Pike have long, cylindrical bodies with a short dorsal fin
far back on the body. Their heads are flattened and duckbill-shaped jaws are
lined with very sharp teeth. They are cool water fish found in shallow weedy
areas where they lie motionless and ambush their prey. Both members of the
family described here are very popular sport fish.
For more information about pike, visit the DNR website.
The “northern” is probably the best known and most widely
distributed member of this family. It is found in the upper two-thirds of Iowa
in natural lakes and large rivers. It is bluish green to gray on the back with
irregular rows of yellow or gold spots on the sides. The cheek (forward part of
the gill cover) is fully scaled. Individuals weighing ten pounds or more are
not uncommon in larger lakes and rivers.
Northerns move into shallow marshy areas of rivers or
flooded grassy margins of lakes and spawn just after ice-out. Adhesive eggs are
deposited over the bottom or submerged vegetation and left. The young remain in
shallow areas eating zooplankton and, later, fish.
Northern pike are daylight feeders, depending largely on
sight. They are among the most predatory fish in Iowa waters, eating literally
anything that moves. They can be caught with minnow-imitating plugs or bright
spoons. They may follow a lure a distance before striking or strike repeatedly
before they are hooked. Trolling along the outer edge of weed beds is a popular
method of enticing northerns to strike.
The “muskie” is similar in appearance to the more common
northern. The lower half of the cheek has no scales and faint dark, vertical
bars (not spots) often are present on the sides. It is found in habitats
similar to northerns.
Muskellunge spawn several weeks later than northerns. In
northern states they move to tributary streams and shallow lake channels,
rather than the shallow marshy areas used by northerns. Like northerns, they
broadcast their eggs on the bottom and leave them unattended. Iowa populations
are dependent on stocking.
Muskellunge are voracious predators much like the northern
pike. They are world-famous for their difficulty to hook and successfully land.
Anglers use ten to twelve-inch live fish or artificial lures such as large
spoons, plugs, and bucktails when fishing for muskellunge. It also is necessary
to use heavy line or wire leaders to deal with their sharp teeth.
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