The alligator pike is a challenging fish. If you want to test your courage with a near-prehistoric animal weighing more than 50kg, if you have access to the slow, murky waters of the Mississippi, then the alligator pike is the fish for you. Here are some tips for catching this huge-toothed fish.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Finding the Alligator Pike
Step 1. Head to the Southern United States
The alligator pike lives in Mississippi, from southern Ohio to the Gulf of Mexico. Its presence has been reported in the freshwater stretches of Texas, Alabama, Louisiana and Arkansas: it is a typical fish of this area. The largest are generally found in Texas.
- Henderson Swamp in Baton Rouge (Louisiana) and Lake Ponchartrain north of New Orleans are populated by this animal.
- The same is true of Mississippi's Pearl and Pascagoula Rivers, the Mobile, Tensaw, Tennessee, and Tombigbee Rivers in Alabama, and finally the Escambia, Choctawhatchee, and Appalachicola Rivers in Florida.
- Texas rivers such as the Colorado, Trinity, Guadalupe, Sabine and the other main channels are the most frequented, and hold the record for the number of sightings of the alligator pike, in addition to the fact that the largest known population of this fish lives there.
Step 2. Find a swamp or an isolated spot
A "dead lake" is a lake that was formed thanks to the flooding of an adjacent river during a flood, from which, however, it remained isolated when the waters returned to the bed: this is the perfect place to find the alligator pike. Make sure you have permission to fish in these waters and that you have all licenses in good standing under the applicable jurisdiction.
You must have access to the fishing area, so if there is no embankment, make sure you get a boat
Step 3. Learn to recognize the alligator pike
It is a kind of long-nosed pike with sharp teeth and is clearly a prehistoric fish. It can weigh up to 113 kg and can survive for up to two hours out of water. It is the largest species of pike and is the largest freshwater fish that can be caught in North America. It reaches a length of 3 meters, the current record for the largest alligator pike ever caught with a rod is 126 kg, while the largest caught with a bow and arrow is 165 kg.
- The snout of the pike is about twice the size of the head but not more than 5 cm wide, it is clearly a long-nosed pike.
- The spotted pike and the Florida pike have shorter "noses" covered with characteristic brown spots.
- The alligator pike, your prey, is the largest of these fish. It has a long, strong snout with two rows of teeth, while ordinary pike have only one. It is a rather large specimen also in width.
Step 4. Know where and when to look
Pike spawns in brackish waters during the spring, around April, but the best time to fish for it is in late summer when the weather is hot and dry.
In July and August, alligator pike can be found in the deepest ravines of rivers, adjacent to relatively shallow pools of water. Deep waters are where these animals congregate, while shallow waters are where they feed
Part 2 of 3: Fishing for Alligator Pike
Step 1. Make sure your equipment is up to the task
If you are looking to hook a 113 kg fish with a dozen razor sharp teeth, you will need much more than a line with a line and float. Get a rigid composite rod and an extra strong line. This is the type of fish you want to lure to the surface, so a bait float is useful.
It is best to have a spinning or casting reel that can cast at 130-180 meters and is tested for 15-50kg monofilament line. A 1.6-2.4m rigid graphite or composite rod is appropriate for a fish of this size
Step 2. For the line, choose a 20-40 kg muzzle with a 60-90 cm steel end
- Hook the bait to a 6/0 anchor hook and use a 7 g bottom weight with a split sinker to hold it over the hook.
- Get a plastic or cork float that is able to keep the bait and line suspended near the surface of the water.
Step 3. Choose a good-sized live bait
Some fishermen active in the delta waters near the Gulf Coast prefer 25-30cm mullet and often suggest removing the scales before using them. However, any legal bait such as cyprinids, halo and catostomidae are part of the typical alligator pike menu.
Carp, large perch and ictiobus are also used
Step 4. Look at the schools of fish such as halos, cyprinids or freshwater mullets
When you spot a group that is stirring in the water, it means that there is a carnivore nearby and probably a pike. Prepare your bait and cast.
Step 5. Launch into the deepest part of the channel, leave the reel spool open to allow the pike to move away a little when it bites
Keep your eyes on the float. When it starts to move like a torpedo in the water or sinks into the depths, then you know you have a pike at the other end of the line. Lower the rod towards the fish and wait at least 7 seconds before tightening the line.
The pike swims with its food before eating it. If you try to skewer the hook too soon, you risk losing it or getting stuck in a spot on the fish that is not suitable for recovery
Step 6. Secure the hook
The alligator pike has a very hard bony palate, which is the reason why most anglers prefer an anchor hook, it takes considerable force to be able to penetrate it. Since you've also given the fish a few hundred yards of line, you'll really have to put in the effort and give more of a yank.
When the hook is well fixed, it's time to get ready for a great wrestling match
Part 3 of 3: Fighting with the Alligator Pike
Step 1. Face the fish when you feel tension on the line
Very large fish take a long struggle to land and you will need to adjust your stamina to subdue them. Try to direct the pike away from tree trunks, bushes and all objects in which it can get caught, to prevent it from tangling the line, otherwise you will surely lose it.
Step 2. Fight the fish until it is exhausted
Bring him closer to you a little at a time, leaving him without strength. Don't burn all your energy trying to resolve the issue quickly. Never try to force even a small alligator pike into the boat if it still has the heart to fight. It is an animal that bites aggressively in self-defense. If the pike is very large, it is best to harpoon it before hoisting it, so that the head (and teeth) remains clear of the boat's occupants.
A harpoon is basically a pole with a sharp hook at the bottom that is used to hold a large fish to the side of the boat. Usually a fishing partner harpoons the fish at the height of the gills, under the backbone, with a mostly fatal blow. If you plan on releasing the fish, don't use this technique
Step 3. Be very careful if you decide to release your catch
Fishermen usually advise against fishing for pike, unless you intend to kill it. Bringing a live alligator pike inside the boat or on the shore is very dangerous, and removing an anchor hook from its mouth full of sharp teeth requires the use of very long pliers. If you want to do this, make sure the animal is more than exhausted, and wear arm and hand protection.
- If you just cut the line, the hook will remain in the fish's mouth leaving little hope of surviving.
- The alligator pike and many other freshwater predators are increasingly endangered. The best conservation policy is fishing and release, so try to be aware of the difficulties this entails and fish for pike responsibly.
Step 4. Consider creative alternatives
Many people who live in states where there is a population of alligator pike will tell you that the best tool for catching it is the compound bow and arrows. This is a very exciting technique because it combines fishing with hunting.
Some fishermen are of the opinion that it is best to bring a 22 gauge shotgun to finish the fish when it comes close to the boat. Be very careful and make sure you have the license to carry a firearm with you on a fishing trip
Step 5. Consider the idea that pike becomes your dinner
It is usually a trophy prey, given its size and ferocious appearance. However, it is also edible (and many even say tasty) albeit difficult to clean. The scales look like armor and must be removed all together; with the right technique, however, they come off in a single operation.
Attach the pike's head to the dock and work with a tailed knife towards the spine by loosening the scales. Cut off the head and tail, then use the knife on the sides of the fish. The flakes should peel off like a crust around the underlying meat. Gut the fish as usual
Advice
- When you haul the pike into the boat or take it ashore, do not grab it by the muzzle as the teeth stick out of the mouth and if it starts wiggling it can easily cut your hand.
- Seriously consider hiring a guide for your first alligator pike fishing trip. A guide saves you time, offers valuable safety advice and makes the experience more fun.
- There are stories (somehow justified) that tell of alligator pike that come to bite the feet of people who sit with their legs dangling on the piers or on the banks
