James RickardPike--another fish with teeth
November 12th 2008 02:30
The other day I talked about muskies. To a lot of anglers, you can't talk about muskies and not mention pike. It's only natural because they look similar, both have teeth, and can be some of the most fierce fresh water fish you find.
Pike or, depending on your area, pickerel, are usually brown or green in color with lighter splotches. Their coloration is used to their advantage as camouflage to ambush unsuspecting prey. Walleye are sometimes mistakenly called pickerel because the term is used to identify small pike. Although walleye are another fish with teeth, the two fish are unrelated. AND you must realize the comments about coloration are just guidelines! Pike are seldom a true green or a true brown. Often they are a combination of the two or shades of either color. When species can be found in North America, Europe, or Eurasia, you have to expect a little variation!
These brutes can grow to 6 ft. (a little under 2 meters) but weigh only 35 lb. which comes out to a little under 16 k. Often, the pike you catch are going to be smaller--around the 3-4 foot range.
Pike are carnivorous creatures so, that should give you some idea of baits. Unfortunately, they are also cannibalistic so young pike may have a rough time of it! Other fish usually make up their diet but pike have been known to feast on frogs, duck, or even snakes.
If pike are in the waters you're fishing, it's not uncommon to hook one using the lures or bait you're using for bass or similar sized species. If that's the case, make sure you check your hooks since the pike may be larger than your targeted fish and their weight may bend the tackle.
Pike fishing is convenient in one respect--they'll bite on live or dead bait. Realizing that, you may want to try night crawlers, herring, trout, or even sardines right from the store. For artificial bait, spinners, medium to deep diving artificial minnows, or spoons--especially the red and white variety-- are usually good bets. Just remember to use a wire leader because pike, like musky, can bite right through mono or super lines.
Hooking a pike can be unusual because they grab the bait, often from the side, swim off with the booty, and actually turn the bait so it's head first in the fish's mouth. This can lead to problems for the angler because you have to set the hook before this happens to prevent "gut hooking" the fish. For the uninitiated, "gut hooking" is something you run across in fishing where the fish swallows the hook and it ends up down the fish's gullet, often causing death if you try and remove the hook. Your best bet in this situation is to cut the line and hope the hook decays before the fish dies. Doing so is no guarantee the fish will live but, it's better than ripping its insides out in an effort to remove the hook! BUT you have to be careful if you cut your line. Don't forget pike have teeth and never hesitate to use them!
Until next time--watch yourself and watch your line!
Although this picture is from an aquarium, it shows how effective the pike's coloring can be.
These brutes can grow to 6 ft. (a little under 2 meters) but weigh only 35 lb. which comes out to a little under 16 k. Often, the pike you catch are going to be smaller--around the 3-4 foot range.
Pike are carnivorous creatures so, that should give you some idea of baits. Unfortunately, they are also cannibalistic so young pike may have a rough time of it! Other fish usually make up their diet but pike have been known to feast on frogs, duck, or even snakes.
A pike looks a LOT like a musky.
Pike fishing is convenient in one respect--they'll bite on live or dead bait. Realizing that, you may want to try night crawlers, herring, trout, or even sardines right from the store. For artificial bait, spinners, medium to deep diving artificial minnows, or spoons--especially the red and white variety-- are usually good bets. Just remember to use a wire leader because pike, like musky, can bite right through mono or super lines.
Hooking a pike can be unusual because they grab the bait, often from the side, swim off with the booty, and actually turn the bait so it's head first in the fish's mouth. This can lead to problems for the angler because you have to set the hook before this happens to prevent "gut hooking" the fish. For the uninitiated, "gut hooking" is something you run across in fishing where the fish swallows the hook and it ends up down the fish's gullet, often causing death if you try and remove the hook. Your best bet in this situation is to cut the line and hope the hook decays before the fish dies. Doing so is no guarantee the fish will live but, it's better than ripping its insides out in an effort to remove the hook! BUT you have to be careful if you cut your line. Don't forget pike have teeth and never hesitate to use them!
Until next time--watch yourself and watch your line!
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Comment by Teeg
Next year!
Comment by James Rickard
unlucky_ fishermen.com
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Thanks for dropping by! I REALLY get juiced up at the thought of going after fish like this on flies! I'm jot into TV fishermen but I often watch the guys on TV that go after sharks or the like.