Pike one of the most sought after predators in our waters, with well known authors writing really excellent books on the subject of pike and pike fishing. Undoubtedly one of the most fearsome of our freshwater predators, there natural colour helps them blend in perfectly within their natural surroundings,  this prehistoric looking species is a ruthless killer with a voracious appetite, it has an enormous broad crocodilian shaped snout full of razor sharp teeth that incline backwards , when these powerful jaws close tight there is little chance of any escape, speed and power is generated from the rear of the fish where the large dorsal fin is in line with the anal fin this combined with its large tail allows them to produce this massive striking power, it is a long fish with an olive greeny bronze back with lighter flanks blotched with cream spots going to an off white underbelly.

There average lifespan is around twenty years, although much older ones have been recorded, the female reaches maturity within 2-3 years and in the early spring can produce over 200,000 eggs usually laid in the warmer weedy shallows, not many of these young fish survive to reach adulthood as many other fish eat them including their cannibalistic parents.

It has been suggested by some renown pike anglers that they only grow during  the first 15 years of their lives, male pike rarely exceed 12lb, it is the females that grow to the much larger size.
They have a natural diet consisting of almost anything, dead or alive, often following shoals of other fish or lurking in the undergrowth waiting to savagely strike at their prey as it passes by, apart from fish, their diet also includes water rats, voles, mice, frogs, baby ducks and moorhens, It has been reported that pike will follow a mother duck with her young chicks and take out the last one in line.

Pike can be found in many reservoirs, gravel pits, lakes and rivers, angler usually fishes for them during the winter months, but angling for these monsters is not for the faint hearted and one should first seek out and take lessons or at least get good professional advice on how to catch and safely handle these magnificent fish.

Pike at twenty pound are classed as specimen.

Bait, everyone has their favourite, ranging from dead and live baits which include; Herring, mackerel, smelt, trout, lamprey, sardine, etc. Some anglers prefer to use artificial methods; such as the various types of spoons, spinners, plugs and lure that can so cleverly imitate the pikes natural prey.

The British Record: 46lb 13oz
Caught by: Roy Lewis, 1992.
Llandegfedd Reservoir, South Wales.   

Pike:

Family: Esocidae.

Latin Name:

Esox lucius.

I hope that you found something helpful or of an interest in this Fish Fact Section.

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