Other Common Names:

Great Northern Pike, Jack, Jackfish, Pickerel, Snake, Gator

State Record:

37 pounds 8 ounces

Identifying Features:

Northern pike have light bars on an olive-green back. Their fins have dark spots with a reddish tinge.

Typical Adult:

Length: Up to 39 inches
Weight: Up to 24 pounds (sometimes up to 40 pounds)
Life span: Up to 25 years

Habitat:

Northern pike inhabit large, weedy bays of natural lakes in the northern U.S. and slow, meandering rivers with heavy weed growth. They can also be found in ponds, lakes, and streams. Northern pike live in shallow water in the summer and deep water in the winter. As the fish grow larger, they prefer colder water temperatures. The preferred water temperature can be as low as 50 °F and as high as 70 °F.

Feeding Behavior:

Northern pike eat mostly fish, but also frogs, crayfish, mice, muskrats, and ducklings.

Reproductive Behavior (Spawning):

When: Early spring, just after ice-out
Preferred Water Temperature: 40-45 °F
How: Eggs are scattered at random in small tributary streams, marshes adjacent to lakes, or shallow, weedy bays. Adults do not guard the eggs.

Did You Know:

Female northern pike grow faster and live longer than males.

The northern pike is one of two freshwater fish known to live on three continents: North America, Europe, and Asia.