Key points
- Range: native across most of Canada (holarctic); in BC, native only to the far northwest — pike in the Columbia Basin are an introduced invader (source).
- Threat (in BC): Voracious apex predators that feed heavily on native salmonids, including Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, and juvenile Bull Trout .
- Habitat: Prefer slow-moving, weedy backwaters, sloughs, and connected river floodplains. Found in the lower connected reaches of the Kootenay River .
- Tactics: Aggressive strikers. Targeted using large, wire-leader rigs with flash streamers, spoons, or topwater walk-the-dog lures.
Fishing by region
- Regulations, seasons, and the waters to target vary by region — in the Kootenays, see Beyond Trout in the Kootenays.
Open questions
- The effectiveness of current suppression measures in preventing pike from establishing dominant populations in the upper wetland systems.
Related
- Kootenay River — threat area.
- Largemouth Bass — shares warmwater habitats.
- Baitfish & Fry — forage base.
Sources
- — river presence.
- Wikipedia — Northern pike — Canadian range and invasive status.
