Fishing for pike

This may be the only clue you get as your line stretches to breaking point and you lose both the expectation of landing this magnificent fish and your end tackle in the process. However, with a little skill and some considerable patience you may land yourself a fish that is feared by some but revered by those in the know.

Where to fish for pike
The pike is an adaptable fish which can be found in canals, rivers, lakes and ponds across the UK.

Appearance
The design of the pike betrays its predatory life style. The "business end" of the pike consists of a large bony head, with prominent forward/upward looking eyes, a broad flattened snout and a large mouth. The mouth contains a fierce arsenal of teeth, with rows of backward pointing razor sharp teeth in the top jaw and larger needle-like teeth in the lower jaw. The head is mounted on a long torpedo shaped body with distinctive olive-coloured upper flanks supporting cream camouflaged bars and spots. A large, broad and powerful tail with rearward positioned dorsal and anal fins propels the fish, providing great speed but limited manoeuvrability.

Diet
Cannibalism by pike on smaller individuals is well known. A number of studies have shown that a large proportion of the diets of larger pike consists of smaller pike.

Did you know...?
The pike's design enables it to make "lightning strike" bursts of high-speed swimming to ambush unsuspecting prey from a concealed camouflaged position amongst the weed.
Prey capture is quick and efficient. Once close to the prey the mouth is opened rapidly creating suction that draws the prey into the arsenal of entrapping teeth.
Occasionally the pike will attempt to catch fish that are the same size or even larger than itself. Unable to either swallow prey of this size or to release it from its mouth ,the gorged pike is doomed to death, unable to feed further and with its last half-finished "supper" protruding from its mouth.