I will try to be as brief as possible and provide you with the information and knowlege you will need to catch Trophy winning Canadian Nothern Pike. Let's get started.

The northern pike (known as the pike in Britain), Esox lucius, is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and freshwaters of the northern hemisphere (i.e. holarctic in distribution). They are also known by the literal translation of their Latin name, "water wolf".

The Northern Pike in Canada are one of the most voracious predators in Canada, northern pike often consume prey half their own length. Their prey includes minnows, frogs, crayfish, mice, muskrats, ducklings and even their own kind.

Northern pike are primarily freshwater fish. The species occurs in most of Canada, with the exception of the Maritime Provinces. It is also found across Europe and Asia.

Adult northern pike in Hasbala range in length from 50 to some inches (larget fish caught at hasbala 51.5 in.).

The hooked pike fight in the depths rather than leaping from the water. As a sport fish, it is usually taken by trolling with large spoons, plugs or large bait fish.

Northern pike. the Name

 

• Esox, the old Latin name for pike, used as early as Pliny; perhaps derived from the Greek isox, or both the Latin and Greek from a common Celtic root (as in the Welsh ehawc, eog, "salmon")
• Lucius, from the supposed Latin name for the species, likely derived from the Greek lukos, "wolf", an obvious reference to the predatory habits of this fish.
• Common name is short for pike-fish, a reference to the long, pointed snout resembling the pike, an iron tipped staff. Rather like the French, where brochet is the fish, but broche is a spit.

Description

• The largest, and most voracious, predator of northern waters.
• Length 18"-30", can exceed 4'
• Weight 20 oz to 8 lbs, to over 40 lbs
• Color
  

• extremely variable, depending upon the waters from which it is taken.
  
• back and sides predominantly dark green to olive-green, to almost brown, with irregular rows of yellow to white spots.blueish-green to grey
  
• lighter on lower sides
  
• underside cream to milk-white
  
• tiny gold spot on the tip of most scales - appears flecked with gold.
  
• eyes brilliant yellow
  

• Body
  Slimy; long, slender, and serpentine
  
• lateral line of 119 to128 scales
• dorsal fin of 16-19 soft rays, located far back on the body
  
• Head
  Long and flat, depressed forward into a pair of large, duck-billed jaws imbedded with numerous canine teeth.
  
• teeth sharp, backward-slanting
  
• cheek fully scaled, but lower half of opercle scaleless
  
• number of sensory pores located along the undersides of the lower jaws is never more than 10
  
• 14-16 branchiostegal rays in membrane just below gill cover.
  
• Lifespan 10-26 years depending upon the area

Habitat

• Prefers shallow, weedy, clear waters in lakes and marshes, but also inhabits slow streams. After ice-out, they move further into shallows and marshes to spawn, retreating to deep, cool waters (65º or less) in summer.
• Small Northerns remain in shallow weedy waters through much of the year.

Food

• A voracious predator -- consuming three to four times its weight during the course of a year. They ambush prey from weedy cover, seizing fish with needlelike teeth. Concentrating their efforts on larger forage, they often swallow fish a third their own length.
• Adults feed largely on other fish as well as frogs, crayfish, mice, muskrats, and ducklings. Favorite prey include suckers, shiners, chubs, Cisco (Coregonus artedi), Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens), and other Northerns. Though eating sunfish and bass, they prefer more cylindrical fish. (A better "fit" don't you know)
  
• Fry feed on plankton and then invertebrates but soon switch to a diet of fish.
  
• Large Northerns become lethargic in warm water, eating little and sometimes losing weight. (In prolonged high temperatures and low oxygen, they may actually starve.)
  
• Because of their size and stealth, their only important predator is people.

Sport fishing

Pike angling is becoming an increasingly popular pastime in Canada. Effective methods for catching this hard fighting fish include:

• dead baits
• lure fishing
• and jerk baiting.

They are prized as game fish for their determined fighting and have been food fish since ancient times.

Lake fishing for pike from the shore is especially effective during springtime, at which stage the big pike move into the shallows to spawn in weedy areas, and later many remain there to feed on other spawning coarse fish species to regain their condition after spawning. Smaller jack pike often remain in the shallows for their own protection, and for the small fish food available there.

For the hot summer period and during non-active phases the larger female pike tend to retire to deeper water and/or places of better cover. This gives the boat angler good fishing during the summer and winter seasons.

Trolling (towing a lure or bait behind a moving boat) is a popular technique.

The use of float tubes have become a very popular way of fishing for pike on small to medium size stillwaters.

Fly fishing for pike is another recently developing way of catching the Norther Canadian Pike fish, and the float tube is now recognised as an especially suitable water craft for pike flyfishing.

catch and release

We have implement the catch and release program. We measure and photograph then release our catch. We handle the pike with the upmost care. The Pike have very sharp and numerous teeth, care is required in unhooking a pike. It is recommended that barbless trebles are used when angling for this species as it simplifies unhooking. Unhooking should be accomplished using long forceps—30 cm artery clamps are ideal. The pike should be kept out of the water for the minimum amount of time possible, and should be given some time to recover before being weighed and photographed.

Northern Pike Fishing Tips & Techniques

Here is the section you've been waiting for!

Play with your bait:

Pike will play with your bait. It's not uncommon for a big Pike to hit and let go several times before the bait is taken. With this in mind you have to show some patience. If you get a big pike on and then lose him, just wait a little while and he will hit again. Their appetites are so ferocious that they forget quickly and start to feed again. There are many reports by fisherman of catching the same pike over again.