While most anglers have heard stories of fishing for bass on the beds, you don’t often hear of people fishing for northern pike during their spawn, and for good reason. Throughout much of their range, pike spawn very early in the season before most casting anglers are seriously thinking of fishing.
What Time of Year Do Pike Spawn?
Northern pike spawn at different times of year depending on the ice breakup as well a latitude and climate. A good rule of thumb is that northern pike spawn shortly after ice out. In parts of Ireland, this can mean February. In New England, it is March to April. Deep in Alaska or Russia, some pike have been observed to spawn into July. It really depends on where you are.
If you aren’t quite certain when pike spawn in your area, a good rule of thumb would be to check if there are any local regulations prohibiting fishing for them at certain times of the year. Some states and local waterbodies prohibit fishing for pike during the spawn. The closed pike season is when pike normally spawn in a given area.
Where Does Pike Spawning Take Place?
Northern pike tend to spawn in weeds in the shallows. They’ll either swim up streams to find backwater marshes, or find shallow water bays off a main lake. They prefer silted and sandy bottoms to rocks, and will look for areas that are about 40 to 45° F, which generally means locations that have recently experienced ice out.
In rivers, pike seek out calmer areas in the shallows to give their eggs, and eventual fry, a better shot at survival
Do Pike Spawn at a Certain Depth?
Pike tend to spawn in very shallow water. Ideally, they deposit eggs in waters from about 6″ to 3 feet in depth. Their eggs sink slowly and are quite sticky, so they tend to attach to the vegetation found at these depths early in the year. This gives the eggs a better chance of survival.
How Do Pike Spawn?
Unlike bass which build nests, northern pike are random spawners, meaning that they deposit their eggs across a wide range. The process by which pike spawn is as follows:
- Male pike move into the spawning area a few days before the females.
- Spawning takes place over a period of about 5 to 10 days, during which it’s very difficult to get a pike to bite.
- As the females release eggs and the males release milt, the males go crazy, thrashing their tales to try and help scatter the eggs to give individuals a better chance of hatching. Sometimes, they over do it and injure themselves (on occasion, mortally)!
- The females leave the spawning area before the males do. While the male pike stick around for several weeks after the spawn, they don’t actually protect the eggs like bass do.
How Long Do Pike Spawn For?
The actual act of Northern Pike spawning takes about 5 to 10 days, but they’re in the spawning grounds for longer than that. Males show up a few days earlier than females to stage, and stay a few weeks after spawning completes. Thus, you can find pike in spawning areas for approximately a month or so.
How Long Does it Take Pike Eggs to Hatch?
A 1965 study by D.R. Swift (source) found that water temperature was key to determining how fast northern pike eggs would develop and hatch. Swift found that the number of days it took for pike eggs to hatch ranged from 26 days in 43°F water to only 5 days once the water temperature reached 61°F. Granted, in most waters, pike prefer to spawn in water much cooler than 61°F, so the likely egg incubation range is between about 12 to 26 days.
What Spawns First, Pike or Muskie?
Northern pike tend to spawn earlier than muskie. This is because pike prefer to spawn in water temperatures of about 40 to 45°F, whereas muskie prefer 49 to 59°F. While muskie usually spawn a bit deeper than pike, this doesn’t save their young from predation from the older pike fry. As a consequence, fishery managers need to be cognizant of this when selecting areas to stock with muskies. When placed in waters with high populations of pike, it can be challenging for muskie to survive.
Can You Catch Pike During Their Spawn?
By all accounts it is extremely difficult to catch pike during the actual spawn. Indeed, if you are catching a northern pike during their spawn and in their spawning marsh, chances are you’ve caught one that either hasn’t started spawning yet, or has already finished. During the act itself, pike rarely bite. However, they can be caught prior to and after completing their spawn.
Is It Legal to Fish For Pike During Their Spawn?
You should certainly check your local regulations before attempting to fish for pike during their spawn. Some countries, states, or even specific lakes within states forbid fishing for pike during their spawning season. Others don’t bother regulating it. It all comes down to how the locality treats the resource.
For example, in Connecticut, you can fish for northern pike year round in most waters, but not in Bantam Lake. This is because Bantam Lake is designated as a northern pike lake, and fishing for the species is prohibited between March 1 to April 30 in an effort to protect the spawn.
SHOULD You Catch Pike During This Vulnerable Time?
While many places prohibit fishing for pike during their spawn, others don’t. However, just because you can do something doesn’t necessarily mean that you should. Pike are quite vulnerable during their spawn. They are stacked up and relatively easy to find when you know where to look. While you probably won’t have luck catching them while they’re spawning, they will feed before and after the act.
Unfortunately, the act of spawning in and of itself is exhausting for pike. Males thrash so violently during the act that they often injure themselves severely. Catching one could plausibly put one over the edge. If you’re interested in maintaining quality fishing for years to come, I would suggest you avoid fishing for pike during their spawn, even when it’s legal.
By taking this simple step, and giving these important creatures a fighting chance, you can help quality preserve fishing for your children and grandchildren for years to come.
Thanks for reading,
John Paxton
