Interesting pike fish facts about their biology, behavior, food, and habitat.
But there’s more to this predator than meets the eye. From awe-inspiring hunting strategies and remarkable adaptive abilities to ancient fossils, this article unveils 30 fascinating and little-known pike facts that will leave you in awe!
As the pike is one of my absolute favorite target species, I wanted to find out what it’s called in other countries around the world.
While northern pike have an average length of about 17 to 25 inches and an average weight of 2 to 5 pounds, they can reach lengths of more than 50 inches and weights of 55 to 60lb. European pike are generally somewhat bigger than pike found in North America.
Grown northern pike eat various prey fish, including yellow perch, minnows, chub, shad, bluegill, crappie, ciscoes, and the occasional smaller bass or walleye. They also go for smaller water mammals and their own young. Juveline pike mainly feed on smaller insects and aquatic crustaceans.
Depending on its range, northern pike typically spawn sometime between March and May, when water temperatures are between 40 and 45F. They can spawn both in open water and under the ice and prefer shallow areas rich in vegetation.
Northern pike grow to a much bigger size than pickerel. Checking body coloration, as well as dot and bar patterns, are other reliable ways of identifying these two species, as pickerel have a chain-like pattern on its sides, while pike have plenty of short, light bar-like spots all over its flanks.