Roger's Angling Pages
The Pike Esoc lucius		Pike family Esocidae

The Pike is the most popular predatory fish of inland waters. Its powerful teeth and wide-open mouth are reminiscent of a crocodile's head. Quick darts after prey are made possible by the rear location of its dorsal fin. Its teeth are renewed from time to time and their slanting position stops the prey escaping. The green shade of its body with yellowish dots is vital for lengthy stays in the aquatic undergrowth, where the Pike can find plenty of hideouts and food. Small Pike are slender and more colourful. The older fishes, especially the females, have robust bodies. The Pike is widespread in Europe, where it can be found not only in fresh water but also in brackish water off the coasts (apart from the southern ones). It also occurs in Asia, in the rivers flowing into Lake Aral, and in North America. It mainly lives a solitary existence and always in one spot; it frequents slow-running or still waters and rarely undertakes journeys outside its locality. Its length is usually about 1 m and its weight , between 20 and 30 lb. In Siberia its upper weight limit is said to be 140 Ib. It grows relatively quickly, larger Pike putting on weight faster than smaller ones whilst the females grow more quickly and live longer than the males.

The breeding season is in early spring from February to May, according to how warm it is. The female lays hundreds of thousands of eggs, according to its size, and deposits them on the recently flooded vegetation, close to the river banks. For sporting purposes in natural waters the breeding of Pike by natural means does not result in a sufficient number of fishes; Pike are therefore transplanted from the hatcheries as larval or several-month-old fishes, at which time they are 5 to 8 cm long. In places where dams have been constructed on 'Pike' rivers their number increases, as in the first few years after flooding such places provide excellent conditions for natural breeding on the freshly flooded vegetation. After several years, owing to the fluctuation in the water level and the consequent removal of vegetation from the banks, the natural Pike population rapidly declines. Because it grows quickly the Pike has even been located in places where it did not exist before, for example it thrives in Spain, where large increases in its length and weight have been recorded.

The larval Pike starts to look for food soon after hatching from the egg; at first it eats plankton, later the fry of other fishes and even those of its own close relatives are not spared. If there are Perch and Roach in the Pike's neighbourhood, these always constitute the largest part of its diet, some fifty to seventy per cent, in fact. I t is known that for a 2 lb increase in weight Pike eat 8 to 12 lb of smaller, insignificant types of fishes. Feeding does not stop in winter; on the contrary valuable types offish begin to form a large portion of its food. The Pike therefore is not a welcome resident of Trout lakes and streams, as it can destroy large numbers of Trout and Charr. I t often attacks prey which are only a little smaller than itself and it is not unknown for two Pike of similar size to be found, one trying to eat the other.

The Pike presents the angler with many possibilities for interesting fishing. Peaceful autumn weather and the early hours of the morning are the best time for it. In autumn when its sex glands start producing new secretions, the Pike becomes very voracious, the female more so than the male. In Canada, the U.S.A., Finland and other countries it is customary to fish for it in winter, under the midday sun and on the frozen surface of large rivers and lakes. Fishing with live fishes (for example Crucian Carp, Perch, Gudgeon and Roach) is most common, in which case a long rod with a strong tip section is most useful and the shallows near the banks are the best location. A large float is essential to hold the live bait near the water surface. The hook is at the end of a wire trace to prevent the pike biting through the line. After the bait is taken, line is released and when it stops and is then taken again the hook is firmly embedded. Fishing with spinners and plugs definitely shows the most sportsmanship. When using this method, the venue is changed and the Pike has to be searched for. When trailing with a suitable spinning rod, a casting reel with a sufficient length of line of 7 to 9 lb breaking strain and of course a wire trace are used. In dense undergrowth plugs are often successful if worked along the water surface. The fish is finally landed by a large net or gaff.