Northern Pike

The northern pike is a large freshwater fish native to lakes, rivers and slow-moving waters across much of the Northern Hemisphere, including North America, Europe and Asia, easily identified by its elongated, torpedo-shaped body, flattened duck-like snout and rows of sharp teeth. It is an ambush predator, lying motionless among weeds or other cover before launching a rapid strike at passing fish, and it will take almost any prey it can overpower, including smaller pike, amphibians, small mammals and waterfowl chicks. Northern pike can grow to well over a metre in length and live for many years, and their aggressive strikes and large size have made them a prized target for anglers across their range. The species prefers vegetated shallows for hunting and spawning, laying eggs among submerged plants in early spring shortly after ice-out in colder regions. Though naturally widespread and often abundant, introduced populations outside its native range have sometimes caused ecological problems by preying heavily on native fish.