Everyone knows this kind of fish, like pike. This is a predatory individual, which is considered one of the largest freshwater fish. Pike fishing is a fascinating process, but to capture trophy fish it is important to know where the fish lives, what lifestyle it is and what it eats. The article discloses all information about fish.
What does a pike look like?
Pike is considered the most gluttonous predator of the country's water bodies. She leads a secretive, sedentary lifestyle. The slope to hunt for prey at close range from an ambush, guarding future food while in hiding. But during the active zhor, the fish changes tactics, moves around their lands, and when he sees the target, he attacks and aggressively pursues it.
The structure of fish and its features
Recognizing a pike is simple: it has an elongated body that has an almost cylindrical shape. Due to this structure and the presence of single fins assigned to the tail, the fish is able to develop lightning speed.
The plumage is well developed, characterized by a paddle or round shape, which also positively affects the hydrodynamics of pike. The scales adhere tightly to each other, forming a dense monolithic cover throughout the body - this helps to protect the fish from the sharp teeth of predators or relatives.
Mouth, Vision, and Sense
The fish has a flattened, wedge-shaped snout, which allows the pike to see frontally - this helps it to assess the speed of moving fish and the distance to them. Such a feature of the structure of the skull and high-set eyes give the pike the opportunity to view the water area not only above itself, but also from the side, and also see objects underneath.
But because of the wide open mouth, the viewing angle below itself is significantly reduced, which does not allow the fish to see the target close if it is below it. Fishermen who know about this feature try not to deepen the bait to the bottom.
The predator has an excellent hearing, thanks to which it is able to go hunting even in troubled waters, capturing the source of the slightest fluctuations in water from a long distance. The pike has a wide and elongated snout, which has a significant capture area, and the structural feature of the gill membranes, separated from each other, does not make it difficult for the fish to open its mouth widely to catch large fish.
Teeth and their change
In the mouth of the predator there are a huge number of sharp teeth, some of which are located on the jaws and consists of fangs of different sizes. Tongue bristles are visible on the tongue and palate, which represent a fleece of needle-like structures resembling the bristles of toothbrushes.
Interestingly, the pike does not chew prey with its teeth, it needs them to hold it. The main weapon of the fish is precisely the teeth, because they can cause serious injuries to inexperienced anglers who do not know how to handle it.
Another feature of fish is the replacement of old and damaged teeth. Some believe that this happens after spawning on the full moon. The change of teeth in pikes is not periodic, but permanent. When changing teeth, the fish continues to eat, which means it can be successfully caught. The absence of a bite immediately after spawning indicates a decline in the strength of exhausted fish after breeding, but not a change of teeth.
Color
The pike is distinguished by its camouflage color, which allows it to go unnoticed at any point in the reservoir. In fish, almost across the body, except for the belly, there are light transverse stripes and spots in the form of a camouflage pattern. This is especially good for fish in places where there is a lot of dense vegetation and snags.
It is very difficult to answer exactly which color is considered to be the background, and which belongs to the picture. The tone depends on the age of the fish, habitat, nutrition and other factors. Young individuals have a lighter color, which is darker as the fish grows older. The most common color characteristic of many fish is the gray-green color with olive stripes and spots. Usually the fish has a dark back, light yellow or gray-white with gray speckled belly, gray fins with light stains and stripes.
Species of pike
Pike is a large fish numbering seven species. These include common, American, Amur, black, southern, Aquitanian pike and maskinong fish.
Common
A typical representative of the genus. It inhabits many freshwater bodies of the countries of Eurasia and North America. The body length reaches 1.5 meters with an average weight of 8 kilograms. The color of the common pike varies depending on the habitat. There are gray-green specimens, individuals with brown color and gray-yellowish fish.
The common pike prefers to settle in thickets, stagnant waters, and the coastal part of the reservoir.
American
This is a red-fledged pike that lives only in the eastern territory of North America. It is divided into two subspecies: the northern red-pike pike and the southern pike living in the Mississippi and the water arteries that flow into the Atlantic Ocean.
Not a single subspecies of the American pike is large. They grow up to 35-40 centimeters in length, reach a weight of 1 kilogram. A distinctive feature is a shortened snout. Southern pike do not have red fins. The life span of the American pike is no more than 10 years.
Maskinong
The largest species of pike, considered a rare species. The name of the fish was given by the Indians, calling it maashkinoozhe, which means "ugly pike." The second name "giant pike" the fish received due to its impressive size. Some individuals can reach a weight of up to 32 kilograms with a body length of up to 1.8 meters. A distinctive feature of pike is silver, green or brown-brown body color. There are spots or vertical stripes on the back.
Amur
Fish with fine silver or golden green scales. The color of the Amur pike is interesting - numerous black-brown spots are scattered throughout the body, from head to tail.
Representatives of this species grow to 1.15 meters, reaching a weight of up to 20 kilograms. Amur pike inhabit the ponds of Sakhalin Island and the Amur River. Life expectancy is up to 14 years.
South
Earlier, the southern pike was considered a subspecies of the common pike. The species was first identified in 2011. The fish lives in water bodies of Central and Northern Italy.
Black
A North American predator that inhabits lakes and overgrown rivers from the southern shores of Canada to the state of Florida in the United States and further to the Great Lakes and Mississippi Valley. The body length of adults reaches up to 60 centimeters with a weight of 2 kilograms. Outwardly, the black pike is similar to the ordinary look. A characteristic difference is the mosaic pattern on the sides and the dark strip above the eyes.
Aquitaine
A young variety that was first described in 2014. The habitat of aquitain pike is France, where fish inhabit almost all water bodies.
Where does the predator live?
Pike inhabits freshwater bodies of North America and Eurasia. Typically, the fish hides in low-flow or slow-flowing waters, coastal area, in thickets. The fish lives a settled life in lakes, rivers, ponds. But pike is often found in partially desalinated areas of the seas, for example, in the Curonian, Finnish and Riga bays of the Baltic Sea.
In lakes and ponds, the predator swims near the coast, remaining in littered shallow water with thickets of algae. In rivers, fish is found not only off the coast, but also in depth. It is preferable for pike to live in estuaries that flow into large reservoirs.
The pike feels comfortable in those reservoirs where there is a sufficient oxygen content, because even with a winter decrease in water level, a predator can die. Fish perfectly tolerates acidified water, which is why it is often found even in swamps. The fish tries to avoid fast and stony rivers.
The main condition for the stay of fish is the presence of abundant vegetation. In the northern regions, fish often hides behind stones, under bushes or snags - there she waits for her prey.
In ambush, the fish is motionless, after which it abruptly and quickly rushes at its target. It is rarely possible to cope with the mortal grip of a pike, if it chased after prey, it will not be possible to escape. The peculiarity of this fish is the ability to make high jumps in the air, and it is also able to swallow the victim only from the head.
What does fish eat?
Malek pike prefers microorganisms that are in the water. But as they grow up, the fish begins to feast on the fry of smaller fish. The diet of adults consists exclusively of fish. The most attractive for the predator is small live fish, including crucian carp, roach, bleak, rudd, perch and fish of the cyprinidae family. Fears unfamiliar fish.
3-4 times a year, pike have zhor, usually before breeding, after spawning, in May-July, in September-October.
These terms are considered conditional, because much depends on weather conditions.
Spawning and offspring
Pikes spawn at a temperature of 3-6 degrees, immediately after the ice begins to melt, at a depth of 15 to 1000 meters (depending on the terrain). During spawning, the pike emerges in shallow water and splashes noisily. In natural reservoirs, puberty of males occurs at 4 years of age, and females at 5 years of age.
Typically, breeding begins in the smallest individuals, after which time comes for spawning of large individuals. At this time, pikes hold in groups, 2-4 males in one female, in large females - up to 8 males. The female pike spawns in front of spawning, followed by males on the side. During the breeding season, fish begin to rub against bushes, stumps, stems of reeds, cattail and other objects. Fish do not linger in one place for a long time, constantly move along the spawning grounds, throwing eggs.
If, after breeding, the water quickly drops, mass death of eggs occurs. This phenomenon often occurs during the spring discharge (discharge) of the level in reservoirs.
Reaching a length of 12-15 millimeters, pike fry are already able to independently hunt larvae of cyprinids. Typically, fish of the cyprinid family spawn after pike, so that pike juveniles can be significantly saturated. After the individuals reach a size of 5 centimeters, they completely switch to feeding on juveniles of other fish.
In the spring, pike along with flood waters settle in floodplain lakes. After some time, the connection of lakes with rivers is interrupted, due to which the lifestyle of such a pike is significantly different from the life of relatives living in rivers or large bodies of water. Lack of nutrition leads to the fact that individuals of the same age can be 2–2.5 times smaller in size. Small fish become prey for larger predators.
Pike fishing
Catching pikes is a diverse activity, where various baits and methods are successfully used. When a pike is caught spinning from the shore or from a scythe, lures, mostly turntables, are more often used.
Seasonality
Every fisherman knows that pike are a solitary fish, preferring bodies of water with a weak current, it lives near vegetation, settles in holes, snags. From the first days, pike fry begin to hunt actively. By the end of the first year of life, young growth reaches 40 centimeters in length and weight up to 1 kilogram.
In large lakes, about a dozen individuals are caught for 1 season, the length of which is up to 1 meter and weight up to 15 kilograms. It is best to fish in spring and autumn.
In the spring the pike begins to breed and after a short break, it begins to eat, which helps to restore strength. Hungry for the winter fish rush at everything that falls into their field of vision and take any spinner. In spring, pike peck, as a rule, in the daytime, at night - the fish sleep. The catchy areas are shallows and coastal vegetation. A particularly good result fishermen manage to achieve on warm cloudy days.
In the autumn periodwhen the "hungry" months are approaching, the fish begins to stock up on fat. In autumn, the nibble is not so intense, and the pike keeps at a depth where small fish go for wintering, but the catch is much more interesting, especially during the summer period pikes gain weight, are distinguished by their energy and active resistance. The meat in such fish is considered very tasty.
Summer the pike bites inconsistently, and if it takes the bait, it is extremely unreliable, and often clings only to the lower lip along the very edge and often comes off the hook. A good time for fishing is considered to be the beginning of the noon and until 4 p.m.
In summer, predators move to the thickets of water lilies, lotus and water walnuts due to the fact that there are many small fish and duck broods. During this period, almost at the shallows, huge pikes weighing 10-15 kilograms are noticeable. With the correct throwing of the spinner or lure, you will be able to catch a large copy.
Spinning fishing
It is good to use both oscillating and spinning baits for catching pike. But the fisherman needs to know that spinners are drowning more slowly and it is preferable to use them in fast flow and in the grass.
Wobblers are synthetic fish that mimic the behavior of fry. They are divided into floating and sinking. Floating people use no more than 2 meters for catching pikes in the upper layers of water, drowning ones are quickly lowered to a depth. The optimal size of the wobbler is considered to be 7-12 centimeters. It is acceptable to take 4-6 centimeters, but then the likelihood of capturing a trophy instance is significantly reduced.
Catching
Pike are snared with the help of a sucker or a hook. If you manage to catch the first pike, and there are no such devices at hand, you should not grab prey with your hands - the pike will not only break out, but also injure your hands.
The most reliable way to catch a pike out of the water with bare hands is to bring the fish to the shore, press the pike with your thumb and forefinger on your eyes, and calmly pull the fish out of the water. Avoid injury only when removing the bait from the jaws of the fish using an extractor. The jaw opens its mouth to the pike.
How to catch a trophy pike?
For big fishing you need to prepare carefully, tune in. First of all, big pikes like big bait. Silicone monsters up to 25 centimeters in length are considered more successful bait for catching fish. Small fish will not swim to such a "monster", but individuals weighing 7-8 kilograms will certainly attack. They catch a trophy pike on a motor boat, dragging several baits with them, at a low speed.
The peculiarity of predatory fish is that after unsuccessful hooking, the fish will not hide in depth and will not float away, on the contrary, it will return to the parking place. Due to this, it is necessary to repeatedly catch potential places where the pike can sit in ambush. It is important to know that the pike will never go on a long chase, but from 10 meters it can take a chance. Fishermen noted that sometimes a pike jumped out of the water in an attempt to catch the outgoing bait.
Useful properties of pike
The main advantage of pike is that it has dietary properties, due to the low calorie content and the minimum percentage of fat content. Pike meat is also rich in powerful natural antiseptics, which not only strengthen the immune system, but also help to resist bacterial infections. Thanks to this, pike meat consumption is recommended for the prevention of influenza.
Pike contains phosphorus and potassium, B vitamins and other substances - its regular consumption helps reduce the risk of heart arrhythmia. Pike is very useful for people who have cardiovascular diseases, problems with the gastrointestinal tract, obesity, hypovitaminosis.
Are pike breeding and rearing?
Pike is a predatory fish, and for this reason it cannot be bred in ponds where carps or trout are grown.But fish performs well in natural lakes, ponds and rivers, where there are a lot of weed fish, which will be the basis of the diet.
Many entrepreneurs are successfully breeding pike in lakes with banks abundantly overgrown with vegetation. In such places there are always a lot of small fish, here it will be easy for the pike to catch prey. But in reservoirs poor in vegetation, where there is little fodder fish, one cannot dream of successful breeding of pike, because from hunger it is prone to eating small relatives.
With artificial breeding, pike can gain weight much faster than in natural conditions. In the presence of an abundant amount of fodder fish, pike yearlings weigh on average about 400 grams, and individual specimens sometimes up to 1 kilogram.
Features of growing fish:
- Tribal yearlings are grown in feeding ponds along with carp. The following year, most fish farmers leave only young stocks for repair, and the rest of the stock is sent for sale. Fishes who are 2 years old are raised in the uterine reservoirs of carp, where they will feed on cyprinids and weed carp. In winter, pike are sent to earthen cages, where 15-20 year-olds of crucian carp or roach are planted with them per 1 pike.
- If the fishery does not have its own broodstock, pike from natural water bodies are used to produce young animals. Due to physiological characteristics, at least five males are taken per female. For breeding suitable earthen cages or small ponds, where there is abundant benthic vegetation - spawning is possible only on it.
- Already on the third day, pike larvae are caught from cages. Not later than 15 days after hatching, the larvae are sent to feeding reservoirs, where they will be able to find their own food. So that the larvae in the process of catching from the spawning grounds do not remain on the underwater vegetation, it is pre-harvested.
Growing pike in ponds is a troublesome matter, it is preferable to use special devices in which insemination of eggs and the further artificial incubation process occur.
In feeding reservoirs, the percentage of survival of young animals is on average about 50%. On one hectare of the pond, where there are a lot of weed fish, there are no more than 400 individuals of pike, where there are few of it - no more than 250. But to the place where there is no weed fish at all, up to 120 fry are launched. In large reservoirs, per hectare of water mirror accounts for 300 pike fry. At the same time, water bodies are necessarily lowered once every 2 years.
Interesting Facts
The biggest pike that we managed to catch was the fish that Emperor Frederick the second Barbaross personally caught in 1230 in the city of Helboron. Then the length of the fish was a little less than 3 meters, and its weight reached more than 70 kilograms. The fish was ringed and released back into the lake. After 267 years, this fish was caught in the same lake, but its length reached already 5.7 meters and its weight was 140 kilograms. Due to the long life, the pike has acquired a completely white color. The fish were released again, but it was never seen by anyone else.
Another interesting fact is the moment that the fish, over a long life, gain experience, grow, looking for a larger prey. They are able to enjoy small ducks, muskrats and other waterfowl. Individuals reaching a length of more than 2 meters can also feed on larger mammals, for example, dogs, or when reaching a length of 5 meters, attack a person (such cases are unknown, but quite real).
Pike is a large predatory fish that can be bred in its own pond. They get pretty good profits from retail, because fish meat is very much appreciated due to its rich composition, low calorie content, and beneficial effects on the human body.
Posted by
3
Ukraine. City: Kryvyi Rih
Publications: 110 Comments: 0