Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - September/October 2019 - 6

Spring spawners

The life cycle of Northern Pike begins in the spring. The
water is still cold when pike spawn, and activity starts when
the water reaches 40 degrees F. This can be shortly after
ice-out in the shallow, dark bottomed bays that pike prefer.
Look for Northern Pike around submerged and emergent
vegetation, in water as shallow as only a few inches. Pike
can even be found spawning in marshes. Pike lay sticky eggs
that adhere to vegetation, hatching in 10 to 12 days. Female
pike can lay from 10,000 to 100,000 eggs or more. Generally,
Muskellunge spawn later than pike in similar habitat.
However, spawning periods overlap considerably. This puts
Muskellunge at a competitive disadvantage, and waters
that contain both species often favor pike, which actively
eat young Muskellunge after the spring hatch. Pike fishing
is open year-round in Pennsylvania, so look for pike in
shallow water as soon as you can get your boat on the water.
Slow, suspended lures and flies work well at this time of year.
Minnows fished under a bobber can also be effective.

Summertime ambush feeding

As soon as a young pike hatches and absorbs its egg
sac, it starts feeding. Young pike eat anything that fits
into its mouth. These fish grow quickly through the
summer months. Young fish can reach 6- to 12-inches or
more by fall. Adult pike actively feed immediately after
spawning as well. While anglers may like to think of big,
toothy pike cruising around and looking for prey, this is
not the most frequent mode of feeding. Pike are stealthy
predators, lurking along fallen timber and in weed beds,

holding motionless while waiting for an unwary fish to
pass too close. When a pike makes its move, it can hit 30
mph as it accelerates towards its prey. Anglers looking for
summertime pike can find fish along weedlines, emerging
lily pads and in timber along drop-offs, great locations for
these top ambush predators. Look for pike on calm days.
You can often see these fish in clearer waters. If you are
having challenges catching pike, sometimes changing the
angle of your presentation can make all the difference.
If you are casting directly to a pike holding area, then
retrieving your lure or fly away from it, try shifting to
casting along the cover, retrieving past the area, or along
the weedline. This may appeal more to its tendency to
attack prey passing by its hiding location.

Pike food

Pike are aggressive feeders and can eat almost anything
that moves. There are plenty of stories from anglers who
have watched Northern Pike eat all sorts of fish and animals
including ducklings, muskrats, salamanders and mice.
Many anglers have experienced retrieving a small fish,
only to have a large pike come up and grab it. Movement
is a trigger for pike, and pike are attracted to commotion
and wounded animals. Bait anglers can hook large pike by
suspending small suckers, chubs or other large minnows
below a bobber near preferred habitat. Pike prefer to eat
longer, thinner fish like perch, minnows, trout and suckers.
Anglers fishing lures often have luck with spoons, spinners
or other flashy lures exhibiting good movement. Try fishing
topwater lures slowly to convince pike to come out of the
thickest cover. If you see Largemouth Bass, you will likely
catch Northern Pike as well.

Cold water lunkers

While Northern Pike are not a coldwater species, these
fish prefer cooler water than many other Pennsylvania fishes.
In the heat of summer, look for big pike in warmer rivers

Lake Erie's Presque Isle Bay, Erie County, is a great location to target Northern Pike. Hit the areas around emergent vegetation
and weedlines to find quality fish.

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * September/October 2019

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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - September/October 2019

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