Northern pike
Know your fish
Northern pike
Also calledjackfish
Esox lucius
Typical size:50–100 cm, 1–10 kg
- Long body, duck-bill snout, sharp teeth
- Green with bean-shaped pale spots in rows
- Dorsal fin set far back near the tail
Looks like: Muskellunge (Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba) has dark bars on a pale body and a different gill cover scale pattern; much stricter limits.
0255075100125150
cm
OK to keep
- Provincial rules; usually a daily limit with one over a size limit
Must release
- Large fish over 90 cm are mostly females and worth releasing
Best months
May, June, July, August, September, October
Fishing licences across Canada
Rig to tie
- 1Main line 20–30 lb braid
- 2Swivel Size 4 barrel swivel
- 3Leader 20 lb fluorocarbon, 60 cm
- 4Jig head 1–2 oz round head, 3/0 hook (1/2–1 oz for greenling)
- 5Soft plastic 4–5 in curl tail or paddle tail, dark, motor oil or white
How to tie and fish it
Tie it:Tie braid to swivel with a Palomar. Tie leader to swivel and to the jig head with an improved clinch. Thread the plastic straight so it does not spin.
Fish it:Cast to the kelp edge or boulder seam, let it hit bottom, lift 30 cm and drop. Hits come on the drop. Set hard and lift the fish off the rocks immediately.