The northern pike (Esox lucius), known simply as a pike in Ireland is a species of carnivorous fish.Pike are opportunistic predators that predate on smaller fish such as roach, rudd, eels , dace, hybrids , trout and are even known to be cannibalistic eating there own. Pike also feed on frogs, insects and leeches. They are not very particular and eat spiny fish like perch and will even take sticklebacks if that is the only available prey.Young pike feed on small invertebrates starting with daphnia, and quickly moving on to bigger prey. When the body length is 4 to 8 cm they start feeding on small fish.The pike have a very typical hunting behavior; they are able to remain stationary in the water by moving the last fin rays of the dorsal fins and the pectoral fins. Before striking they bend their body and using the large surface of tail fin, dorsal fin and anal fin to propel themselves like a torpedo at there prey. The fish
has a distinctive habit of catching its prey sideways in the mouth, immobilizing it with its sharp backward pointing teeth, and then turning the prey headfirst to swallow it. It eats mainly fish, but on occasion water voles and ducklings have also been known to fall prey to pike.Pike are most often olive green, shading from yellow to white along the belly. The flank is marked with short, light bar-like spots and there are a few to many mottled dark spots on the fins. Sometimes the fins are reddish. Young pike have yellow stripes along a green body, later the stripes divide into light mottled spots and the body turns from green to olive green.The lower half of the gill cover lacks scales and they have large sensory pores on their head and on the underside of the lower jaw which are part of the lateral line system.
Pike grow to a relatively large size,Irish pike grow quickly and can reach up to 20 Kg. (over 40 lbs) although there are bigger that have been reported to swim in our waters. Specimen fish of 10 -15 Kg. (20-30 lbs.) are quite common in many of our lakes and rivers.Our river record boasts a hefty 42lb River Barrow fish and our lake record a 42lb 12oz White Lough fish caught in 2005.
Pike are known to spawn in spring between February and April when the water temperature first reaches 9 °C (48 °F). The males are first at the spawning grounds preceding the females for a few weeks. The larger females tend to be earlier than the smaller ones. Mostly a female is followed by several smaller males. When a pair starts slowing down the male will put his tail under the female's body and release it's sperm that is mixed with the eggs due to the tail movement. The spawning consists of a great number of these moves several times a minute and going on for a few hours a day. A female can continue the mating for three days in a row. After the mating the males tend to stay in the area for a few extra weeks.Pike normally live 5 to 15 years, but can be as old as 30. Life expectancy and growth are dependent on circumstances.
The Pike is a largely solitary predator. It migrates during a spawning season, and it follows prey fish like roach to their deeper winter quarters. Groups of similar sized pike have been observed that might have some cooperation together and it is known to anglers pike tend to start hunting at the same time, so there are some "wolf-pack" theories about that. Large pike can be caught on dead fish so it is thought that these pike move about in a rather large territory to find the food to sustain them. Large pike are also known to cruise large water bodies at a few meters depth pursuing schools of prey fish.Anglers studying the movements of prey fish are more likely to have success. Smaller pike are more of an ambush predator, probably because of their vulnerability to cannibalism. Time of day can play a major role on certain waters to the taking behavior of bigger fish. The period around dawn can be productive, as can the final hours of daylight. In the colder months, some pike will only be active and feed around midday, as this is generally when the highest water temperatures occur. This behavior may vary from different waters and size of fishery during the year.
Live baiting is prohibited by law ,but all other methods of pike fishing are practiced in Ireland dead-baiting , lure fishing, fly fishing, trolling , boat fishing and bank fishing check our Guide to fishing for pike in the column on the right. The hard fighting nature and explosive takes of the wild Irish pike are some of the reasons these fish are so sought after by sport anglers from around the globe. The King of the Tailwalkers.
Guide to Pike fishing in Ireland
Introduction
Northern Pike
