Facts about Pike
A northern English and Lowland Scots name for the pike, ged, similarly derives from Old Norse gaddr (spike) (cf.
The lobes of the caudal (tail) fin in muskellunge come to a sharper point, while those of northern pike are more generally rounded.
A muskie will have seven or more per side, while the northern pike never has more than six.
The English "pike" originally referred specifically to the adult fish, the diminutive form "pickerel" (now used to name some of the smaller pike, E. americanus and E. niger) referring to the young.
Upon taking the bait, the pike will hold it for a short time in its mouth as it moves off.
Northern pike grow to a relatively large size; lengths of 150 centimeters (59 in) and weights of 25 kilograms (55 lb) are not unheard of.
The walleye (Sander vitreus) is sometimes called a pickerel by Gerard, but it is unrelated to the pike, being a member of the perch family (family Percidae).
Pike are also cannibalistic, sometimes preying upon smaller members of their own species.
Another form of northern pike, the silver pike, is not a subspecies but rather a mutation that occurs in scattered populations.
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 breast fins.
Large pike can be caught on dead immobile fish so it is thought that these pike move about in a rather large territory to find the food to sustain them.
Other methods of catching and handing pike that are now frowned upon are the gaff and the gag.
Large pike are also known to cruise large water bodies at a few metres depth, probably pursuing schools of prey fish.
The Amur pike, also known as the blackspotted pike, Esox reichertii, is native to the Amur River system in east Asia, as well as freshwater habitat on the island of Sakhalin.
The plural of pickerel may be pickerel or pickerels and likewise the plural of pike may be pike or pikes.
The generic name Esox (pike fish) derives from the Greek ???? (a kind of fish), itself a word of Celtic origin related to the Welsh eog and Irish Gaelic iasc (fish).
The northern pike also has been said to get its name from its resemblance to the pole-weapon known as the pike (from the Middle English for pointed).
Northern pike feed on a wide range of food sources, predominantly smaller shoal fish.
Like other pikes, the body plan is typical of ambush predators with an elongated body, flat head and dorsal, pelvic and anal fins set far back on the body.
The pike, pickerel, and muskellunge are all popular fish for angling, and while the many small bones can make preparation difficult, they provide a tasty food as well.
The Esox genus is the only living genus in the pike family, Esocidae, in the order Esociformes of the class Actinopterygii.
A practice known as gut hooking was previously widely used in catching pike.
Sportsmanship expresses an aspiration or ethos that the activity will be enjoyed for its own sake.
Pikes are undeserving of their reputation for being overly vicious predators.
A hybrid between northern pike and muskellunge is known as a tiger muskellunge (Esox masquinongy Ч lucius or Esox lucius Ч masquinongy, depending on the sex of each of the contributing species).
published a paper delineating a new species in Southern Europe that differed from the northern pike (E. lucius) at phenotypic, genotypic and geographical levels .
Smaller northern pike are more of an ambush predator, probably because of their vulnerability to cannibalism.
The pike will then, usually, turn the bait in its mouth, so that it sits in alignment with its throat to ease swallowing.
Pikes are often found near the exit of culverts, which can be attributed to the presence of schools of prey fish and the opportunity for ambush.
The Dutch name for the pike (snoek) has been given to a wide variety of fish reminding sailors of the pike (see snoek, snook).
Silver pike, sometimes called silver muskellunge, lack the rows of spots and appear silver, white, or silvery-blue in color (Craig 1996).
The young northern pike feed on small invertebrates starting with daphnia, and quickly moving on to bigger prey like isopods like asellus or gammarus.
Younger pike have yellow stripes along a green body, later the stripes divide into light spots and the body turns from green to olive green.
the modern Swedish name for the pike, gдdda, the Danish "gedde", the Norwegian "gjedde" and Scottish Gaelic: geadais).
Northern pike are most often olive green, shading from yellow to white along the belly.
Esox is the only extant genus in the pike family Esocidae of the order Esociformes (with the mudminnows, family Umbridae, also placed in the order).
The English common name "pike" is an apparent shortening of "pike-fish", in reference to its pointed head, Old English pнc originally referring to a pickaxe.
Pilate poured water over his hand, saying that he was innocent of Jesus' blood.
Previously, it was thought that the northern pike was the only extant species in Europe and that this new species was only a color variation.
The pike, pickerel, and muskellunge are all popular fish for angling, and while the many small bones can make preparation difficult, they provide a tasty food as well.
Only humans pose a threat to an adult but juveniles are consumed by other muskies, northern pike, bass, and occasionally birds of prey.
Zebulon Montgomery Pike (January 5, 1779 - April 27, 1813) was an American explorer and military officer (he served in the War of 1812). Pike tried to find the source of the Mississippi River and also explored the Rocky Mountains and southwestern North America. Pike's Peak in Colorado is named for him.