Gather 'round as I tell of the Great Northern Pike
That I nailed to the wall of my den, with a spike
With each passing moment it smells worse and worse
It might have been wiser to have it stuffed first.
The Great Northern Pike! What angler doesn't want to haul this giant predator out of the stainless blue waters of his or her favorite lake? The Northern Pike is Europe's largest freshwater predatory fish and one of North America's as well, and sought far and wide for it's trophy, gustatory and bragging qualities.
Esox Lucious, as it is known in the zoological world has been caught for ages in European rivers and impoundments and it is from a Teutonic tarn that we have the current worlds record, a 58" 68 lb. monster.
North American waters hold larger fish like the primitive alligator gar and the pikes near relation, the muskellunge and pike in the high 40 lb range are rare, but are definitely there to be caught. Many types of artificial lures as well as live bait are effective for Northerns, as they are definitely of that "eats anything that doesn't eat it first" predation category.
An awful thing happened 'bout this time last year,
as Mike took a leak from the end of the pier.
We heard a loud splash and a great scream from Mike,
for he'd been circumcised by a Great Norther Pike.
Well I'm certain that's apocryphal. But Northerns are big rambunctious fish with hundreds if not thousands of needle sharp teeth, and the unwary novice who tries to subdue one with the time honored bass fisherman's trick of squeezing the lower jaw between thumb (inside the mouth) and hand (outside) will at best have a very interesting looking thumb for a very long time.
Pike are a lot of fun to catch, and if you catch them at the right time - usually spring and fall, summer tends to be the dog days of Pike fishing - you can often catch more than one titan per outing, as THIS video so vividly reveals. On the other hand, some benighted individuals may spend the better part of a lifetime in pursuit of a finny giant. At least they have had the enjoyment of a good day on the lake.
On many a Pike quest Bill Clinton strode forth,
but he never could catch a Great Pike, from the North.
Tho he caught him some salmon, and brook trout by golly,
And his limit of crabs from a bar maid named Molly.
Hoodle dang polly i-do, hoodle dang polly ey.
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Mac, there's nothing quite like landing a 48" Northern. Excellent fish and yes, it's best to stuff it prior to nailing it on the wall in the garden shed too.
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