Northern Pike
Esox lucius
Esocidae
No photo of this species yet
Got one of your own? Send it and your name goes under it.
About
The pike is the ambush predator every Lithuanian angler knows and, sold as a spring fingerling for pond stocking, one of the least suitable animals anyone can take home. FishBase gives 150 cm total length for a female and a maximum published weight of 28.4 kg; the IGFA all-tackle record is a 25 kg fish from Greffern Lake in Germany, taken in 1986. Lithuanian Wikipedia is more useful about ordinary life: 50–100 cm fish are what the lakes actually hold, anglers usually land 30–60 cm and 0.3–2.5 kg, and the species is so common here that metre-long, ten-kilogram fish are not a rarity. The body is built entirely around one trick — a long flat head, up to 700 teeth including 2.5 cm daggers in the lower jaw, and the ability to hold perfectly still in weed and then accelerate. Everything follows from that. Pike are solitary, territorial and routinely cannibalistic; a hungry pike will take a fish its own size, and young pike have been found dead choking on pike the same length as themselves. They also refuse to behave like farmed fish: FishBase notes that after many attempts at culture the species was never domesticated and does not accept artificial food.
Care
A pond animal for a large, cool, weedy pond — never an aquarium. Reckon on 15,000 litres or more, four and a half metres of open water, deep enough not to freeze to the bottom, with dense submerged vegetation for cover and a strong oxygen supply: this is a cold-water fish that lives happily under ice and suffers in warm still water. Keep exactly one. Wikipedia's summary is blunt — pike are aggressive if not given enough space because they are territorial, cannibalism starts within weeks when food is short, and the larger the pike the larger the area it controls. There are no tankmates: anything that fits goes, and pike do not measure carefully. Feeding is live or whole dead fish, not pellets. Lithuanian rules to know before stocking anything: the pike is native and legally fishable, with a minimum size of 50 cm and, since 2024, a maximum of 80 cm — big spawners must go back — a limit of two fish per outing and a closed season from 1 February to 30 April. Releasing or translocating wild animals is a separate matter: the Ministry of the Environment states that anyone intending to release or move wild animals must notify the Environmental Protection Department and obtain its approval, and that introduction or reintroduction needs a permit from the Environmental Protection Agency. Rules elsewhere are their own: in parts of North America pike outside its native range is treated as a pest and fishery agencies have poisoned whole lakes to remove it, so check what applies where you live.
Diet
Live-fish specialist. Mainly cyprinids, plus frogs, crayfish, small mammals and birds; cannibalism is normal. It does not accept artificial food, so a pike means a supply of whole fish for as long as you keep it.
Tankmate compatibility
Possible with care (5)
Avoid (413)
Computed by the AquaSage engine for a spacious reference tank — always check the full verdict for your exact setup in the calculator.
Telling males from females
There is no reliable way to sex this species by eye. That is the honest answer, not a gap in our data.
All the methods, with diagramsSimilar species
Same category and the closest water parameters — if this species isn't quite it, start here.
Sold in Lithuania
These Lithuanian shops listed this species in their public catalogue (checked August 8, 2026). Stock moves — ask before you travel.
These links are unpaid: we get nothing for them and ask for nothing.
Frequently asked questions
- What tank size does a Northern Pike need?
- A Northern Pike needs an aquarium of at least 15000 litres (3962.6 US gallons) with a footprint at least 450 cm (177.2 in) long — for this species, swimming length matters as much as raw volume.
- What water parameters does a Northern Pike need?
- Northern Pike does best at 1–26 °C (33.8–78.8 °F), pH 6.5–8.5 and a general hardness of 5–25 °dGH.
- Is the Northern Pike suitable for beginners?
- Northern Pike is a demanding species best attempted with some experience — it needs stable, closely watched conditions to thrive.
Sources
- FishBase — Esox lucius (Northern pike)
- Wikipedia — Northern pike
- Vikipedija — Europinė lydeka
- Medžioklė ir žvejyba — Žvejybos taisyklės, mažiausi leidžiami sugautų žuvų dydžiai
- Lietuvos Respublikos aplinkos ministerija — Keičiasi laukinių gyvūnų, augalų ir grybų rūšių introdukcijos, reintrodukcijos ir perkėlimo reikalavimai
- Agrožinios — Sodybos vandens telkinio įžuvinimas
- e-TAR — Mėgėjų žvejybos vidaus vandenyse taisyklės (aplinkos ministro įsakymas Nr. D1-14, suvestinė redakcija)