Hello there fellow angler, you might have stopped at our article on northern pike fishing, while you were swimming around in search of information on this particular topic. Well, seek no more, we from Fishing Rex.com have brought to you this article that covers everything, from facts about the northern pike fish, how to catch the northern pike fish.
You might be interested in reading another one of ours that tells you about pelican kayak.
The Northern Pike Fish
There is very little chance of you catching your desired fish, if you have insufficient knowledge about it. So let us take a quick look at this particular fish’s biography, shall we?
Where can one find the northern pike?
Northern pikes are usually known to be found in stagnant streams with water that has less depth and also thrives in terms of vegetation and weeds. They are also known to be found in lakes and streams that have cold, still and rocky waters. Since the northern pike likes water with less temperature, they tend to swim deeper during midsummer. The northern pike is distributed naturally, all throughout the waters of northern Russia, Europe and North America. A part of their population has also been injected into the waters of Morocco.
What does the northern pike eat?
The northern pike and all pikes in general, fall into the carnivorous category and they intake a huge amount of food every day. The pikes resemble a hunter’s behavior; staying quiet still in a spot by a certain maneuver of the last fin rays of its dorsal fins and pectoral fins. As taken from the observations in his poem “Pike”, famous English poet Ted Hughes states that pikes have been found dead because they choked while devouring on smaller pikes. The northern pike generally consumes, perch, leeches and insects. The northern pike’s diet also includes, frogs, waterfowl and fishes smaller than them. Pikes are not exactly choosy eaters- whatever that is smaller than themselves, will do just fine for them.
What does the pike look like?
More often than not, northern pikes and all kinds of pikes are of an olive green color and that of their belly ranges from, yellow to white. Owing to their body’s distinguished shape, the northern pike is easily recognized, although sometimes, the muskie is confused with this fish. The northern pike has a long, slender body and it has spots of lighter color on its both sides, which usually matches the color of its belly. The pike also has darker spots on it fins and the fins are usually of a reddish shade. Juvenile pikes however, have yellow colored bars across a green body. The normal weight of the northern pike is measured to be 3 to 7 pounds while their lengths have been counted to be between 24 to 58 inches long.
Spawning
The northern pike has been studied to mate in the spring time when the water has the temperature of 48 degrees. The female will lay up to 15,000 to 75,000 eggs in a vegetation area and the male pike will fertilize them.
Catching your Northern Pike
Equipment and Tools
What is the most necessary component of an angler’s “how to catch a fish’s” list? Well, the equipment of course and not to mention, the right equipment. Do not worry fellow angler, we provide you in this tips article, information about the right tools and- the right skills to use them.
- The northern pike is infamous for playing with the angler’s bait. In many cases, the pike will attack the bait but will then just let go, without actually trying to take it with. Do not attempt at setting the hook after the pike is actually trying to run away with the bait. If you miss your northern pike one time then do not lose hope, just do not reel in immediately. Do it gradually, and you have a chance of a pike hitting your bait again.
- The right bait size is crucial, especially if you are planning on catching a big northern pike. Then, you will need a bait that is bigger than the regular store size minnow. Moreover, it is known that larger northern pikes prefer not to waste their time and energy on running after small baits. Therefore, you will want to use something that is between, 6 to 8 inches. And since, most fishing sports stores do not provide such fishing baits, you may want to carry a “tackle box or tackle bag”. You can even save money by this.
- Dardevles and jerk baits are some the lures that work magically when you are catching a northern pike, because, these lures closely resemble the fishes that are found naturally in the waters you are fishing in.
- You may want to fish near or close to, a weedy area when trying to catch a northern pike, because, these fishes like attack on their preys by springing up on them while waiting among weeds. This is especially applicable in the cases of small to medium-sized pikes. Larger pikes, like to hide in deeper waters and wait for bigger fishes like the largemouth bass, to swim by them.
Other tips
- The spoon has been a famous lure for catching a northern pike.
- Do not worry too much about the kind of lure you are using, because a pike will hit almost anything that displays movements.
- If you are planning on surface fishing for a northern pike, then you may want to opt for a jitterbug as a lure.
- The best spots to fish for a northern pike, is near the shore, near weeds or close to a rocky shore.
- Pikes are known to bite a lot more during daylight hours than at nighttime.
Final Words
We hope this article of ours on how to catch a northern pike helps you in your fishing venture.
Be sure to check out another article of ours on Best Fishing Shoes.