Mary Allen
The pike is the largest and most powerful freshwater fish in Europe. It is a predatory fish with an elongated body and a dorsal fin set far back. The pike is up to 1.50 meters long. It has a long head and a flattened mouth full of sharp teeth. It can weigh up to 25 kilograms. The belly is whitish or yellowish.
The pike can be found in almost any freshwater, except in small streams. It avoids strong currents and finds a place where it can stay and hide well and lurk for prey.
Pike are often well hidden near the bank and wait for smaller fish such as roaches, rudd, or perch. Good fishing spots are in the reeds, in water lily fields, under jetties, in sunken roots, or under overhanging trees. Pike ambush with lightning speed.
How does pike breed?
Pike females are called Rogner, the males are also called Milchner. From November the males besiege the territories of the females. The males are getting wilder and can seriously injure each other.
The eggs are called spawn. The heavier the female, the more eggs she can carry, namely over 40,000 per kilogram of her own body weight. Only when the female ejects his spawn from the body does the male add his sperm cells.
The larvae hatch after about two to four weeks. They initially feed on the yolk sac. It’s like the yolk of a chicken egg. However, most of them are eaten by other fish during this time.
As soon as the young pike is about two centimeters long, they hunt smaller fish. Males become sexually mature at around two years of age, and females at four years of age.