#26/179:
Northern Pike
Esox lucius
Captured 10/20/21, Red Cedar River, MI near East Lansing, MI. Method: Electrofishing. Watershed: Lake Michigan (Grand R. watershed)
Notes: The water wolf. This voracious predator is commonplace in the midwestern US, but large specimens over 40 inches are rare. The size I captured (about 13 inches) is the bane of bass fishermen, as this species will aggressively attack a variety of lures. They belong to the same genus as Muskellunge and Grass Pickerel, and all three species have pretty much the same body form--an ideal version of a lie-in-wait predator. Posterior dorsal and anal fins, a broad caudal fin, and a large mouth full of sharp teeth make it adaptable in many ecosystems, from small creeks to the Great Lakes. This species is also circumpolar. You can catch Northerns in Holland on the west side of Michigan, or Holland on the west side of Europe.
Notes: The water wolf. This voracious predator is commonplace in the midwestern US, but large specimens over 40 inches are rare. The size I captured (about 13 inches) is the bane of bass fishermen, as this species will aggressively attack a variety of lures. They belong to the same genus as Muskellunge and Grass Pickerel, and all three species have pretty much the same body form--an ideal version of a lie-in-wait predator. Posterior dorsal and anal fins, a broad caudal fin, and a large mouth full of sharp teeth make it adaptable in many ecosystems, from small creeks to the Great Lakes. This species is also circumpolar. You can catch Northerns in Holland on the west side of Michigan, or Holland on the west side of Europe.
