It is a solitary creature inhabiting warm, slow-moving waters that are heavy with vegetation, where it lies in ambush of its prey who are in for a nasty shock when the lightning-quick Pike strikes.
It is a fish which finds very little that it won’t attempt to eat, and sometimes its appetite just might get the better of it; dead Pike have been discovered with large fish rammed into their throats.
Photo by Ignace Outposts
It attacks its pray in shallow weed beds and swamps, and its olive-brown back and upper sides allows it to camouflage itself. Amazingly, Northern Pike will have varying colours from lake to lake, and even within the same lake, depending on the water, food and genetic strain of the Fish.
The Pike is indiscriminate in what it consumes. Ducks, loons, frogs, whitefish, grayling, lake trout, bait fish, insects, carrion, even family members and pretty much anything that moves, are part of its diet. Its main choices however are yellow perch, suckers, and other soft-finned fish.
Sphere: Related ContentThe Northern Pike is typically the fiercest predator of the freshwater world with its long, broad snout and an awning mouth filled with broad bands of sharp, pointed teeth. Its very name, derived from the Latin, means literally ‘water wolf’ and is an apt description of the underwater terror and its incredible strength. It possesses a ferocious appetite and will devour young water fowl, Perch, Bass, Trout, and Walleye–and
consuming fish of its own size.
It’s long, slender body can grow to monstrous proportions, and in Canada, the record Pike caught exceeds 40 lbs.
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