Pike (Esox lucius)

 Pike - Freshwater Fishing at its Best

The sudden scream of a reel and the arching of your rod as you reel in what you thought was a 1lb roach provides the first clue that your catch has been taken by one of the world’s first class freshwater predators, the Pike. This may be the only clue you get as your line stretches to breaking point and you lose both the expectation of landing this magnificent fish and your end tackle in the process. However, with a little skill and some considerable patience you may land yourself a fish that is feared by some but is revered by those in the know.

With the current National rod caught record standing at a monstrous 21.23 kilos, (46lbs 13 oz), the pike offers the largest wild native coarse fish for the specimen angler. R. Lewis esq. caught the record in 1992 at Llandegfedd, Wales

A Formidable Predator

The design of the pike betrays its predatory life style. The "business end" of the pike consists of a large bony head, with prominent forward/upward looking eyes, a broad flattened snout and a large mouth. The mouth contains a "fierce arsenal" of teeth, with rows of backward pointing razor sharp teeth in the top jaw and larger needle-like teeth in the lower jaw. The head is mounted on a long torpedo shaped body with distinctive olive coloured upper flanks supporting cream camouflaged bars and spots. A large, broad and powerful tail with rearward positioned dorsal and anal fins propels the fish, providing great speed but limited manoeuvrability.

This design enables the pike to make "lightning strike" bursts of high-speed swimming to ambush unsuspecting prey from a concealed camouflaged position amongst the weed. Prey capture is quick and efficient. Once close to the prey the mouth is opened rapidly creating suction that draws the prey into the arsenal of entrapping teeth.

This ambushing "sit and wait" technique is the pike's preferred method for capturing healthy prey, and it is one for which it is supremely adapted at the expense of its ability to easily chase down fit prey. However, as every angler who has spun a lure knows, the pike is more than capable of chasing down injured or dying prey that are unable to avoid the gape of its mouth.

A Loner

Pike are generally solitary fish that defend ambush territories from the intrusion of other pike. Feeding studies have shown that this lifestyle improves the ambush efficiency of the lone fish, which grow at faster rates than individuals within an artificial shoal of pike. Size definitely matters in the pike world, the bigger you are the better you can defend your territory, the faster your ambush "strike" and the bigger the prey you can swallow, generally whole.

Cannibals

Cannibalism by pike on smaller individuals is well known. A number of studies have shown that a large proportion of the diets of larger pike consists of smaller pike. Given that these larger, generally greater than 10 lbs, pike are female, it definitely does not pay to be a male pike.

Occasionally dead pike are found that have attempted to eat another pike of a similar or even larger size. Unable to either swallow prey of this size or to release it from it's mouth the gorged pike is doomed to death, unable to feed further and with its last half finished "supper" protruding from its mouth. Clearly a case of having eyes bigger than ones stomach (or mouth in the pike's case).

Methods of Capture.

There are three main methods to tempt and catch Pike. Spinning, Lures and Baits. Of the three, the latter is the most popular. The bait can be a live-bait, a freshwater fish used with either a float or paternoster arrangement; this method is frowned upon in most circles. Alternatively, a dead-bait, a recently deceased freshwater fish or sea fish (whole or part) such as mackerel, herring or sprat presented on either a float, paternoster or leger set-up. When fished with floats or paternoster the bait should ideally be presented in a 'natural' position. A hook arrangement consisting of two trebles to a wire-trace hook link, positioned with the leading treble in the body to the rear of the gills or in the root of the pectoral fin, the second treble in the root of the dorsal fin. Legered baits can be hooked with the second hook in the tail, the first hook into the body. If fished at distance, the bait can also be bound to the trace to prevent loss. Some knowledge of the fishery is helpful in locating the Pike as it favours weed-beds, obstacles and underwater ledges or gullies. Strong tackle is highly recommended.