Many men, and women too, tend to spend their weekends in the bosom of nature. However, not all citizens like just walks in the woods or "quiet hunting". Many people want to take a fishing rod and tackle on the weekends to spend time fishing. Of course, you can’t do without showing off your catch. Pike fishing on the river is an interesting and exciting activity, in addition, the catch can be simply amazing. In this article we will talk about the giant river predator - pike.
Some scientific information
Any student knows that the pike belongs to the river predatory fish and can grow to huge sizes. In addition, scientists have long studied the habitat, external and internal structure, food preferences and features of catching a toothy predator. In accordance with the classification in the textbook of biology, pikes belong to the animal kingdom, type of chordates, class of ray-finned, order of pike-like. Pikes are freshwater fish. The body of the river predator is elongated, and there are many sharp teeth in the mouth, while the lower jaw protrudes significantly forward. Scientistsfound that pike live on average for more than 30 years, while its growth continues throughout life. Fish can reach simply huge sizes. The size of a pike in a quiet backwater can reach 2 meters in length, and the weight of such a fish is 30-35 kg. The predator loves quiet muddy backwaters and calm waters, so biologists do not recommend swimming in forest ponds. Where is pike found? The habitat of this fish is Europe, Siberia and even North America.
Stories of experienced
It's no secret that anglers love to talk about their adventures. Many avid fishermen not only embellish the size of the fish they catch, but also exaggerate the weight of the catch. For many years, there have been various legends and tales about giant pike among anglers. Large pike are not uncommon in nature, but it can be very difficult to catch them.
Fantasy played out…
Fishing is a fun and exciting activity that men and women, children and old people, boys and girls love to do. At the same time, each angler has several dozen stories about a lost catch or a giant fish caught by him. In order for a big pike to easily fall on the angler's hook, you need to choose the right equipment, purchase baits and choose the best place for fishing.
Many fishermen were lucky enough to catch pike up to 1 meter long and weighing more than 15 kg. However, there are many fishing stories that tell of a larger catch. The giant pike is the protagonist of such stories.
The predator was ringed - they found out her age
There are truly fantastic stories and stories about the biggest pikes. According to one of the popular legends, a giant pike was caught in Germany in 1497, and its weight was 140 kg. The length of the toothy predator exceeded the mark of 5.5 meters, and the age of the fish was 270 years. How did you find out the age of the pike? Everything is very simple - in 1230, by order of the emperor of the Roman Empire, Frederick II, a special ring with a date was put on the river predator. It was by the ring that scientists were able to determine the age of the fish. The skeleton of a giant pike was placed in a museum in the city of Mannheim, where it was on display for several years. Eyewitnesses claim that all pike scales were white. All melanin, due to age, completely disappeared from the body of the fish. Subsequently, biologists conducted a study of the skeleton and found that the giant pike was collected from the bones of several fish. Thus, the story about a huge predator did not receive scientific confirmation and passed into the category of fishing fiction.
How are things in Russia?
In our country there is an equally interesting legend about a giant river predator. The story goes that when cleaning the Tsar's Ponds in 1794, the fishermen managed to catch a huge fish. The giant pike was ringed with a gold ring, while the mark of the Russian Tsar Boris Fedorovich is clearly visible on it. The length of this river predator has almost reached the 2-meter mark, and its weight has exceeded 60 kg. Judging by the mark on the ring, the age of the caught fish was about 190 years old. However, the capture of a river predator is notno evidence has survived, except for references in documents. But, as the people say, "paper will endure everything." It is not worth trusting the data that the largest pike caught lived in Russia is not worth it.
Official information
In addition to fishing tales, there is also scientific evidence that giant pikes live in nature. Biologists have long proven that a special subspecies of pike, the maskinong, lives in North America. In appearance, it is very similar to the pike familiar to us, but in size, weight and age it is much ahead of it. The giant pike was caught in 1660 in North America. Its weight was 75 kg, and the length of the fish reached 200 cm. However, no photographs of this giant have been preserved, because it was a very long time ago, and photographic technologies were not developed. Modern representatives of this subspecies are much smaller. Scientists report that in our time such large pikes are no longer found. The maximum weight of a pike can reach 45 kg, but this is enough for fishing stories.
Record catch
In addition to fishing stories and legends, there are officially confirmed facts of catching giant fish.
- The largest pike caught in our country was caught in 1930. In Lake Ilmen, the fisherman managed to catch a toothy predator weighing 35 kg and 1.9 meters in length. Many anglers say that their catch weighed much more, but they did not want to advertise this fact.
- In 1957 in North America in the St. Lawrence River was caughta huge fish - masking, its weight was 32 kg.
- Another giant pike was caught near the city of Sortavala. Her weight exceeded the mark of 49 kg. Such a large individual was caught thanks to bait, while another, smaller pike, with a body weight of 5 kg, acted as its role.
- In addition to the above facts, there are also other recorded catches of giant river predators. In Ukraine, in Lake Ladoga, locals catch huge fish. How many pikes live in these places, scientists have not been able to find out. Many fishermen claim that the age of the caught fish exceeds the 30-year mark. But this fact can neither be confirmed nor denied.
How to catch a predator?
Almost every angler knows that pike have quite strong and large jaws, so fishing tackle must be powerful and strong. In addition, when a pike bites, the fisherman runs the risk of being left without gear. Therefore, more experienced anglers prefer to use a wire leash instead of a regular leash. What other tricks do seasoned fishermen use when catching pike?
- In order to catch a huge fish, you need a big bait. Fishermen know that the bait for pike must be at least 30 grams, otherwise the toothy predator will not want to feast on it.
- To catch a larger specimen, the angler should go fishing in secluded and quiet backwaters. The predator does not like loud sounds, so when a pike bites, do not talk loudly or shout.
- Toothy pike loves the warm season. MostThe best time to fish for this fish is late autumn or spring. It is worth noting that in the heat, the river predator tries to swim to the depth and wait for the optimum ambient temperature.
- Pike habitats are usually full of snags and mud, as this fish loves to hide and watch its prey from hiding. When preparing gear, special attention should be paid to the bait. Pike is a typical predator, therefore it prefers to eat live fish. In addition to bait, you can use a shiny wobbler or a playing lure as bait.
Great catch these days
Don't think that in our time catches of giant pikes are no longer recorded. The largest predators were not only caught by our contemporaries, but also photographed for memory. Records of recent years:
- In 2011, lucky fishermen caught a fish 118 cm long in Canada.
- In the same 2011, the record of Canadian anglers was broken, and a pike 130 cm long was caught in the St. Lawrence River.
- In 2013, American fisherman Mark Carlson was photographed with a huge toothy fish. The pike weighed as much as 27 kg, and its length exceeded the mark of 1 m 30 cm.
- In 2016, our compatriot Stepan Smolinyuk from Ufa was able to capture his catch in a photograph. He managed to catch a predator weighing almost 3 kg in the Belaya River, the fish reaches a meter mark in length.
Predator attacks on animals
Pike is a fairly large predatory fish, for which to catch smallanimal or bird will not be difficult. Can a pike catch and eat a larger animal? Theoretically, this possibility cannot be ruled out. Of course, it is not easy to catch young and strong animals, but there are wounded and sick animals in nature. Bleeding animals are special prey for toothy fish. The pike, like any other predator, perfectly smells the blood and sees its prey from afar. It is better not for a wounded animal to cross a pond in which a fish of the pike family lives. Can pike attack large animals? The answer will definitely be yes.
Man-eating pikes: myth or reality?
Old-timers say that in the reservoirs of Siberia there are giant fish that periodically eat people. According to them, such huge individuals are able to break through the ice without much difficulty and even sink a fishing boat. Numerous stories about pikes eating people can be found among various indigenous peoples of Siberia: Nenets, Chukchi, Yakuts and others. For example, among the Chukchi there is a legend that a "biting fish" (this is how representatives of the nationality call a cannibal pike) managed to swallow a young fisherman, while the fish completely destroyed his boat. Local residents even managed to catch the monster, and in a very original way: 4 wagons were completely filled with deer carcasses and placed on the bottom of the reservoir. The toothy predator with such an appetite began to absorb food that she did not notice the wooden carts under the venison. The teeth of a giant pike were completely stuck in the thickness of the tree, and the anglers were able to pull the monster out.surface.
According to the legend of the Eskimos, a giant fish managed to swallow two fishermen traveling across the lake in a light shuttle. At the same time, their friend was present, but he was not able to help his friends. Having de alt with two men, the monster decided to eat the third fisherman as well. The surviving man began to row with oars so quickly that the giant man-eating monster did not have time for the boat. As soon as the boat reached the shore, the fisherman ran into the forest. Subsequently, the victim claimed that it was the pike that was the huge fish.
However, biologists do not agree with such legends. According to scientific information, the maximum size of an ordinary pike cannot be more than 2.5 meters. A fish of this length is unlikely to cope with an adult and be able to eat him. Be that as it may, but the locals do not recommend coming close to some reservoirs and backwaters.
The fairy tale is a lie, but there is a hint in it…
Whether or not giant man-eating fish are found in nature, no one knows. However, many researchers describe in their scientific works the fact of the existence of fish with huge sizes and weights. For example, in the book "Essays of the Narym Territory" N. Grigorovsky mentions giant pikes that are found in remote Siberian reservoirs. Ethnographers Kulemzin and Lukina tell about a pike jaw seen in the dwelling of one of the Khanty. The jaw of the fish was so large that it was used as a coat hanger.
Almost all legends are about lake pikes, river pikes are much smaller in size. In the quiet and unknownin the waters of Siberia, any fish can reach truly enormous sizes. The thing is that pikes have nothing to fear in the lakes: there are no fishermen here, and large predators are quite rare in these places. But there is a lot of food for predators.
Summing up…
How long do pike live? What sizes can a giant lake fish have? How much can a toothy predator weigh as much as possible? Do man-eating monsters really live in our river reservoirs? Questions, questions, questions…
Let's hope that at least one huge pike will be caught soon, and scientists will finally be able to solve all the natural mysteries regarding these predatory fish.
