THE NORTH RIDING PROJECT

The size attained by the pike in our islands has been the subject of a good deal of controversy, and according to one authority “more lies have been told about the pike than any other fish in the world.”

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The pike leads a solitary life and often seems to select a pool or a stretch of quiet water which he regards as his domain for the season, and from which he never wanders far.  On warm days in the summer he may often be seen lying motionless, basking at the top of the water and resembling a log of wood, or he may lurk within the shelter of a clump of lilies or a bed of reeds, from which concealment he may suddenly dash out to seize his prey. 

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Sufficient has been said to indicate the voracity and ferocity of the pike, which when driven by the pangs of hunger will even attack man himself; anger and revenge also seem to influence him, for I have seen one spring from the ground and close his jaws on the arm of the angler who was about to take the hook from his mouth.

Tate Regan/Fishes