Pike Peril- Pike Fish


Latin name: Esox Lucius

A picture of myself and Charlie Halliday with a pike fish caught in the UEA broad.







A ferocious predator of the waterways, the pike fish is one of Britain's most famous freshwater fish. They are widespread throughout temperate waters of the northern hemisphere, particularly in North America and northern Europe. They are also found in every constituent country in the United Kingdom and every county in England except Cornwall.

The pike is an apex predator and is not particularly fussy when it comes to dietary preferences. However, they mainly feed on other fish such as perch, roaches and sticklebacks as well as insects and occasionally birds and leeches. Younger pike, who tend to consume smaller prey like aquatic invertebrates such as daphnia, are also susceptible to cannibalism from older fish. 

In terms of appearance, pike possess large and bony heads with upward looking eyes, coupled with a broad snout and a large mouth which contains row after row of razor-sharp, needle-like teeth.. Their colouration of mottled green makes them one of Britain's most recognisable and renowned fish, whilst allowing them to blend in effectively with their surrounding environment to act as an expert ambush predator.

Pike tend to spawn between the months of March and April in the midst of weedy and overgrown margins of lakes, providing a degree of protection against predation for the vulnerable eggs. Once hatched, pike tend to grow fairly rapidly and can potentially reach a mighty length of about fifteen centimetres. From that length on, the young pike begin to predate upon other fish and can live to the ripe old age of fifteen years.


The pike is one of the most popular fish for angling enthusiasts in the U.K, largely due to its large numeracy and presence in British waterways. The largest ever caught weighed in at about 46 pounds and 13 ounces.

 


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