head that assist their lateral line system in detecting vibrations and disturbances in the water because of this a pike can follow the path of its prey even when the prey can’t be seen in the winter and spring it’s common to catch Pike with red circular sores on their body these are from a disease called lymphosarcoma and the sores can develop into large bulging tumors this disease will not spread to humans but it can be transferred between Pike contacting each other during spawning it can also be spread to healthy Pike through Landing Nets or fish mats that were previously used with diseased fish Pikes start to seek out spawning habitat as soon as the ice starts to break up males are sexually mature at only 1 to 2 years old and females at 2 to 3 years old most spawning happens when the water is between 34 and 50° f a mature female full of eggs will head into a shallow area or a flooded Wetland where one or more males will follow and vibrate against her upwards of 50,000 eggs can be laid by a single large female these fish are known as broadcast spawners meaning that their sticky eggs are scattered directly on aquatic vegetation where the eggs can be continuously supplied with oxygen by the water currents eggs will hatch within a couple of weeks the young Pike are fed by their yolk sack for several days and then begin eating small invertebrates and eventually each other birds and large invertebrates like dragonfly larvae and giant water bugs will also Feast on the young Pike brighter warmer weather conditions trigger the young to start moving out of wetlands and into larger bodies of water one to two-year-old Pike are often called snakes or Hammer handles a reference to their long narrow shape by the time it reaches 3 years old a pike has typically grown to about 18 in 24 in by Age 4 and 30 to 36 in by age six the most important habitat for producing healthy Pike is shallow vegetation and connected wetlands without this critical spawning habitat and Nursery zone for young Pike populations steadily decline studies of Pike populations in lakes with heavily Disturbed shorelines full of rocks Lawns and seaw walls found the pike to be below average in abundance and size even for beginners Pike are fairly easy to catch a medium power rod with 10 to 20 lb line is ideal spooled on a spinning reel or a bait caster Pike are very aggressive and like to chase down lures that make a lot of noise or vibration like spinner baits inline Spinners paddletail swim baits crankbaits frogs and spoons use a heavy leader when you know a lot of around they’re very good at biting the line and stealing your lures and after you catch one be sure to hold it tightly behind the head so it doesn’t launch out of your hands thanks for watching we’ll catch you next time