130 PRACTICAL BAIT CASTING 



back with lighter sides and silvery white on the under 

 part, with many white or yellow bean-shaped spots al- 

 ways lighter than the ground color. Fins and tail 

 are marked with dark spots or blotches. As with all 

 members of the family the anal and dorsal fins are 

 on a vertical line. The head is about one-fourth the 

 length of the body, the nose is flattened, alligator- 

 like, and the mouth is armed with long sharp teeth 

 on both jaws while the roof of the mouth bristles 

 with a villainous lot of teeth all curving backward. It 

 breeds in early spring a little later than the pike-perch. 



The formidable array of teeth and the cold, cruel 

 look in his eye do not belie the pike's true nature. He 

 is a free-booter who lies under cover of the weeds and 

 snaps up any fish, frog, acquatic bird, mouse, dragon- 

 fly, or Crustacea that passes his way. They are very 

 greedy and you will sometimes catch one with the 

 tail of a still undigested fish protruding from its mouth, 

 which leads one to suspect that they kill simply for 

 the sake of killing. Even his own kind are not 

 spared he is a cannibal. The pike is found mostly 

 in shallow weedy lakes, in the slower streams, or in the 

 slower weedy portions of large bodies of water. 



The average weight of the pike is probably around 

 three pounds, although specimens of forty pounds and 

 over have been taken. Pike weighing eight and ten 

 pounds are not uncommon. 



As a food and game fish the pike varies greatly 

 in different waters. When taken from cold water, he 

 is a fairly good table fish, although full of small bones. 



