Pike (Esox lucius)

Class family of Actinopterygii order Esociformes of Esocids Esox lucius (Linnaeus, 1758)

It is difficult to confuse with another fish Pike: Duckbill-shaped his body slender, tapered, very elongate, broad, flattened snout, armed JAWS over 500 teeth are Pike-specific morphological characters. The mouth is wide and the lower jaw is prominent. The jaws are equipped with highly visible sensory pores. The dorsal fin is small, very remote, near the caudal fin and established at the level of the anal. The pelvic fins are abdominal position.

Pike can reach 1.30 m with a weight of 25 kg. The current catch size is 50 cm for a weight of 1 kg. Females are commonly larger than the males.

Pike is greenish with yellowish mottling. The flanks are traversed by oblique and irregular yellowish lines. The belly is white yellowish. Red yellow fins with black spots.

The longevity is 10 to 14 years for males and 20 years (maximum 30 years) for females.

The Pike is a voracious predator. It consumes a wide variety of prey: fish (especially by cyprinids), some amphibians, small mammals, crayfish, birds attending freshwater... It also presents a behavior of cannibalism especially at young stages. It is located towards the top of the food chain.

The reproduction is influenced by climate, hydrological conditions (floods) and environmental. It takes place from February to may either in water of a temperature of 7 ° to 11 ° C. Spawning occurs in shallow grass beds on a support of grassy plants (flooded prairies). Pike is a solitary fish, but during the breeding season they gather. Females are surrounded by one to two males. The eggs are deposited on the grassy substrate by group of 50 with an interval of a few minutes between each group. The channelization of water induces regression in Pike because the absence of indispensable to reproduction grassy substrate.

Pike attended deep and areas rich in vegetation of streams, ponds, and lakes where it can hide to surprise its prey. It is a solitary and highly territorial fish. He likes the waters at low current and quiet areas. It supports well the weakly brackish saltwater.

Pike is found throughout Europe with the exception of the North of the Iberian Peninsula, South of the Italy, Scotland and the Norway. He attended usually freshwater but found in the South of the Baltic Sea which salinity may exceed 10‰.

It is a species very sought after in our waterways. Traditional fishing for Pike to the quick is widely practiced but other techniques such as spoons or lures imitating fish yield good results. Handled death can also attempt the Pike but the movement will be the deciding factor to trigger an attack in this Visual predator.