Species › Europe, UK & Ireland · Freshwater › Northern Pike

Freshwater

Northern Pike

Esox lucius · Pike, Hecht, Brochet

Water temp
54–68°F
Peak season
Oct–Feb
Best light
Daytime
IGFA record
55 lb 1 oz (25 kg)
Northern Pike (Esox Lucius.JPG)

Photo: Georg Mittenecker · CC BY-SA 2.5 · via Wikimedia Commons

OverviewWhere & WhenHow to CatchGearRegulationsRecordsForecastCatches

Overview

Northern pike are long, muscular fish with a flattened, duck-like snout, a mouth full of needle teeth, olive-green flanks marked with pale bean-shaped spots and fins set far back for explosive acceleration. They are native across the whole northern hemisphere and in Europe live in every kind of water from Irish loughs and Dutch polders to Alpine lakes and the brackish Baltic. Pike ambush fish, frogs, birds and small mammals from weed cover, feeding in daylight and especially at dawn and dusk and in cold water when other species slow down. European pike fishing is a winter institution in Britain and a year-round sport on the Continent, where Baltic bays and Dutch rivers produce fish over 1.2 m (47 in).

Typical size3–10 lb (1.5–4.5 kg); 20–32 in
Trophy20 lb+ (9 kg+); 30 lb+ (1.1 m+) is exceptional
Table fareGood — firm white flesh with Y-bones; eaten widely in Central Europe, released in Britain and Ireland

Where & when

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

October–February is the classic peak as pike feed hard in cooling water and the big females fatten before the March–April spawn; summer fishing is good early and late but fish recover poorly in warm water, so many anglers rest them.

Lough Corrib, IrelandVast limestone lough; 30 lb+ pikeStockholm Archipelago (Baltic), SwedenBrackish bays; huge numbers of metre-plus pikeLake IJsselmeer and Randmeren, NetherlandsShallow polder lakes; big-bait trolling and casting

How to catch

Casting big soft plastics and jerkbaitsWork 6–10 in shads, jerkbaits and glide baits along weed edges, drop-offs and reed beds with slow pulls and long pauses; pike often hit as the lure stops or falls. Cover water methodically and vary depth until you find the feeding fish.
Ledgered or float-fished deadbaitsFish a whole or half mackerel, herring, sardine or smelt on a wire trace with two semi-barbless trebles, cast to deep margins and drop-offs, with a float or bite alarm. Strike early at any indication to avoid deep-hooking, and bring unhooking tools and a cradle.

Gear

Rod8–9' heavy casting or spinning (30–80 g+ lures), or 12' 3 lb test-curve for deadbaits
Reel300-size baitcaster or 4000–5000 spinning
Line50–65 lb braid; 60–100 lb fluorocarbon or 30–50 lb wire trace

Lures

Large soft-plastic shadJerkbait or glide baitLarge spoon or spinnerbait

Baits

MackerelHerringSardineSmeltRoach (where legal)

Regulations

European freshwater fishing requires a national licence plus a venue permit almost everywhere, and pike commonly carry a spring closed season, minimum and sometimes maximum sizes and low bag limits; England and Wales have a river close season and some stillwater pike-season restrictions. Rules differ by country.

Records

IGFA all-tackle world record: 55 lb 1 oz (25 kg) — Lake of Grefeern, Germany, 1986 (Lothar Louis). State and regional records are kept by each fish & wildlife agency.

Frequently asked

What is the best time of year to catch big pike?

Late autumn through winter, roughly October to February, is prime: water is cool, pike feed hard to build weight before the spring spawn, and the biggest females are heaviest just before they spawn in March. Mild, overcast days with a stable barometer and the hour around dawn and dusk are the best windows.

Bite forecast — Northern Pike

Recent catches

Posted by anglers on the live map, filtered to Northern Pike.

Pin: