So I’m in a crazy kind of mood and thought I’d try something a little different for this article. I just went into Google, typed “northern pike” and then went down a giant rabbit hole of “People also ask.” I wanted to check out all the looking to see all the questions I could find about the water wolf and answer as many as possible. So, without further ado, here are a mess of interesting questions (and answers) about northern pike!
1. Are Northern Pike dangerous?
While there are certainly more than a few tales of Northern Pike attacking humans, confirmed incidents are extremely rare, and usually a case of a foot misidentified as a tasty minnow. Indeed, many of the attacks on humans may actually happen from the larger muskellunge.
Regardless, northern pike are a dangerous fish to land and handle for a few reasons. First, they have extremely sharp teeth and large specimens tend to deeply take your lure. You’ll want to ensure you’re removing your hooks with the help of long needle nose fishing pliers, and possibly a good fishing jaw spreader.
You’re better off using a net with these fish, but if you don’t have one available, make sure you check out my tips on how to safely land fish without a net.
2. Are Northern Pike Good to Eat?
Many people quite enjoy northern pike and find it a tasty. However, if you are not careful while dressing it, they do have tiny little “Y” bones that are easy to miss. This video from Thundermist Lures has a good demonstration of how to properly filet a northern so you don’t have this issue.
3. How Does Northern Pike Taste?
Many people quite enjoy the taste of pike, finding it a white-fleshed fish with a fairly mild flavor. You might be surprised by this if you ever smelled one that was being cleaned as it is quite pungent. Still, some folks feel northerns taste even better than walleye. It’s likely they aren’t more popular table fare given the issues with the y-bones described earlier as well as their scent and slimy texture prior to cleaning.
4. Are Northern Pike Invasive?
While northern pike have an extensive range across the entire northern hemisphere, there are certainly some lakes and other water bodies where they are considered invasive. For example, northern pike are an invasive species in the Columbia River in British Columbia. They are doing so much damage to local trout populations that in 2019, a $10 bounty was offered for each pike caught.
5. Can a Pike Bite Your Finger Off?
Northern pike are very unlikely to bite your finger off, but their teeth are super sharp and they could do significant nerve and tendon damage if they bit you. Under no circumstances should you place anything you don’t want destroyed into a pike’s mouth.
6. Are Pike Aggressive?
Northern pike are extremely aggressive fish that will often hit lures repeatedly even close to the boat. They, like muskie, are often caught by using a figure 8 sweeping motion of the rod near the boat to get them to come and attack a lure they missed the first time. In clear water it is incredible watching a large northern dart out from the depths to hit your lure. They will routinely chase down spinnerbaits and other fast-moving lures and strike viciously.
7. How Long Do Pike Live For?
The typical life span of northern pike is anywhere from 7 to 15 years, though there are reports of some living to 25 years or longer (source). There was, of course, also the celebrated myth of the “Mannheim Pike” which allegedly lived to the age of 267, though this was later proven to be a fabrication.
8. How Old is a 40 Inch Pike?
The age of a 40 inch pike is going to change depending on the body of water it is caught. For example, in Northern Ontario, it is estimated that a 40 inch pike is approximately 20 years old. However, there has been some discussion that the same-sized pike would only be a few years past 10 in Lake Champlain. In general, northern pike grow a bit slower the further north you go than in the south.
9. Do Pike Eat Pike?
Yes, northern pike are known to eat other pike basically from as soon as they fit one of their siblings into their mouth. If you fish long enough in pike-infested waters, you might even see the phenomena yourself as a giant comes and smacks a smaller pike near the boat. Northern pike are voracious feeders that prefer cylindrical soft-finned prey. This, coincidentally, is exactly what a northern pike itself is, so they’ll have no qualms about cannibalism.
10. Do Northern Pike Eat Muskie?
While muskellunge or “muskie” typically grow much larger than northern pike, and thus are usually the predator throughout much of their lives, the tables change when they are young. Because the pike spawn happens so much earlier than the muskie spawn, baby pike prey on baby muskie. The predation is so bad that fishery managers are careful not to stock muskie near well-known pike lairs.
11. Do Pike Eat Baby Ducks?
Northern pike are a main predator of a variety of ducks across their range. There are plenty of YouTube videos out there showing pike prey on ducklings. I will not share these given they are graphic and this is a family site, but it certainly occurs.
Because of that, many anglers use topwater lures that are shaped like ducks. You’ll want to use a leader with these as they are expensive. They also require heavy gear to throw as they are heavy. You can check out one of those lures at Amazon to see if looks like something that would work for you.
12. Why Are Pike So Slimy?
The coat of a northern pike is extremely slimy. Like most fish, one reason for the slime is to protect pike from bacteria, disease, and fungal infections. However, the a pike’s slimy coat offers the additional benefit of reducing friction in the water which allows it to reach explosive speeds when striking prey (source). This slimy coat is quite important to northerns, which is why many pro guides use a landing net, or better yet, a fish landing cradle.
If oyu want to know more, check out this blog post about why northern pike are so slimy.
13. Do Pike Eat Snakes?
Given that they’re the top of most food chains, northern pike will eat nearly anything, and snakes are no exception. In fact, several manufacturers make snake fishing lures that can produce some explosive action for pike! Here’s an interesting YouTube video by The Ginger Fisherman showing them in action:
14. Do Pike Eat Trout?
Pike are very capable of eating trout, and in fact prefer them. When given the opportunity, a northern pike will attack soft rayed fish such as trout long before they’ll go after something spiny like a sunfish (source). In fact, they’re so good at it that in certain areas where they are invasive (such as the Columbia River in British Columbia), bounties have to be offered for northern pike to protect the local rainbow trout.
15. Do Pike Eat Sunfish?
Pike will certainly eat sunfish if that is the forage available, but they much prefer soft-scaled fish as these are easier to swallow. If given the chance, pike can be quite selective of their meals, but when faced with the prospect of starving, they’ll have no issues chocking down a spiny sunfish.
16. How Quickly Do Pike Grow?
While it depends on location, northern pike generally grow quickest in the first three years of their life, reaching about 25 inches in that time. They then grow more gradually (about 2 – 4″ per year) after that. There is some evidence that the further north you go, the slower pike grow, though they often reach a larger size overall. A good average however, comes from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources which provides the following chart for northern pike growth rates:
| Age (years) | Length (inches) |
| 1 | 10 |
| 2 | 18 |
| 3 | 25 |
| 4 | 28 |
| 5 | 32 |
| 6 | 35 |
| 7 | 37 |
17. What Colors Do Pike See Best?
Pike are visual hunters and in clear water they will look for a flash of silver or such that reminds them of their prey. This is why white spinnerbaits with tandem willow leaf blades are such phenomenal lures for northern pike. Chartreuse also works well in more stained water. Because pike’s eyes don’t adjust well to seeing in low-light conditions, you really want a lure that presents a better silhouette. This is why colors like red and black perform very well on overcast days or in very stained water.
18. Are You Supposed to Kill Pike?
No! While some anglers (particularly bass fishermen) think that they should kill northern pike, this could wreck havoc on an ecosystem. Northern pike are a valuable predator that keeps pesky panfish from becoming too prevalent. Without pike in the lake, these panfish can devastate bass beds. Thus, do your best to return northern pike safely to the water.
19. Do Northern Pike Have Predators?
Northern pike have many predators when they are young, as pretty much anything in the lake that can fit pike fry into their mouths will do so early and often. This is a good way to prevent these fish from growing into a troublesome apex predator. Some common animals that prey on young pike include perch and aquatic birds. As pike grow, they are typically the top predator in their lake with the only fish that could reasonably continue to prey on them being muskellunge.
20. Do Northern Pike Bite at Night?
Northern pike are site hunters who rely on catching a glimpse of their prey and then ambushing it with a burst of incredible speed. Thus, they are much less active at night. While you can often catch them early in the evening, they are not renowned for producing a fantastic night bite, like largemouth bass. You will note that many of the best pike lures are designed to produce a great flash and this requires sunlight. Once it starts getting darker you’ll have far less pike (and chain pickerel for that matter) start to bite.
21. How Can You Tell the Difference Between a Northern Pike and Pickerel?
Many people commonly misidentify chain pickerel as northern pike. The chain pickerel is a smaller member of the Esox family. It has a much brighter green coloration and a chain like “bar” pattern whereas northern pike are spotted. Additionally, you can look at their submandular pores (basically, little holes on their chin). Northern pike tend to have 10 submandular pores while chain pickerel have 7-8.
If you still need help, check out my more detailed blog post on how to tell northern pike and pickerel apart.
22. Where Do Pike Hang Out?
Northern pike hang out in different parts of a lake depending on the time of year. Right after ice out, you can find them in extremely shallow water at the backs of bays. They are difficult if not impossible to catch at this time as they are spawning. They then move out to deeper areas in the 8-15′ range, usually over some sort of cover like weed beds. During the height of summer, they will seek out cooler water which is often in the 30 – 50′ range. During the fall, they return to those same marginally deep weed beds to hunt food and prepare for winter.
23. What’s the Best Bait for Pike?
The best bait for pike is something they’d want to eat naturally. Pike prefer soft-rayed fish such as smelt over pointy fish like perch or bluegill. Use a cylindrical-shaped soft rayed bait fish that has oils that will permeate into the water attracting pike to them for the best results. Smelt, alewives, small whitefish, chubs, and chubs all make great baits. Many people specifically fish for suckers too as they believe these to be amazing pike baits.
24. What is the Best Time of Day to Fish for Pike?
As with most fish, you’ll have your best luck catching pike during the early morning or evening, when they are most active. However, pike can be caught throughout the day and many people claim mid-morning is the best time. There may be some merit to that as pike are sight hunters and the mid-morning sun will give your lure’s flash the best chance to catch their eye. Most agree that pike aren’t particularly active at night and the bite will drop off.
25. What Time of Year are Pike Most Active?
The two best times of year to catch a quality northern pike are going to be the spring and fall. At these times, the waters near the shore are cool enough that even big pike will come up relatively shallow where it is easier to catch them. Pike will also be in the mood to eat, either trying to replenish themselves after spawning in the spring, or trying to beef up for the long winter ahead.
26. What Water Temperature do Pike Like?
Large northern pike are considered a cool water fish and will often seek out cold waters, especially during the height of summer. While many people consider the pike’s preferred temperature range to be about 60-65°F, Dick Sternberg was quoted in In Fisherman – Pike: A Handbook of Strategies as having found pike stacked closely together in water much colder (closer to 50°F!) during the summer. The bigger the pike are, the cooler the temperature they prefer.
27. What is Considered a Trophy Northern Pike?
What is considered a trophy northern pike is going to be different in different places, but most North American anglers would consider any pike over 20lbs to be a true trophy. Another indicators is how long it is. Not everyone has a scale on them but many anglers have a ruler. A pike over 40″ would be considered a trophy by most, but this is again dependent on where you’re fishing. For example, to qualify for the Vermont Master Angler Program, a northern pike must be at least 36″.
28. Are Pike Active in Winter?
Pike feed very actively compared to most gamefish in winter. They are more active early and late in winter, but can be caught in midwinter too, assuming you can find them. They are easier to locate early and late in the winter as they’ll be in the same weedy bays you’ll eventually find them in the spring.
29. What Depth do Pike Like in Winter?
During early winter, you’ll find pike in shallow weedy bays, but by midwinter most have moved out into deeper water and concentrate on rock piles, humps, and deep points. They then return to the shallows in late winter and start feeding heavily to prepare for their spawn which happens shortly after ice out.
30. How Deep do Northern Pike Go?
Northern pike can be found at all depths of the lake throughout the year. During their spawn, they will be extremely shallow in the backends of bays. In the spring and fall, you will often find them in 8 – 12′ of water at the edge of weedlines. During the height of summer, they will seek out cool water zones and can be found as deep as 30 – 50′ in search of it.
31. Do I Need a Leader for Pike?
Most dedicated pike anglers would recommend that you use a wire leader when fishing for these toothy predators. Certainly, this will help save you money on lures, and disappointment at seeing a once doubled-over rod suddenly straighten. Pike lures can be very pricy, especially larger jerkbaits, so the peace of mind a leader provides can be well worth it.
With that said, I don’t generally put leaders on spinnerbaits, even if I’m fishing for pike. These lures move so rapidly through the water that they generally are fine without a leader. The only time I’ve had a pike break me off with a spinnerbait was when they hit right as the lure landed and before it could get to speed.
32. Are Spinners Good for Pike?
Inline spinners are, along with spoons, some of the more traditional “pike lures.” Spinners are great at attracting pike as they have a lot of flash and also are generally retrieved quickly through the water. This provokes the predator’s instinct to hunt, chase, and kill. The only problem with inline spinners is that they are much more likely to be bit off than a spinnerbait because they don’t have a wire arm protecting the line. Accordingly, consider using a wire leader when fishing for northern pike with a spinner.
33. Do Pike Hit Topwaters in the Fall?
Fall is a great time to catch northern pike as they are extremely aggressive at this time of year. While they will hit all lures, topwater lures can provide some amazing action in the fall. One of my favorite fishing YouTubers, NDYakAngler, posted this video in early fall. As you can see, northern pike had no issues attacking his offerings that time of year.
34. What is the Best Lure for Northern Pike?
My favorite lure for catching northern pike is the simple spinnerbait. While it isn’t as glamorous as a giant musky lure, nor as traditional as a spoon, the spinnerbait has some key advantages. For one, it rarely requires the use of a leader as the bent wire frame offers some protection from the pike’s teeth. Secondly, it is a lure that allows you to catch many other species at the same time. Whereas a largemouth bass might have doubts about hitting a huge pike jerkbait, they’ll surely hit a spinnerbait. Finally, these are durable lures that can stand up to repeated punishment from pike. Certain jerkbaits, in contrast, have such thin hooks that they’re constantly breaking each time a pike hits, which can get annoying quick.
35. How Do You Dead Bait for Pike?
Some ice fishermen feel that dead bait works better for nothern pike than live bait, especially when the pike are inactive and don’t want to chase their food. However, there is a trick to hooking them you should be aware of. Many times, the initial strike of a pike will hit a baitfish from the side. To ensure a proper hookup, you will want to pause and allow the fish to take some line until they have a chance to move the bait in their mouth and successfully eat it before setting the hook.
36. How Do You Catch Northern Pike From Shore?
The trick to consistently catching northern pike from shore is finding a section of shoreline that has access to deep water. Larger northern pike are rarely in the shallows, so you’ll want to fish somewhere that you can cast into 6-20′ of water easily. If you can find a shoreline that has a weed edge abutting the deeper water, all the better.
While a good pair of waders will help in extending your reach, look on topographic maps for points and such that drop into deeper water quickly to enhance your chances.
37. Are There Pike in Canals?
There are northern pike in canals, especially in Europe. These are essentially man-made rivers and so long as there is enough structure, cover, and food, pike will be present. Further, canals often connect other waterbodies to each other. There is no reason pike wouldn’t follow along if their habitat requirements are met.
38. Where Do Big Pike Go in the Summer?
During the summer, big pike go deep. They are often caught by folks trolling for salmon by accident and can be found at depths of 30 to 50′ with some even lower. They are usually cruising around deep underwater islands searching for cisco or other prey. The water temperatures are much cooler down there, which larger pike certainly prefer. If you want to catch a true monster in the summer peak you should consider searching for these underwater islands and points and seeing what you can jig up.
39. What is a Good Pike Rod?
There are a few qualities to look for in a fishing rod for northern pike. First, it should be long enough that you can cast your lure out far to cover a lot of water. It should also be strong enough to throw the big lures that you’ll often use when casting for pike, and to handle them when they attack. While you could use a dedicated muskie rod, that might be a bit overkill for the situation. I tend to use medium-heavy rods by St. Croix when I’m fishing for northerns. The St. Croix Premier model is a reliable rod you can trust and that will stand the test of time.
While many folks would consider baitcasting reels the better option for fishing for pike, it really doesn’t matter. Most guides out there who are in the business of taking novices out are going to be using spinning rods, and they land plenty of fish worthy of a photo. Use whatever makes you comfortable.
40. What Do I Need For Pike Fishing?
There is no reason northern pike fishing can’t be accessible to everyone. All you need to get started are the following five items:
- Fishing license or permit;
- A good rod and reel combo (a medium-heavy rod works great).
- Some braided line (20lb test on a spinning rod, 30lb test on a baitcaster).
- A spinnerbait with tandem willow blades (1/2oz works well for starters).
- A good pair of long needle nose plyers.
Additionally, some sort of net would come in handy. I prefer nets with a rubber coating as they are easier on the fish.
Note that I didn’t mention a leader. While these are useful for some lures, I don’t find them as necessary when tossing spinnerbaits.
41. Are Pike Active in the Fall?
Fall is one of the best times of year to catch northern pike. The water cools down and the toothy critters start chomping at everything they can to prepare for the long winter ahead. Try throwing a white tandem willow spinnerbait over submerged weeds near a drop off and hold on.
42. What is a Good Hook Size for Pike?
You will want to use larger hooks when fishing for northern pike. Hooks in the 1/0 to 3/0 range work well when ice fishing for them. When you are casting, use hooks that are about the same size as those on a spinnerbait. You’ll want something strong enough to handle this fish as they are known to bend and destroy lesser offerings. Also, ensure you’re using a leader if there is any chance the pike’s razer sharp teeth can get near your line.
43. Do Pike Swim in Schools?
Northern pike do not generally swim in schools, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be several hanging around the same area. It’s not uncommon to catch several in the same bay or along the same drift, and occasionally they’ll be quite close to each other. With that being said, they don’t normally follow each other around throughout a lake as true schooling fish do. They simply are willing to tolerate each other in the same general area.
44. When Do Pike Spawn?
Pike spawn very early in the year (typically March – May) when the water temperature is between 40 to 45 degrees. In some parts of the country, this means shortly after ice-out, or even while there is still some ice on the surface. They tend to spawn in very shallow bays that are thick with vegetation.
If you’re interested in knowing more, I also wrote a full article about when northern pike spawn.
45. Do Pike Live in Saltwater?
When I went to research this, I thought for sure the answer would be no, but I was wrong. An angler from Europe has written a great article on fishing for northern pike in saltwater, or more specifically, brackish water. It seems that there are plenty northern pike swimming around the brackish waters near Denmark, Northern Germany, and Sweden in the Baltic Sea.
According to that author, many rivers dump freshwater into the generally sheltered Baltic Sea which makes several marshes tolerably brackish for northern pike. Thus, if you’re seeking a saltwater pike it would seem heading across the pond is going to be your best bet.
46. What are Hybrid Pike?
Northern pike can breed with several other species in the Esox family, but their offspring are sterile. This makes such hybrids quite rare. The most common hybrid pike is a cross between a northern pike and a chain pickerel. They basically look like bright green pike but often have some stripes across them along with their bars. Their tails also have a distinct shape from northerns.
If you’re interested in catching a hybrid pike, one of the better places to search is Lake Champlain. Captain Mick Maynard of www.LakeChamplainAngler.com routinely pulls these in throughout the year. Granted, it is a bit of a lottery, but your chances are better there fishing with Captain Mick than going it alone. Book your trip with him today!
47. Do Pike Have Anticoagulant?
While many fishermen swear northern pike have an anticoagulant that makes you bleed more, there is no scientific evidence to support this fact. Pike do not have saliva to hold an anticoagulant in the first place. The reason pike bites make you bleed so much is because pike have razer sharp teeth. When viewed under an electron microscope, their teeth look like blades. Other fish who are thought to have “sharp” teeth, such as walleye, don’t even come close when viewed under the same microscope. If you want more details, check out my post on if northern pike anticoagulant is true or just a bloody myth.
48. What are Good Books About Northern Pike?
There are several great books about northern pike that have been published over the years. My favorite, hands down, is In-Fisherman’s Pike: A Handbook of Strategies. However, this can be hard to find at times as it goes in and out of printing. Another good one is The Freshwater Anglers’ Northern Pike and Muskie by Dick Sternberg. There are several others for sale, but these are two I keep going back to. I have several copies of the In-Fisherman book and it was one of the first fishing books I loved and adored as a kid!
49. What is the World Record Pike?
The IGFA keeps detailed records of northern pike in various categories.
The IGFA All-Tackle World Record for a northern pike was a 55lb 1oz specimen caught by Lothar Louis on October 16, 1986 on Lake of Grefeern, Germany.
By length, the IFGA All-Tackle World Record northern pike was 124 cm (just under 49 inches) caughy by Michelangelo Schenone on September 23, 2021 on Lake Maggiore, Italy.
To me, one of the more impressive records comes down to line class. On August 10, 1990, Rick Townsend caught a 23lb 15oz northern pike on just 2lb test line! That’s a true example of mastery!
If you’re interested in checking out the rest of the records, the IGFA keeps an extensive list that can be found here.
50. Where Do Northern Pike Grow the Biggest?
Northern pike grow significantly larger in Europe than the United States. If you’re looking for your best shot at catching a true giant, Ireland and Germany are both great places to start. Indeed, in years before IGFA records started being kept, there were reports of pike approaching 100lbs coming out of Ireland. Some of these “records” are from hundreds of years ago at this point, so it is anyone’s guess just how factual they are.
Conclusions
Hopefully you had as much fun reading this as I did typing it. While it might just be a collection of tidbits, at least you didn’t have to scroll through endless pages to read the information! Have any other questions about northern pike that I didn’t answer? Leave a comment or drop me an email and I’ll look into it for you!
Thanks for reading,
John Paxton
