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The northern pike goes by many names, great northern pike, American pike, jackfish, the great northern pickerel, and these are just to name a few. However, northern pike, is the most common name used. Appearance wise, they are an ill-natured looking fish. They are spear shaped and kind of resemble the salt-water barracuda. Most fish with this type of shape tend to be aggressive fish and the northern pike is no exception. It has earned its nickname " the water wolf." The jaws, roof of the mouth, tongue, and gill rakers are armed with numerous sharp teeth that are constantly being replaced. Kind of reminds you of a shark.
The fish is a member of the Esocidae family of pike. It is often confused with the muskie, and pickerel fish that are members of the same family. The best way to identify a northern pike is by the lighter kidney shaped spots against a darker back-round, usually green are yellowish. Tiger muskie and pickerel, will have darker spots are stripes against a lighter back-round. Another distinction of the northern pike is the number of pores under each side of the lower jaw, they will almost always have five pores on each side. The musky will have more and the pickerel will have less. The musky tend to get a little bit bigger and the pickerel is a smaller fish compared to the pike.
Typically, pike get anywhere from 16 to 30 inches long and weigh between 2 and 7 pounds on average. The female pike lives longer and as a result they get bigger. Now if you are fishing in Canada, you can routinely catch 20 pound pike. In Alaska, 30 pound pike that are 4 feet long are possible. The North American record is a 46 pound 2 ounce pike caught in New York back in 1940.
In the United States, it is found south of Maine in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts and in all the Great Lake states. This fish has even been introduced to some of the southern states and most western states. There popularity is rising, as they make for a great photo-op are a great trophy on the mantle. They fight hard and are very exciting to catch. Many people don't know this, but they taste great.
About this Author
Author: Jamie L Roberts
I have been fishing for a number of years and I have acquired some proven techniques that I believe will help most fisherman. You can read my blogs at http://fishermansbox.com
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