SPORT FISH OF OHIO identification

n o r t h e r n • p i k e • h a m m e r h a n d l e s
n o r t h e r n p i k e
Esox lucius
29
IDENTIFICATION: Lower half of the gill cover is
scaleless with a fully scaled cheek. Northern pike usually
have fewer than 7 sensory pores on the underside of
each side of the lower jaw.
FISHING TIPS: Large minnows or chubs seem to be
more productive than artificial lures.
ADULT SIZE: Normally 20-32 inches and weigh 2-10
pounds
FOOD: Soft-rayed fish such as shad and suckers but
will take nearly anything they can fit in their mouth,
including frogs, muskrats, and small ducks.
SPAWNING: Soon after the ice-out in late February or
early March, Northern pike move in tributary streams
to spawn. Natural reproduction in Ohio outside of
Lake Erie is limited. Females spread between 15,000 to
75,000 eggs freely into vegetated areas. As the eggs
settle they adhere to vegetation, rocks, sticks and
other debris until they hatch in about two weeks.
RANGE AND HABITAT: Once abundant in Lake Erie,
Northern pike are now primarily limited to the marshes
and bays of the Western Basin of Lake Erie.