Northern pike will target just about anything when it comes to the fish that they will eat. My Dad was always a firm believer that there was no bad time to go pike fishing. Younger pike differ from some of the bigger pike, however, in that they’re still actively on the food chain. The Northern Pike in Canada are one of the most voracious predators in Canada, northern pike often consume prey half their own length. In general, northern pike are some of the easiest fish to catch because of how they will feed off of almost anything. So as you can see, pike like to eat. They’re an aggressive fish species, and they sit at the top of the food chain. These fish grow big, quick and can be some of the best fighting fish on the planet! After it has grown up to a certain point, it will begin to target fish at 1/3 or even up to 1/2 of its size. You can use lures that are 9 to 12 inches in length instead of smaller minnow sized crankbait. The fish tastes similar to a liver, having darn and tender sections of meat. Before you cook your Northern Pikeminnow, you will need to make sure that you properly clean and prepare it for eating. Pike also known as northern pike, or notherns, are a popular fish to catch in northern parts of the world. I make no promises or guarantees about the information found within and cannot be held liable. You want to make your bait look at natural as possible to bring in the fish. One of the ways that you can target this species comes from watching what they’re currently eating. These voracious predators chow down on just about anything that they can catch. After they have taken their prey from the center, they will often spit it back up and attack again. Pikes are more than happy to eat anything up to half their size. Once this happens, they will storm forward at their target like a torpedo. Even fishermen love to eat off pike. – Fun Bowfishing. This site is owned and operated by Bowfishing for Fun, headquartered in Minnesota, USA. Like big northern pike, its sometimes referred to as “fleshy” because the meat on the fillets are less thin and flaky like on many fish and thick, chewier, more meaty. As we said, northern pike like to rely on ambush because it decreases the chances that their prey will escape. Northern Pike Fishing Tips also participates in appropriate affiliate programs with other sites. Instead, you might want to target catfish or walleye during this time. I say good choice. They’re not a picky eater like winter walleye, which are infamous for their finicky eating habits. Larger pike will eat a wide array of animals like fish (including smaller pike), mice, frogs, muskrats, amphibians, crayfish, and even small ducklings. In general, northern pike tend to be an aggressive fish species, which means that they will go after almost anything. To the point where there are many confirmed instances of big pike choking to death on fish that were too big for them to swallow. They aren’t picky when it comes to what they eat. If you want to get in on the action, planning around these times will give you the best chances at catching more fish. They will often retire to their hiding spots during this time. After leaving and coming back 3 times, the large pike finally got his prize. These can include the following: In Europe. You have some people that don’t like the flavor, and they prefer walleye or catfish, but a lot of people like the flavor of pike. You might have noticed that muskellunge and pike were on that list. Some of those live baits include: Northern pike have sometimes been called the “water wolf” because when smaller, they tend to hunt in groups. These fish are carnivores, they’re hunters, and you can see from how quick it sees an opportunity and takes it how they became top of their food chain. You can still catch them during sunset, but I like sunrise better because the activity is as high as what it gets. If there’s an animal small enough to strike and swallow, that’s a potential meal for the northern pike. In waterways that contain a variety of fish species, their diet is composed almost exclusively of other fish. This species has carnivorous feeding habits, which means that they eat other animals. Lake Onalaska, Mississippi River. If it’s small enough to swallow and made of meat, a pike might consider it dinner! This makes them a unique and exciting fish to target when hunting for big fish. His 17-year-old son was swimming in the water on Lake Vermillion, Minnesota, when two very large tiger muskies came slowly swimming up close to him. In some cases, after spawning, the female pike will eat her babies, and if the male pike that she was spawning with isn’t big enough, she’ll eat him too. The smaller the fish… Some of the most common pike hiding places include: These are the general areas where you will want to begin your hunt for northern pike, but it shouldn’t end there. Also since we already mentioned it: I’ll take the taste of pike or musky over carp any day of the week! After a certain size the only natural predators that these fish have are even bigger musky or pike. However, once they get larger, they’re too aggressive of a fish species to hunt in packs. This is a fish that will always remain close to my heart because I like how fun they can be to catch. Walleyes, Chubs, Perch, Bass, Shiners, Frogs, Snakes, Birds, Bugs and other Pike are all on there menu. The younger northern pike will usually go after smaller insects like woodlice. Will Music Scare the Fish Away? Who cares about the consequences! Many times when you put a bunch of northern pike together, as you’re raising them, they will start to drop off as other northern pike cannibalize on each other. While I don't get out as much as my days in Canada or Alaska, I still grab the rod for some good northern fishing when the opportunity arises! My cousin was like, “Joshua! In pike-only lakes and ponds, the pike almost exclusively eat invertebrates like insects and crayfish, and very occasionally juvenile pike. Your email address will not be published. Because they are so aggressive, if there are pike around it shouldn’t take you long to … It is a carnivorous fish whose prey is frogs, waterfowl, crayfish, minnows, muskrats, mice and ducklings. The best eating size fish: walleye 15 – 18 inches, perch 9 – 12 inches and northern pike 22 – 28 inches, we encourage our guests to enjoy eating while they are here when the fish are at their very best freshness and taste. However, when done properly done, they can be a delicious treat. Cook smaller fish. Please leave your comment if you liked or have any suggestions. I have a few of my own favorites when it comes to lures and catching pike. Even in the rivers and the lakes, young northern pike will often face a high mortality rate because of how if there isn’t any other fish of prey around, they will eat each other. If it’s small enough to swallow and made of meat, a pike might consider it dinner! Northern Pike don’t just eat other fish. Suckers. It is not uncommon for some of the larger northern pike to even go after fish that are half their size. There’s an especially strong believe among many anglers that pike just seem to react to bluegill. Pike live bait fishing isn’t going to be nearly as common as using lures but it can be a way to really set off those hunter instincts that northern pike have and give you an even better chance of getting those big pike to strike. These fish’s teeth are nothing to play with! There are videos on Youtube of them eating baby ducklings or chasing another pike half its size. As a matter of fact, large northern pike are so opportunistic that a bald eagle chick was found in the stomach of a large female northern pike. This was one of the things that my brother taught me. Some fisheries have come back to find only a single remaining northern pike. Some of the most popular baitfish that you might use for this include: Important to note, you should check your state regulations because you have some live baits that you can’t legally use for catching northern pike. The current world record northern pike is a whopping 55 pounds, not far behind muskie at 65 pounds. Older fish also tend to be much larger. In general, northern pike like to hide in the weeds and remain still and hidden, waiting for prey to come along and ambush them. Especially in the early morning, pike will be eager to get in their first meal. In this case, the pike that was used to being top of the food chain had the tables turned on it by an even bigger musky. That goes to show the level of aggression with this fish species. As pike sits on the top of the food chain in most cases, it feeds on anything it desires – even smaller pike. Dad's had us fishing since we were five and that's a major part of our outdoor adventures to this day! They are commonly fished across the upper midwest United States and parts of Canada. Northern pike even as small fry eat insects, larvae, bugs, and minnows. Northern pike actually get their name because of their resemblance to the medieval weapon known as the pike. eval(ez_write_tag([[336,280],'bowfishingforfun_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_4',114,'0','0'])); The second biggest distinguished characteristics of a northern pike attack comes from when they will usually attack a bigger fish from its sides to eliminate the chances that it can fight back. That leaves you ample opportunity because even if you missed getting them the first time, they might come back for a second or third strike. After nearly 30 years of pike fishing I've picked up a trick or two along the way and love sharing my passion of northern pike fishing with fellow anglers! In most of the pike attacks, they will first look for a potential meal that is swimming nearby. Northern Pike are at the top of the food chain in most lakes and they just about eat anything. You heard that right. You don’t want to intimidate them because of how they might attack if they feel threatened. Northern Pikes are known to be very easy to deal with; it will hit just about any lure. Big pike like big meals and if that means rat or duck versus a small fish, so be it! Matt was snapping lots of photos while this took place. eval(ez_write_tag([[336,280],'bowfishingforfun_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_9',107,'0','0'])); Northern pike don’t raise well in fisheries because of their legendary level of aggression. Just a short list of various animals and fish pike have been confirmed to have eaten can be well over a dozen different animals, even before looking into the various fish. There’s a reason these big and fast growing freshwater fish hit the top of the food chain. In other words, they have an appetite similar to blue catfish where they gorge themselves constantly. Shore lunches where fish and food are cooked over an open fire are especially delicious. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Cover Water. I’ve lost more than a couple of good lures that way. Required fields are marked *. In particular, when casting, you want to be careful around fallen trees because of how your lure can get stuck in the tree–been there, done that. If there's pike fishing to be fond in the area, I'm all about it! You might even use northern pike scent as a way of catching the attention of other fish, if you’re trying to catch them. If you’re going for big pike and musky, and don’t mind many less hits to reduce it to just the trophy sized Esox fish, then you can use this knowledge of what pike eat to look for long specialty lures shaped like ducks, mice, or muskrats. On occasions, northern pike have even attacked humans. Big members of the Esox family like northern pike, musky, and tiger musky aren’t picky. They are far from picky. In general, pike will be the most active at two points in the day: two hours before sunrise and two hours before sunset. Minnesota's abundant supply of small northern pike can be utilized by anglers who love to eat fish. While not necessarily a golden rule, in general, you won’t find larger pike near the smaller pike because of how larger pike tends to cannibalize on the smaller pike. Adult northern pike eat other fishes (mostly whitefishes but also suckers, burbot, smaller northern pike and juvenile salmon). Larger pike will eat a wide array of animals like fish (including smaller pike), mice, frogs, muskrats, amphibians, crayfish, and even small ducklings. They can routinely be seen in water 2-6 feet deep stalking perch and suckers. This site is owned and operated by Bowfishing for Fun, headquartered in Minnesota, USA. was caught in Lake of Greffern (Germany) by … Getting out on the lake is also a beautiful time of the day to be out. Once it reaches this size, nothing in the water will be safe. roach In addition, it prevents the prey from swimming to safety. No matter what you decide to season your pikeminnow with, this fish has the potential to be equally as delicious as more traditional types of fish such as trout and cod. By the time they reach 50 millimeters (2 inches) in length they may be eating smaller fish. If they can catch it, kill it, and eat it, then that’s lunch. In areas where both these fish can be found or you can use bluegill for bait (never introduce a new species to an environment it’s not native to) then you may want to take a look at how to fish with these tough little panfish. They taste similar to the cod, catfish, or whitefish! Steamed. eval(ez_write_tag([[336,280],'bowfishingforfun_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_7',112,'0','0'])); Northern pike will strike at any time of the day, but they don’t have that great of night vision for hunting at night. What Do Northern Pike Eat? As the blade spins, it will catch the attention of the pike, and since they’re an aggressive species, they will attack it. Not fun! Rather than calling it drowning, however, you might say that they suffocate. They are 100% fine with being cannibals and eating other pike or musky. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases made on the site. Northern pike sit at the top of the food chain, and they thrive in most waters because of their notorious level of aggression where they will eat anything.