Northern pike are the true big-game freshwater predator of the Northeast, where you can find them. Unlike the pickerel in every pond, pike in New England are a more localized fishery, but the waters that hold them, notably parts of the Connecticut River system and select lakes, can produce genuinely large, powerful fish. A big pike inhaling a bait boatside is a sight that sticks with you.
How to identify them
Pike are bigger, thicker versions of the pickerel outline, but the markings are reversed: pike show rows of light, bean-shaped spots on a darker green body, where pickerel wear a dark chain on gold. Pike also grow far larger and have a broader, heavier head. Both carry a duck-bill snout full of teeth.
Where they live
Pike are a more localized New England fish than pickerel or bass, established in specific waters, parts of the Connecticut River drainage and certain lakes and impoundments. Within those waters they hold in and along weed beds, drop-offs, coves and river backwaters, ambushing prey much like their smaller cousins. Check local waters, as pike are not everywhere.
Tip Big pike eat big meals. Do not be shy about throwing an oversized bait, a large fish will happily eat a lure that looks too big, and the size helps weed out the smaller fish.
How to catch them, and the wire question
Pike eat like the apex predators they are. Effective offerings include large spinnerbaits, big spoons, jerkbaits, swimbaits and glide baits, and, for fly anglers, large streamers on an 8- to 9-weight. One rule is non-negotiable: use a wire or heavy fluorocarbon leader. Pike teeth cut ordinary line instantly, and a bite-off often means a lure left in a fish.
Handling
Big pike need careful handling. Use a large rubber net, long pliers and a jaw gripper, keep the fish horizontal and supported, keep your fingers well clear of the teeth and gills, and revive it fully, especially in warm water, before release.