Northern pike
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- This article is about a fish. For turnpikes called Northern Pike, see Northern Turnpike. For the Canadian band, see The Northern Pikes.
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| Esox lucius Linnaeus, 1758 |
The northern pike, Esox lucius, is a carnivorous fish of brackish and freshwaters of the northern hemisphere. It is also known by the somewhat misleading folk-name, "water wolf".
Northern pikes are most often olive, shading into yellowish or whitish on belly with short, light barlike spots on body and some dark spots on the fins. The lower half of their gill cover lacks scales and they have large pores on their head and lower jaw. Unlike the similar-looking muskellunge, the northern pike has light markings on a dark body background and less than six pores on the underside of its jaw.
Pike grow to a relatively large size: lengths of 150 cm and weight of 25 kg are not unheard of. A non-metric measurement estimates the size of the northern pike as usually over 1 ft and running to over 4 ft, with a weight of 50 pounds. There are reports of far larger pike, but these are either misidentifications with its much larger relative the muskellunge, or simply have not been properly documented and belong in the realm of legend.
Pikes are found in sluggish streams and shallow, weedy places in lakes, as well as in cold, clear, rocky waters. The pike generally hides in wait for prey, holding perfectly still for long periods, and is then capable of remarkable acceleration, sometimes propelling it a meter into the air (though it rarely leaves the surface). It catches its prey sideways with its sharp teeth, in order to kill it, before turning lengthwise to swallow. It eats mainly fish, but on occasion water voles and ducklings have also been known to fall prey to pike. It is moreover a cannibal and this cannibalism serves in maintaining stability in the pike population. Young pike have been photographed eating pike of a similar size. Northern Pike also feed on others of their kind, insects, and leeches. It has a tremendous appetite.
Releasing pikes into lakes where it has previously been unknown often has a significant impact on the local ecosystem. Trout populations in particular tend to drop dramatically. There are northern pike populations in eastern New York, northern New England, most of Canada (though pike are rare in British Columbia), Alaska, the Ohio Valley, the Great Lakes basin and surrounding states, Missouri, and Nebraska.
While a worthy adversary for any rod and line fisherman, pike are often caught and released by fishermen since its flesh is bone-filled. However, the larger fish can be filleted, and pike have had a long and distinguished history in cuisine and are popular in Germany, with historical references to its cooking going back as far as the Romans. Pike have very white, mild flesh, and are considered one of the best tasting freshwater fish. When eating pike, be sure to chew carefully, as their "y-bones" are not always easily visible.
Fishing for pike is very exciting with their explosive hits and aerial acrobatics. The pike are some of the biggest freshwater fish.
Northern pike occasionally breed with muskellunge to produce tiger muskellunge (Esox masquinongy immaculatus), a muskellunge subspecies. 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).
The northern pike gets its name from its North American habitat and its resemblance to the pole-weapon known as the pike (Esox also means "pike"). It's also known as the American pike, common pike, great northern pike, Great Lakes pike, grass pike, pickerel, snake, northern, and jackfish. Numerous other names are found listed by Weed in Field Museum Zool. Leaflet Number 9.
[edit] See also
- Muskellunge
- Fishing for pike
- Esox
[edit] References
- Esox lucius (TSN 162139). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 8 December 2004.
- "Esox lucius". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. October 2004 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2004.
- 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.
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