FAMILY ESOCIDAE 187 



background. The young have Hght bars upon a dark background. These 

 bars gradually break up into light spots when the fish is about 6 inches 

 long, though specimens over 12 inches long have been found still bearing 

 the juvenile bars. The fins are more or less spotted. 



The northern pike may reach a large size and weigh from 25 to 30 

 pounds. Weights of over 50 pounds have been reported. Northern pike 

 grow very rapidly and some reach a length of 8 to 12 inches at the end 

 of the first summer. Pike 36 inches long were found to be about 9 

 years old. 



This species is found in nearly all the streams and lakes of Minnesota. 

 It prefers sluggish streams and seems to be fond of the warm, muddy 

 waters of shallow, weedy lakes, but is equally abundant in most of the 

 clear, cold waters of the deep, rocky lakes of the north. It is common in 

 most of the waters of Wisconsin (Greene, 1935) . 



In Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin the northern pike is often called 

 "pickerel" or "great northern pike." Some fishermen in Minnesota claim 

 that the great northern pike is a diflPerent species from the fish locally 

 called the common pickerel and that they differ mainly in the depth of 

 the body. Others have added to this misunderstanding by confusing 

 juvenile northern pike with the eastern common, or chain, pickerel of 

 the East. The size, markings, and proportions of the northern pike 

 show a great deal of variation. Hundreds of specimens have been 

 examined at the University of Minnesota and no differences sufficient 

 to indicate the existence of two different species have been found. 



The claim that northern pike lose their teeth in August has been care- 

 fully investigated at the University of Michigan by Trautman and 

 Hubbs (1935), who have found no foundation for it. Hundreds of 

 examples examined at the University of Minnesota show no sign that 

 they shed their teeth entirely at any one time. Apparently worn-out or 

 broken-off teeth are replaced as they are lost by new ones, which grow 

 alongside the larger ones. "Sore gums" attributed to loss of all the teeth 

 at one time are probably due to exposure to the air and hemorrhages 

 caused by death struggles. The fact that northern pike do not bite well 

 in August is probably attributable, not to loss of their teeth, but to the 

 fact that food production is then at its peak for the year and that they 

 are consequently well fed, and also to the fact that they are likely at 

 this time to seek the cooler and deeper waters. 



The northern pike feeds largely on other fishes, sometimes on its own 

 kind. Large quantities of perch and suckers, insects, and even large 

 leeches form a part of its diet. It is a voracious feeder and consumes 

 enormous ciuantities of food throughout the year. 



Though somewhat bony, northern pike, especially the smaller ones, 

 are excellent food fishes. A strong flavor may be imparted to the flesh 

 by the large secretions of mucus in the skin, but this flavor can be 

 avoided by skinning the fish. Though some consider the northern pike 



