Northern pike

AIS Aquatic invasive species

Classification: Prohibited

Invasive species family: Escocidae

More details | Report a sighting

Category: Fish

Family: Escocidae

Common names: Northern pike

April 2024: WDFW removing invasive pike after illegal introductions on San Juan Island and in Lake Washington

If anglers catch northern pike in new areas, WDFW asks that they kill the pike immediately and do not release it, take a photo, and report it by calling 1-888-WDFW-AIS, email at ais@dfw.wa.gov, or use the Washington Invasive Species Council reporting form or mobile app at invasivespecies.wa.gov/report-a-sighting.

The northern pike (Esox Lucius) is a non-native fish classified as a prohibited aquatic invasive species (AIS) in Washington. It has already spread to several water bodies within the state.

Illegal stocking in the 1950s in Montana rivers and in the 1970s in the Coeur d’Alene river system led to establishment of northern pike in the upper Columbia River Basin. Since then, the species has steadily expanded downstream to include the Pend Oreille River, Spokane River, and the Columbia River upstream of Grand Coulee Dam. Northern pike have also been introduced to Lake Washington in King County and have been found in a pond on San Juan Island.

Their voracious appetite for other fish and prolific spawning habits represent a potential for great ecological and economic damage, not just in northeast Washington but throughout the region. Northern pike can live over 20 years, can grow to more than 45 pounds, produce a large number of young, and can consume substantial quantities of native and Endangered Species Act (ESA)-listed salmonids that are particularly vulnerable to predation.

Surveys conducted between 2004 and 2014 documented both a rapid increase in the number of northern pike in Box Canyon Reservoir and a decline in the abundance of forage species such as native minnows and non-native sunfish, largemouth bass, and yellow perch.

Or learn more about northern pike in Washington in our printable brochure (PDF) (2023 version).

Invasive species information

Other western states are struggling with non-native populations of Northern Pike as well, and face challenges similar to Washington. Alaska, for example, has a large northern portion of the state where Northern Pike are native, but illegal introductions to the southcentral part of the state, where they are not native, have caused devastating impacts to native salmon and trout populations. Washington is trying to learn from Alaska’s management strategy, and for more information on their situation, see the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Northern Pike webpage.

Northern Pike Reports

Description and Range

Physical description

Northern pike have a long body shape, oval in cross-section (hence the name “pike”, meaning spear or lance-shaped) and have a large duck-bill mouth with big teeth and a dorsal fin located near the tail fin. They display horizontal rows of light-colored round to oval spots on a dark background.

The following infographic shows ways of distinguishing invasive northern pike from sterile tiger muskie.

A graphic showing the differences between a tiger muskie and a northern pike. — An infographic showing differences between northern pike, an aquatic invasive species, and sterile tiger muskie.

Geographic range

The largest proportion of northern pike in the Pend Oreille River is in Box Canyon Reservoir, but they also live in Boundary Reservoir, just north of Box Canyon Dam on the Pend Oreille River. Anglers have also reported catching pike in the Columbia River north of the confluence with the Pend Oreille River, in Canada, downstream near Northport, Washington, and just upstream and downstream of Kettle Falls. They also live in the Spokane River from Lake Couer d’Alene in Idaho downstream to Long Lake in Spokane County.

Northern pike have also been illegally introduced in Lake Washington in King County and Carefree Lake on San Juan Island. Northern pike are a prohibited species everywhere they exist in Washington. It is illegal to retain or transport live pike in our state.

Regulations

Rules and seasons

Under Washington state regulations, prohibited invasive species may be immediately killed and retained only if the person is certain about species identification and assumes responsibility for correct identification and adherence to state rules and fishing regulations.