Northern Pike
Esox lucius. Long, slender, torpedo-shaped body with a large duck-bill mouth full of big teeth.
Photos
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Identification
- Long, slender, torpedo-shaped body with a large duck-bill mouth full of big teeth.
- Horizontal rows of light-colored, round to oval spots on a dark background; cheeks are fully scaled.
- Dorsal and anal fins set far back near the tail, and the tail fin is rounded at the ends.
- Can exceed 45 pounds and live over 20 years, with a voracious appetite for other fish.
Active times
- dawn
- day
- dusk
Top lures
- Large spoon (spoon , silver/copper/red/white): Cast or trolled along weed edges and drop-offs; pike rarely refuse a flashy, erratic retrieve.
- Bucktail spinner (spinner , white/chartreuse/firetiger): Retrieved just over the tops of weed beds, especially effective in warmer months.
- Large jerkbait (crankbait , perch pattern/silver/orange): Worked with a pause-and-twitch retrieve near structure to trigger reaction strikes.
- Large soft-plastic swimbait on a jighead (soft plastic , white/chartreuse): Slow-rolled along weed lines and drop-offs when pike are less aggressive.
Top baits
- Large dead sucker or shiner: Suspended under a large float or fished on a wire leader near weed edges and drop-offs.
- Large live sucker (where legal): Free-lined or fished under a bobber near weedy cover and drop-offs.
Line & tackle
- Line: 10–16 lb
- Rod power: Medium-heavy to heavy 7-7.5 ft rod paired with a wire or heavy fluorocarbon leader
- Hook sizes: Size 4 and 6 hooks for bait
Stocked behavior
Northern pike are not intentionally stocked everywhere; in Washington they were illegally introduced and are now suppressed as an invasive predator because they prey heavily on native and ESA-listed salmon and steelhead. In states where pike are native or an established gamefish, populations are largely self-sustaining and not dependent on regular hatchery stocking the way trout are.
Common mistakes
- Tying a lure straight to your line; a foot of steel or heavy fluorocarbon leader keeps razor-sharp pike teeth off it.
- Fishing small, subtle lures; adult pike key on perch and suckers 4 to 15 inches long, and Ohio advises bright, flashy, noisy lures.
- Ignoring aquatic vegetation for open water; pike spawn over weeds and lie in weedbeds and structure waiting to ambush prey.
State records
| State | Weight | Angler | Water | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah | 26 lbs. 1 oz. | Vlad Zoranovic | Yuba Reservoir | 2013 |
Source: Utah's official record page , accessed 2026-09-19.
Where it's stocked
No stocking events recorded for Northern Pike yet.
Sources
- identification (accessed 2026-09-19)
- identification (accessed 2026-09-19)
- active_times (accessed 2026-09-19)
- top_lures (accessed 2026-09-19)
- line_and_tackle (accessed 2026-09-19)
- stocked_behaviour (accessed 2026-09-19)
- stocked_behaviour (accessed 2026-09-19)
- line_and_tackle (accessed 2026-09-19)
- line_and_tackle (accessed 2026-09-19)
- line_and_tackle (accessed 2026-09-19)
- top_baits (accessed 2026-09-19)
- top_baits (accessed 2026-09-19)
- common_mistakes (accessed 2026-09-19)
- common_mistakes (accessed 2026-09-19)