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Home , Chain pickerel, Muskellunge, Redfin pickerel, Tiger muskellunge

THE TRUE PIKES by E rnest G . K arvelis

The true pikes are members of the erel" in their names. The varied popular and of the , E SOJ;. T he following names have caused conside r able confusion. spec ies are found in : muskel­ The true pike s (fig. 1) are readily identified lunge (E s OJ; mas quinongy), (E s ox by the following characteristics: they have lucius), (E s OJ; niger), redfinpickerel slender bodies, wh ich are deepest n e ar the (E s OJ; americanus americanus ), and g rass pickerel middle and t a per backward to a slender (E so:r arn eri canus vermiculatus). The se common and caudal peduncle; the is posterior, sci entific na mes are those recommended in opposite, a nd similar to the anal fin; the 1960 b y the Committee on Names of pectoral fins are small and inserted low. The of the American Fisheries Society. ventral or pelvic fins are posterior and the caudal fin is well forked. No fins have spines. The pikes are know!"! by various popular The head is long with a prolonged ducklike name s. The is know n locally as snout. The lower jaw contains strong, sharp masquinonge, musky, Great Lakes muskel­ teeth of various sizes. The roof of the m outh lunge, northern or , and carries broad bands of fine, s harp, closely Ohio or Chautauqua muskellunge. The northern packed teeth. The tongue also has a band of pike is also called the great northern pike, small teeth. pickerel, pike, and jackfish. The chain pickerel goes under such names as eastern pickerel, All members of the pike family a re pre­ jack, and green pike ; the is d acious. They feed principally on , but k nown as the banded, barred, , or bulldog include an occasional small , mouse, pickerel; and the grass pickerel is also known duckling, or in their diet. They consume a s the mud or little pickerel. enormous quantities of food throughout the year. It has been estimated that between 10 Oth er fish belonging to entirely different and 1:- pounds of food are required to add 1 families unfortunately have "pike" or "pick- pound t o any member of the pike family.

The pikes dwell in lakes, ponds, and streams, Note,--Ernest G. Karvelis, Fishery Research Biologist, Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, Fish and Wildlife Service, U.s. Depart­ and are spring spawners. The are broad­ ment of the Interior, Ann Arbor, Mich. cast over the vegetation in shallow waters,

Fishery Leaflet 569 Washington, D.C. September 1964 Do rsal fin

Pectoral fin

Ventral fin

Figure l.--Typical pike. [/llus tration bj Su:anne Runyan. ] usually in marshy areas. The eggs a nd fry a r e then stocked as needed. This method of r eceive n o parental care. propagating fish is expensive; it is the only m ethod so fa r devised, however, that will regularly produce fish for stocking. Members of the pike family have been p ropagated a r tifi cially for a number of years. It is a c ostly process because of the canni­ All members of this family excepting the balistic tendency of the fish and their require­ redfin pickerel and grass pickere l a re im­ ment f o r live foo d . The muskellunge and portant game f ish. In some areas the nor ther n nort her n pike are the generally propa­ pike is taken commer cially. gated. The edible qualitie s of the pike s vary. Some t' The method u s e d is to extrude the eggs species are considered m o re desirable than from t h e female a nd then fertilize them. The others. In general, the flesh i s firm, white , fertilized eggs a re pla ced in a deep, round ­ and ha s a plea sant flavor. Numerous finely b ottom gla ss jar. Water is introduced at t he forked bones scattered throughout the flesh, bottom with sufficient f orce to keep all t h e however, make the smaller individuals d iffi­ s m oving . When the fry hatch, they a re cult to eat. ca r ried out of the jar bytheforceof the wat e r . They are collecte d and immediately placed in The pikes a re known to hybridize. When ponds. they do, they produce offspring which seem t o be intermediate to the parents. The p o nds have been prepared for the young The following key is provided to aid in the fish by making sure that no other fish are identifica tion of member s of the p ike family. present a nd that is abunda nt for T o u se the key, determine whether 1A o r 1B food . Soon after the pike or muskellung e f ! y are placed in the ponds the fry of suc kers agrees with the structure of the fish under examination. If 1A agrees, then refe r to the or are put in for the pike fry t o eat. numbers at the right, and compare the speci­ The young f i sh grow rapidly and therefore men with characteristics under 2A and 2B. requir e a large amount of live fish of p roper If the fish m atches the description under 2B , Slze. it is a chain pickerel; if not, refer to 3A and 3B. Similarly , if the fish under exami nation The ponds are constructed so that they can agrees with 1B, then refer to 4A and 4B for be drained and the young fish removed. They final identification.

lA Opercles wholly scaled, figure 2A •••... See 2A or 2B

IB Opercles scaleless on lower half, figure 2B and 2~ See 4Aand4B

2A Side and back marked with dark, wavy, vertical streaks; scales usually fewer than 110; branchiostegal rays 11-13 (fig. 3); small fish, seldom reaching a length of more than 14 inches. • ...... • • •••. •...••• See 3A or 3B

2 Figure 2.--Heads of members of the pike family. showing approximate extent of s cale formation on cheeks and opercles (gill covers). (A) cheeks and ope rcle who lly scaled. gras s pickerel: (8) cheek fully scaled. upper half of opercle scaled. northern pike; (C) cheek and opercle both scaled only on upper half. muskellunge. l From Iluhbs and Logier " F,sh .. of the Grea t Ln!. es R egIO n." ]

2B Sides and back ma r ked w ith a dark net w o r k t o give a chainlike appearance; l ateral line scales app r o x imat ely 12 5 ; bra nchiostegal r a y s 14 - 16 ; larger fish to 2 feet l ong ...... • ...... C hain pickerel (E s a.r ni9cr)

3A Snout short (fig . 1), 2 . 8 to 3 .1 times in the length of t he head Redfin p icker el (E sa.r amen canus amen canu )

3B Snout longer , 2.5 to 2 . 7 t i m es in the length o f the head ...... • G rass pic kerel (E a.r ame n canus l·e rmiculatus)

4A Mar k i n g s i n form of light spots; b r anc hiost egals usually 14 t o 16 (fig . 3 ); sen s o r y pores of head lar g e , t y pically 5 on each side of mandible (fig . 3 ); cheek fully s caled (fi g . 2B) ...... • . . . . N orthern pike (E s a.r luc ius )

4B Markings in f o rm of da r k spots or bars o r a bsent; branchio stegals 16- 19; senso r y pores of h ead minut e , usually 6 to 9 o n each side of mandible ; c h eek u s ually s cale less o n lower half (fig . 2C) . . . . . • ...... • •. Muskellunge (E s a.r mas quinangy )

BRANCHIOSTEGAL RA Y

Figure 3.--Lower surface of head of no rthern pike showing 15 branchiostegal rays on left side (upper in figure) and 5 sensory po res on each side of mandible (lower jaw). [ From Hu bb s and L ogi er "Fis hes of the Great La!' .. R e gion." ]

MANDIBULA R SENSORY PORES

MUSKELLUNGE

The muskellunge is the largest member of In t he major fish i ng areas in N orth the pike family. It reaches a length of o v er A merica t he muskellun ge i s manag e d i nten­ 5 feet and a weight in e x cess of 60 pounds. s ively. It is gen erally protected duri ng the The a v e rage length of muskellunge taken by spa w ning s ea son a nd ha s minimum s ize and fishe r men is from 33 to 44 inches, and the c reel limi t s. mean weight ranges from 10 to 21 pounds. The ave r a ge size varies with lakes and locali­ The identifying characteristics of the mus­ ties. kellunge are a s follow s: the lower half of each cheek and each opercle scaleless (fig . The muskellunge is not fished commercially 2C); the body color variable--typically oliv e a nd i s considered a fine game and food fish. to brown, dorsally; sides silvery-gray to light It is u sually caught by casting or with yellow-green with scattered dark spots o r large spoons or other active lures. Large, bars; ventral surface pale yellow or white ; live minnows or sucker s are also used for fins dark spotted; no white spots or chainlike bait. reticulations.

3 The ideal habitat for the muskellunge is in three groups on the basis o f t hese regional c ool, weedy, shallow waters of lakes , and to a differences. lesser extent the slow-water areas of streams. It is found occasionally in deep, almost weed­ Th first group is known as the Great free lakes. Lakes muskellunge. It is commonly mark ed The muskellunge is the most va ried of all with dark spots on a light backgr ound. It of the pike family as to color and spawning spawns from mid-May to mid- June . It inhab its time. These variations are characteristic to both lakes and streams. This group is found three distinct regions, but the differences are in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence , a nd not great enough to justify naming of sub­ som of the inland waters of , Ontari o , species. The muskellunge can be divided into nd southwestern (fig. 4) .

"

~. - .-. - . . _ '- '- ''\• IOWA \ ." , } \-.._._._." . • MISSOU RI 1 .-.- . -.-.~ \ '\ \- i i.'" kE N '-c. J OKLA-;:;ci;:;;A-·-·"'L. _ . _ . - .~ ~E~E'~E I• '\ ARKANSAS ~' T ...- . _ . _ .;:-.,. · J-' '-'-'r SCAROLINA I ' ·-·"TALA8 AMA'. GEORGI A \ • .""\._ I I I \ '. '--.-.-.,. ( \ ' \, ~ . - . - . ~ \ ' LOUISIANA. I, .I ,' \ ~!~~S,SIPPl i ( ,

NORTHERN . MUSKELLUNGE S<-Jlf' I M I .. ~ · ~ 100 GREAT LAKES ~ MUSKELLUNGE 1 OHIO [ill MUSKELLUNGE

Figure 4.--Distribution of rnuskeJlu~e.

4 ( The second group is the Ohio or Chautauqua is no hybridization. Th nor hern mu k llur e muskellunge. This fish is usually dark-barred, is an exception as it arlier clnd t but older fish are nearly a solid olive-green. t imes does hybridize with the northern plkt . It also spawns from mid-May to mid-June. It is predominantly a stream fish and is found Artificial propagatlon IS now bem ca r n d in the drainage area of the Ohio River (fig . 4). on in several States . This work may mal< It possible t o extend the distributIOn of th,. The third group is the northern or tiger muskellunge. muskellunge. The coloration is similar to that of the Ohio muskellunge. This g r oup spawns earlier than the other two groups- ­ The eggs hatch HJ 2 or 3 weeks; fry tart from late April to mid - May. It inhabi ts both t o fe ed about 2 w eek s after hatching. The lakes and streams. It is found in the drainage first food consists of small aquatic . of the upper Mississippi R iver a bove t he When t he fisl attam a length of about2 mches, illinois- line. Northwa rd it occurs which is 4 or 5 weeks after hatching, they across the divide in the , start to feed on the fry of other fish. Th lr Rainy Lake, and in some area s b e yond (fig . 4). growt h is rapid, and as their size increase they eat larger fi::.h. Adult muskellunge will All of the muskellunge spawn in the shallow d e vour any fish the, encount er, but they prefer waters of lakes and streams, usually among soft- rayed fishes ",uch as suckers, CI coe , logs, stumps, dead brush, and driftwood-­ and large shiners rather than spiny-ra yed rather than in flooded marshes o r meadows . fish such as , black bass, or . Sexual maturity is reached in the fourth, fifth, o r sixth year of life. A large female The voracity a nd cannib alistic tend nCles of about 35 pounds depos~ s over a quarter of the muskellunge may explam why It IS million eggs; the average per female, how­ seldom abundant in anyone lake or stream ever, is about 100,000 eggs. and why Its dlstnbutlon is scattered. During the spawning period, the fish m ay move over a considerable di s tance. Spawning The muskellurlge g r ows rapidly (table I). usually i s at night, although under favor a ble On the avera).e, It exceeds 2 feet (26.4 mches) cond~ions it may continue throughout the day. and weighs r. 5 pound s in 4 years, IS about 3 Spawning is completed within a week, after feet long ard weighs 13 pounds m 7 years, which time the adults return to deeper wa ter. and is more than 4 feet long (48.7 mches) and weighs 32.8 pounds in 14 years. At 20 Muskellunge spawn later than do northern year s the muskellunge averages more than pike- -ordinarily late enough so t h at there 4 1/2 feet (54.3 inches) long .

NORTHERN PIKE

The northern pike is the second largest The northern pike is regarded as infenor m e mber of the pike family. It reaches a length to the muskellunge as a sport or food fl~h. of over 4 feet and a weight of more than 40 It is still regarded, however, as a good pounds. The average length of fish taken by game and f ood fish. The smaller ones are f ishermen is about 2 feet, and the weight is somewhat b ony. Large secretions of mucus about 3 pounds. from the skin may give the flesh a strong flavor, but this can be avoided by skinning the fish. The n orthern pike is fished commercially 1£1 and in five of the eight Great Lakes States in the . Northern pike a r e caught by still fish­ ing with live minnows and by trolling or casting with plugs, spoons, or llve minnows. The average annual commercial catch of They are often speared through the Ice m northern pike in North America is almost the winter. 7 3/ 4 million pounds. Canada produces about 98 percent of the total catch or about 7 1/ 2 In the United States norther n pike are also million pounds. managed intensively as sport fish. They are The £1o rthern pike is caught commercially generally prote c ted dUring the SpaWOlng season bv several types of nets. In the United States and by minimum size and creel hrruts. There impounding nets are the major producers, is also a closed season and mlrumum Iz.e In b t In Canada the gill net is the principal four of the fIve Great Lakes State that How gear. commercial f ishing for pike.

5 "The c h a r acteristi cs that distinguish the n ort her n pike is distributed f r om Ala ska to northern pike from the other pikes are: cheek La brador and sout h to nor the r n ew England, fully scaled, lower half of each opercle wit hout the Hudson River drainage o f easter n New scale s (fig, 2B); body color var iable- - typically Yor k , the nor thern pa r t o f t he Ohio Valley, bluish or greenish gray, with a pur ple luster the entire Great Lakes a r ea , M issou r i , and dorsally; sides dark wit h whit e or yellow­ eastern ebraska (flg . 6) . The r ange has been green spots; the young, under 1 1 inches, ext ended by recent In roductlon to new areas , light-barred; ventral surf ace yellow or whit e; pectoral fIns plain, other s dark- spotted or I orthern pike spawn III t he early spring, as barred soon as the Ice leaves or shor tly a fte rwar ds . They move from the lake to spawn III t h e sha l ­ The Ideal habitat for the northern pike is In low waters of flooded marshes or m eadows . warm, 'veedy, shallow waters of lakes and Spawlllng may occur also in the sluggish o r sluggish streams, It IS also found in the cold , swampy sectlOns of streams and ditches o r i n clear waters of deep, r ocky lakes of the north, any overflow area .

Among the North American pikes, the north ­ 'orthern pike reach sexual maturity at a ern plke IS the only species wh.ch is also mllllmum age of 2 yea rs and at a length o f found outSide the continent (Eg, 5). It lnhabits about 17 inches , A large female o f 10 pound s the fresh waters of the northern parts of may produce as many as 100,000 eggs; t he E;Jrope and Asia , In North Amenca, the average per f emale IS about 35,000 eggs .

Table 1,--Year ly average length and weight fo r muskl:llungc, northern pike, and chain pickerel

Mus kellunge orthern pike Chain pickerel Age f----- Total length Weight I T"tal length Weight Total length Wei ht

Years In ches Pounds Inrnt's Pounds Inchrs Pound. 1 10,5 0,5 9.9 0.2 i .l 0 . 1 , 2 17,0 1, 5 15.0 0.8 10.2 0.2 I 3 22,4 3.8 21.0 1.3 12,9 0, 5 4 26,4 5, 5 24. 8 2.1 15.4 0.9 5 10.3 7, 1 I '2~ . 7 3.0 1-. - 1.5 6 33. 4 10.1 30.6 4, 2 19.6 2,0 7 36,3 13,0 I 3.0 5.4 2lJ' 2,6 8 39,0 IS, <, 35.3 6.8 22. 1 3, 3 9 41.0 18.4 3-.4 8.6 .. . .., 10 42,8 21, 3 39.2 10.4 .. ' .. , 11 44,2 24 ,0 41.2 12.5 ... .., 12 45,8 26,8 42.9 14. 8 ... .. , 13 47.3 29.9 44.6 P,4 .. ' .. , 14 48,7 32,8 46. 1 20.2 ... .., 15 49.9 .. , ... .., ... 16 .. ' 51.0 '" .. , ...... , .. 17 51,9 .. , ... , .. ..' .. , 18 52,9 ...... , .. , 19 53 , 8 ..' .. , .. ' ...... 20 54,3 ...... '...

lAtter the 14th year of life the numbers of muskellunge were small and the weights var ied erratically. Consequently. the weights of fish over 14 years old are not given.

( 6 The spawning behavior is similar to that of The adult i s voracious, feeding largely on the muskellunge. The eggs hatch in 2 to 3 1/ 2 other fish and any other life that may weeks. The northern pike is known to hybridize be available such as mice, young ducks, , with the northern muskellunge and chain pick­ or . erel. The northern pike grows rapidly (table 1). It was only 0.6 to 1 .6 inches shorter than Artificial propagation of the northern pike muskellunge of corre sponding age during the is not as extensive as that of the muskellunge, first 4 years of life, and 2.6 to 3.7 inches but it is being carried on by several States. shorter at 5-14 years. The northern pike averaged 46.1 inches and 20.2 pounds in 14 The feeding habits of the young northern years when the muskellunge averaged 48.7 pike are similar to those of the muskellunge. inches a nd 32 .8 pounds.

CHAIN PICKEREL

The chain pickerel is smaller than the The chai n pickerel is identified by these muskellunge or the northern pike. It reache s characteristic s: both c heeks and the opercles a maximum length of about 3 feet and a f ully scaled; a dark streak running vertically weight of almost 11 pounds. The average downward below the eye; the color variable-­ size of chain pickerel taken b y fishermen typically oliv.e to yellow -brown dorsally; sides i s under 20 inche s and the weight Ie s s than lighter and covered wit h dar k chainlike reticu­ 2 pounds. lations; young under 8 inches, dark- barred o r mottled like adult g rass or redfin pickerel; ventral surface pale yellow or white; fins The chain pickerel is not an important plain; no white or black spots. commercial fish even though New York and Ontario allow it to be taken in . It is regarded a s a fine game and food fish, The ideal h a bitat for the chain pickerel is although it tends to be b ony. in shallow, warm wa t ers with a bundant vege­ ta t ion over a mud bottom and a plentiful fcod supply. The y are found also in deep, cold The chain picke rel is caught by s till-fishi ng waters with little or no vegetation; here they with live m i nnows and by trolling or casting tend to be la rger but fewer. with plugs , spoons, o r live minnows . The chain pickerel ranges from New Bruns­ In the northern Stat e s of the chain p icke r e l' s w ick and the St. Lawrence River and Lake r a nge, they a r e c o nsidered an important spor t Ontario drainages southward to Florida and fish. They a r e g e n e rally p r otec ted durin g t he through the low er Mis sissippi Valley to Texa s spawning sea son and by mini m u m size and a nd southern Missouri (fig. 7). The natural creel limits. In the southe rn States, the r egu­ range of the chain pickerel has been extended lations are more lenient. b y stoc king adults and young fish.

Figure 5.-- Distribution of northern pike in Europe and Asia.

7 &a.le d .M l~ --~ 't~ 4 _ , - \ -1 ~====~======~~=~~'~~~~===~=='==~.~=\=~=~='=====~='=='='~='=-=~ ==;==~~='='===~

F~re 6.-- stnbunoo of oorthern ptkc tn Nor Ame.rlCA,

The spawm"lg :lablts of the chain pickerel inhabIt the same ...... ater::;. In some areas, the are slmilar to these of the northern pike. chaIn pIcke _". ~ybrldlZeS wit..lt the g rass and The chaIn pickerel reaches sexual maturIty rediin pIcke re' a>' well. durIng its second or third year of hie when It is a bout 1 foot long . LIttle is known a s to the number of eggs produced, but a 12-inch­ The chain pickerel ; s a voracious feeder, long female may lay from b,OOO to 7 ,000 eggs, mostly on other flS ~. A 2-pound fe;-Jlo.le was reported to have about 30,000 eggs. The eggs hatch in 6 to 12 days, The growth of t he chain pickerel is much and the fry begm to feed about a week after 'lower than that of the muskellunge or T'orthern hatcmng. pike (table 1). Attheageof8year s t ~. e hain pickerel aver .Cl ged 2.7 .1 inches--16.9 inches The chain pickerel and the n orthern pike s h 0 r t e r han muskellunge and 13.2 inches have been reported to hybricize when they shorter than northbrn pike of t~e same age.

8 GRASS AND REDFIN PICKEREL

The grass and redfin p ic ker els a re the fins plain or vaguely blotched; no white or smallest but probably the most n umer ous black spots or chainlike reticulat ions. pikes in North America. They a r e also t he least known. These two f i s h a r e closely The grass pickerel i s primarily a small­ similar but d iffer sufficiently anatomically stream fish, although it may also be found and in range that they a re s e par a t e d into in ponds, lakes , and sluggish r i vers. It p re­ . fers quiet, weedy waters over a mud bottom. Due to thei r small s i z e t he grass and redfin pickerels are not important g ame fis h . They The r ange of the grass pickerel i s from are generally caught i ncident ally when the southern Wisconsin and eastern Iowa t o the i ndividual is fishing for other specie s . south ern half of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, southern Ontario, and upper St. Lawrence River, southward west of the coastal Grass and redfin pickerel a r e often mis­ mount ains to the Gulf coast from Alabama to taken for the young of the larger pikes. Little eastern Texas and nort hward to Nebraska is known of the life histori e s of t hese two (fig. 8). fish. Little is known about the spawning habit s Grass Pickerel of grass pickerel, but it is reported t hat t hey are similar to those of the northern pike and The grass p ickerel seldom r eac he s a length chain pickerel. They a ttain sexual maturity of 14 inches or a weig ht of 1 p o und; average at a small size. A female of 6 . 2 inches was length i s less than 10 inche s . reported to contain 15,732 eggs, of which 803 were mat ure, the rest were small. The identifying characteristics of t he grass pickerel are: both cheek and o p ercles ent irely The grass pickerel is known to hybridize scaled (fi g. 2A) ; branc hiostegal r ays 11-13; with the chain pickerel. a dark streak running downw a rd and backward from the eye; s n out 2.5 to 2 .7 times the length of t h e h ead; body color vari able- -typically The gras s pickerel feeds p rincipally upon o l ive t o yellow-brown dorsally; sides lighter fish and to a lesser extent on other aquatic and h e avily barred or mottled with a darker animals such as and Immature in­ c olor; ventr al surface pale yellow or white; sects.

Figure 7.--Ustribution of chain pickerel.

. " Ie t)e ~I li~s u :"'110 .4 ... • ...

-A.. "

9 The rate of growth of the grass pickerel The characteristic s identifying the redfin has not been investigated exten sively. Limited pickerel are: both cheek and opercles entirely data indicate a wide variat ion of g rowth ac­ scaled (fig. 2A); branchiostegal rays 11-13; cording to latitude and fertilit y of the water a dark streak running downw ard and backward inhabited. In fertile, warm waters, the grass from the eye; snout short, 2. 8 to 3.1 times in pickerel has been reported t o reach 11 inches the length of the head; body color variable-­ in 3 years. In cool, less fertile waters of typic ally d a rk olive to b lack dorsally; sides eastern Ontario, 7 years w ere r equired for lighter and heavily barred or mottled with a the fish to reach 10.8 inches. darker color; ventral surface pale yellow or white; fins plain or vaguely blotched; no white Redfin Pickerel or black spots or chai nlike reticulations . The redfin pickerel is t h e smallest of the pikes; it seldom reaches a length of 12 inches, The habitat of the redfin pickerel is s imilar and the ave rage length is less than 10 inches . to t hat of the grass pickerel.

. - .. - .. ~. ...I\ .-..... -. \M INNESOTA ...... _

\ ._._._-- "-J "

I '" ~.- .- .-.- . ~ _._._ • IOWA • . --., -....-,- (

KANSAS

I I. ""\ .

\ . . Scale ot Miles GRASS PICKEREL \ f23 100 , 00 300 .-, ... ~ REDF'IN PICKEREL 1 ~

Figure 8.--IXstribution of grass and redfln pickerel.

10 ( The r edfin picker el ranges from Lake St. T h pnnc Ipal food of Pet e r (St . Lawr nce Ri ver in Quebec) south­ fi h and 0 a Ie ser ex ward alo ng t he Atlant ic coast al plain to Florida Immature ge o f aqu and t he Gulf coast (fig. 8). The ranges of the g r ass and r edfin pickerel do not overlap in t h north . At t he sout hern t erminus, the two subspecies meet and t here is a rather broad at !lve a g e : band of int e r gradat ion. Age Len t h The spawning habit s of redfin pickerel are )rnn r port ed t o be similar to those of northern pike . They a ttain sexual mat urity at a small I 4. size . Females as small as 3 . 9 inches have 2 5 . been r eported as mat u r e. Females averaging 3 7 . 3 8 . 3 inches long cont ained an ave r age of 3,716 4 8 . 7 eggs , of which 269 we r e mat u r e; t he rest were 5 10. 5 small. At 5 y ea r s t his fish a v e r ag s 10.S .nchl" The r edfin pickerel is known to hybridize 10ng --0 . 5 Inch les t han 3-y •.tr -old r.l I with t he chain picker el. pickerel, which a v e r ag 11 . 0 Inch

SOM E IMPORTANT PUBLICATIONS 0 PIKE

Car bine , William F . H ourston , Alan S . 1944. Egg p r oduct ion of the northern pike, 195 2. The food and g r owth of ht E SOJ lucius L ., and the percentage sur­ n ongy (I.: ur m<1 ..,"Jlnnn;y :Itc hlllli vival of eggs and young on the spawning dian wat e r s . Jour nal of t he I- I he rl grounds. Papers of t he Michigan Acad­ Re s ea r ch Boa r d of Cdondod.l , vo •. . l , <' . emy of Science, Arts, and Letters, v ol. 5 , p . 34 7 - 368. 29 (1943), p . 123 - 137. 1955. A ~tudy o f v anat lonli In r.f m .. j. - Crossman, E. J. n on).!. f r om t h r ee r '~(lOnll III ( .• r .d i. 1962. The r edfin picker el, E80 . a. amr ri ranu.,. Contnbutions o f t h Roy I () .trlt). ~u­ in Nort h Carolina. Cope i a, 196 2, n o . 1, seum o f and ! al.u·on 0 0 y, p . 114-123. no . 40 , 13 p .

1962. The gr a ss pickerel , E.,n. (1'711 nranus I' rrmiculal u8 Le Sll eur, In C anad a . Lif e Hubbs, Carl L ., and Karl F. Lag e r. Science Divis i on, Royal O ntano M u ­ 1958. Fishes of t he Grc.! L k 10 • seum, Uni vers lty of Toronto, C ontribu­ 1Rev . ed. C r anbrook In tion No. 55, 29 p . ence , Bull In Frost, Winifred E. Kendall, \'1111.1m C. 1954. The food of pike , Esor "If f',. L ., in 1917 . The pikes: h IT Windermere. Journal of Anlmal Ecol ­ t nbut lon, habl ,cui ogy, vol. 23, no. 2, p . 3 3 9 - 360 . Clallmportancc. [U .S. ] Bur Frost, Winifred E., and Cha r l otte K ipling. e n es , R po rt of t he COIT 1959. The determination o f t he age and Fisher! s for h ClSe I ., growth of pike ( F ~u. 11J('I~' L .). f r o m appendiX 5 , p. : -45 . scale and opercula r bones. Conse l1 Perman nt InternatIO nal Pour l ' E x plo ­ \'eed, Alfr ed C. ration de la ler, Journal du Conse ll, 1927 . Pike, plc).er I , vol. 24, n o . 2, p . 314- 34 1. F ield !Ulleum of •. cago, Lool0 IC I L Goode, George Brown. 1 4. The hshene and fi s h ing Indu t nes K ennet h , of the United Stat s. e c t lO n 1, Unit ed A compend: State CommlS .on o f F i s h and FI h ­ e colo y of h en s , p . 4 1-4 6. (Le Sue r l . 192 Am n can h hes. L . S . P a e Com- F l he ne. and G pan , Bo ton, p. 274 -l ZZ , 27 p .

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1 1 UNITED STATES DEPARTME T F THF I TE 1)1\ Stewart L. Udall, ecretary .]amp s K . Cllrr, Under Secre tary Frunk P. Briggs, A8sistant Secretary jar F Ish and W ildbj

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