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Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Neuromasts of Esox Lucious


Look at all the neuromasts on the head of this predator. What a cool fish. All those spots and holes are part of the pike's lateral line -- the sensory system used to detect movement and vibration in the water.

excerpt: Frost and Kipling (1967) also studied the technique of prey capture of young northern pike. The pike "marks down" the prey which it stalks stealthily to within a certain distance and then, before striking, flexes  its body. This gives the impetus for the lightning dart forward strike. The prey is grasped crossways in the mouth and firmly held by the backwardly projecting teeth. Then it is swallowed head first. 

8 comments:

  1. John
    I am going to make it one of my goals this year to pursue a Pike. There is pike in the lake I fish and I have even seen some in the back of some of nooks I fish. I have been following your blog and some of the other blogs to know that it is an awesome fish to land on the fly rod. What other flies do you do besides streamers?

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  2. That's a great pic. Pike have to be one of the coolest looking fish. When I think of what a predator looks like. I think of the Pike or Musky.

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  3. I always enjoy a post with a healthy dose of biology. Good stuff!

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  4. Definitely a cool predator! ajlaf7

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  5. Hey Bill – streamers are probably your best bet. As pike get bigger they primarily eat vertebrates (other fish, frogs). A pretty easy pike fly is Barry's Gen-XBunny. A google search "pike flies" will give you lots of ideas. Good luck!

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  6. Speaking of pike. In Alaska we'd sometimes have time to fish waiting for helicopters, the weather to lift, etc. Always dreaming of a fire near a river with sheefish, we'd suddenly find ourselves with time on the Kobuk. Inevitably, the first fish were grayling, and then someone would hoop and holler he's got a big one. Never an inconnu, always a pike, in clear very cold rivers. We were dissappointed, but that was then and there. The biology primer that you gave was fascinating, cool stuff to know.


    Gregg

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  7. Beautiful pic man. I wouldn't want to get caught between that things jaws!! Great info on the fish too. I need to chase them with a fly rod.

    Tight LInes.

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  8. Just reading this now of course, but pike, what a perfect subject for valentines day! I've certainly fallen in love over the last year

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