After last week's column, I received quite a few requests for more information on the northern pike. Who woulda thunk?
This is the fish we love to hate. The trout fraternity hates the fish because it eats their trout. The bass boys hate the fish because they catch it when fishing bass tournaments and more often than not, they lose expensive lures. And much like its smaller cousin the pickerel, it is slimy. The pan fishermen hates it because it slices through their lines as its teeth chomps their smaller baits, so they have to re-tie.
Who likes this fish? Anyone who has ever tasted this morsel. It is great tasting and is the shore land lunch of guides in Canada and Labrador, plus any fisherman who likes a fighting fish.
The northern pike is a distant relative of the muskellunge. It has a large head, a flat dorsal surface, duckbill jaws and is very elongated. The mouth is full of very sharp-pointed teeth. The roof of the mouth has short, backward pointing teeth. The back is dark green, shading to lighter green on the sides and to white on the ventral surface. There are many bean-shaped yellow spots on the sides with the fins being dark-spotted.
This fighting fish has been around for approximately 120 million years, so you can see it has terrorized fishermen almost forever. There are more myths and fables written and passed by word of mouth about the pike than any other fish. Nicknamed the "waterwolf," it has a lasting place in folklore.
The range of the northern pike in the United States is New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. Recently, the pike's range has been extended southward and westward through a planned stocking in Maryland, North Carolina, Colorado and Montana.
In New Hampshire, it has been said that the Connecticut River system had pike introduced to it as far back as 1838 and from there it spread to other New England states.
The fish itself is a great fighter and those who have had one on their line rave about its strength and fighting ability. However, the odds of landing one are low as this critter's sharp teeth can cut through the hardiest of lines.
Pike, it has been said, were illegally stocked in many lakes and ponds of Maine as 20-pound specimens are being caught. Where? Try the Belgrade Lakes in the Augusta area. Long Pond, Messalonskee, China and Great Pond. In the southern section of the state these fish are, unfortunately, in Sebago Lake and Long Lake. I know firsthand as I caught a 5-pound pike in Long Lake last week.
For your information, most Pike are caught in water depths of 15 feet or less and the best places to try for them are weedy areas where you would fish for bass or pickerel. The best feeding time for them is early morning as they have empty stomachs from the previous night's digestion. They slow down their feeding from about 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (lunch break is over), begin to feed heavily again until about 3 p.m., and then feeding gradually declines for the rest of the evening.
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Now that we can enjoy the warm days of summer, there are some little creatures that we should be aware of as we roam the fields, travel the lakes and climb those mountains. Of course I'm referring to ants, bees, hornets, wasps, mosquitoes and ticks.
It's inevitable that we run into the insects if we are going to be in the great outdoors. Rising in the early morning after sleeping in a tent all night will result in you meeting mosquitoes face to face. Fishermen know that the boat ramp is a place mosquitoes frequent as the water is nearby, and I know that those pests hear us coming as we drive into the parking lot. Any spray or lotion with DEET will keep these bloodsuckers away from you.
Ticks are actually arachnids, but we need to cover them here. They can be found in the tall grass, on the branches of trees and on the soft ground. Wear high socks, boots, long-sleeve shirts plus a hat, and watch for them crawling on your legs or arms. Use DEET, tuck your pant legs inside of your stockings and walk in the center of trails so weeds do not brush against you.
In camping areas, individuals who sit on the ground or disturb leaf litter on the forest floor may encounter ticks. If ticks are crawling on the outside of clothes, they can be removed with masking tape, duct tape or cellophane tape. A ring of tape can be made around the hand by leaving the sticky side out and attaching the two ends. Ticks will stick to the tape which can then be folded over and then placed in the trash. Remove any tick promptly. The mouthparts of a tick are barbed and may remain embedded and lead to infection at the bite site if not removed promptly.
You most likely will feel red ants before you see them. Boy, do they sting! Be preventative and wear high socks, don't sit on the ground and keep your feet moving. Easy for me to say, huh? Black ants won't hurt you, so forget about them.
Bees, hornets and wasps are not interested in you unless you threaten them or their nests, so pay attention. Stay away from areas where you see a lot of bee activity. Carry an insect spray just in case you disturb a nest.
Have fun and enjoy the hot summer days.
Wayne Hooper is a member of the New England Outdoors Writers Association and a lifelong Seacoast resident. He can be reached at [email protected].
