Northern Pike

Species image (Illustration Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

What it looks like

• very large, elongated body
• dark green to brown body with light, yellowish or white spots
• dark back fades to creamy white belly
• fully scaled cheek and partially scaled gill cover
• 10 pores on underside of lower jaw
• tips of tail fin more rounded than muskellunge

Size

• length: 45-75 centimetres (18-30 inches)
• weight: 0.9-4.3 kilograms (2-9.5 pounds)
• Ontario record: 19.1 kilograms (42.1 pounds)

Similar fish

• Muskellunge

How to tell the difference between northern pike and muskellunge

Where it is found

Species distribution map (modified from Mandrak and Crossman, 1992)

Range

• widely distributed throughout most of the province
• not historically found in parts of central Ontario but gradually expanding into these areas
• use Fish ON-Line, an interactive mapping tool, to find specific lakes and rivers

Habitat

• vegetated bays, creek mouths and shoals of lakes where they can ambush prey
• find deep water in the summer to avoid higher water temperatures, except in northern areas

Angling tips

• aggressive feeders – can be caught year-round
• bite all day, but morning and evening, when baitfish activity peaks, are best fishing times
• medium-action rod and reel cover most situations
• use strong leaders to prevent the pike’s sharp teeth from biting through the line
• take almost any live or artificial bait, including very large streamer flies

Common baits

• spoons, in-line spinners
• crankbaits, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits
• topwater lures
• live baits, including large chubs, suckers and shiners