“Get the camera!”

The cry, raised over the roar of the full-throttle outboard returning to the dock, was calculated to annoy our neighbors on the porch of the adjoining cottage.  They were confirmed Black Bass anglers who witnessed with distaste our trophy celebration every happy hour.  The uppity neighbors called us “the funnel gang.” My aunt and uncle, fisherpeople of a different school (from Michigan) would pose with amazing strings of large Northern Pike every afternoon.

Our guests cared nothing for itsy-bitsy bass.  They went for what we always called, back in those days, “GREAT Northern Pike.”  The visitors brought with them their way of fishing for pike, which was to sink weighted lines to the bottom, attaching a large free-swimming chub on a leader above the top of the weeds, then put bobbers on each line then do nothing but relax in the boat all day, waiting for one of bobbers that circled the boat to go under. No casting, no trolling—lazy fishing, but almost guaranteed to produce stunning catches daily.  Because my aunt and uncle used only large chubs for bait, they weren’t bothered by smaller pan fish—or those little bass.

I still referred to “GREAT Northern Pike,” as if that had been the official name, until Bud Andress corrected me, advising that the “great” was strictly a localism.  Myself, I wasn’t such a confirmed northern pike fisherman as my relatives.  I didn’t use their passive technique, preferring to troll and cast.  True, it was a thrill, in shallow waters, to see the big fish (an ambush predator) lunge swiftly at bait (or a another fish already hooked), taking it down to the bottom forcefully. But thereafter bringing the Pike in was more like hauling up an inert log than landing a fighting bass.

Also, when my relatives came for a stay, I became mighty tired of eating Pike every night.  They sliced the largest of the boney fish into thick slabs that they fried.  The flesh is white and mild-tasting.   I can’t imagine that we began to eat all those strings of fish they caught daily, but don’t recall if they were released after being photographed—probably.

Northern Pike is one species that we don’t need to worry about disappearing from our waters, or so it seems.  The fish is common most places in our latitude—so common, in fact, that in some areas government agencies have programs to exterminate them, in order to protect other species.

Spider Rybaak however suggests, "About the only places that I know of where this is partly the case are waters where pike are aliens, introduced by 'Johnny Pikeseeds.' However, total eradication programs are only put in place in small ponds where the state is trying to reestablish native brook trout, and then they use a herbacide to kill all fish; and that's primarily in the 'Daks.'

"In larger waters, the authorities, drawing from lessons learned when they trashed fifty years of fishing ethic by allowing snagging for salmon in Lake Ontario (snagging spread throughout the state, for all species), allow special regulations, but stay true to part of the state wide regs.

"For instance, Cranberry Lake. The DEC is trying to reduce pike numbers by allowing you to keep pike of any size. Still, you can only fish for them during the regular season and the daily limit remains five.

"They're not really that common either. Voracious predators, they'd eat themselves out of house and home if they were as abundant as bass, for instance. The Thousand Islands region has a better than average population, primarily because of all the shoreline habitat around the islands and over the shoals."

John Farrel, Director of the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Thousand Islands Biological Station at Governor's Island, Clayton, in 2007 was less sanguine:

"The northern pike abundance index in the Thousand Islands region of the St. Lawrence River has shown a significant decline (NYSDEC, Warmwater Assessment Database, Smith et al. 2006) and commercial catch records for eastern Lake Ontario suggest that current populations represent only a fraction of historical levels (Casselman and Lewis 1996).  Water level regulation and expansion of invasive cattail have led to significant problems regarding reproductive habitat (Farrell 2001; Farrell et al. 2006).  Rehabilitating spawning habitat is an important goal to help improve failing recruitment of northern pike." 

Elsewhere, John observed, "The Thousand Islands region of the upper St. Lawrence River is characterized by a complex array of rocky shoals, tributary wetlands, and bay habitats. Many shallow bay areas and riparian wetlands associated with tributary streams have traditionally provided ideal spawning and nursery habitats for northern pike Esox lucius (Werner and Ford 1972; Cooper 2000; Farrell 2001). An open-substratum spawner, the northern pike broadcasts semiadhesive eggs over shallow submerged aquatic plants or recently flooded terrestrial plants (Frost and Kipling 1967; Bry 1996). Degradation of tributary wetland spawning habitats as a result of water level management and agricultural land use has resulted in a shift in the reproductive activity of northern pike from riparian wetlands to deepwater bays, possibly contributing to a long-term reduction in the abundance of this species within the Thousand Islands region (Smith 2000; Farrell 2001). A better understanding of northern pike population structure and reproductive behavior in the St. Lawrence River will help clarify the ecological consequences of the alteration or loss of these spawning habitats."

Again, Dr. Farrell reported [2008], " We estimated the areal coverage of robust and shallow emergent vegetation in three shared-spawning bays in the Upper St. Lawrence River from aerial photographs taken from 1948 to 2003. Robust emergent vegetation (e.g., cattail) increased in coverage by 155–241% while shallow emergents (sedges) decreased by 46–96%. The loss of sedges, an important northern pike-spawning habitat, may facilitate greater spawning overlap in offshore submersed aquatic vegetation within bay habitats used by muskellunge."

We're improving Northern Pike habitat on the river. John Farrell for years has been involved in research and improvement of pike habitat locally. John observed, "Our research indicates that the spawning distribution of pike may have changed relative to vegetation changes and water levels management"--which John and associates have monitored, planning habitat restoration assisted by the Fish Enhancement, Restoration, and Research Fund. 

"We at TIBS have been doing the work for DEC [New York State Department of Environmental Conservation] on the habitat restoration (such as the French Creek) for many years now.  We are also working with TILT [Thousand Islands Land Trust] on a new habitat restoration project at Delaney Bay on Grindstone [reported by the state:]

"During the past two weeks [2006], the Thousand Islands Biological Station (TIBS) conducted their annual spawning surveys for northern pike and muskellunge in the St. Lawrence River and found the highest number of fish behind the new fish ladder in Delaney Bay. The water control structure and fish ladder were funded by the Fish Enhancement, Mitigation and Research Fund and installed by Partners for Fish and Wildlife and Ducks Unlimited staff during October 2006. Dr. John Farrell, Director of TIBS, stated that generally esocid populations in the St. Lawrence River are down this year and was very pleased to find high numbers spawning in the enhanced marsh habitat at Delaney Bay."

Family catch of northern pike. Photo courtesy Capt. Rich Clarke.

When I was a youngster, our own fishing grounds were below Clayton, including shallow, weedy Eel Bay, called “The most popular fishing area for northern pike in the Thousand Islands region, attracting anglers from throughout New York State and beyond.” Eel Bay is “an   extensive, undisturbed, shallow bay with beds of submergent vegetation; unusual in the St. Lawrence River ecological subzone.” Eel Bay is the most popular spot for Pike ice fishing in early spring (the season ends in mid-March).

Eel Bay, Randy Caccia photograph.

Randy Caccia, at the Minna Anthony Common Nature Center on Eel Bay, says, “When is the peak ice-fishing season on Eel Bay?  The last few years it has been unpredictable because of the warm-cold-warm-cold weather patterns which do not help the ice formation.  Once the ice is formed and thick enough--usually by the middle of February--the fishing picks up.  You will also notice that the different fire halls and organizations start their fishing derbies this time of year. …  There is a boat launch at back of Eel Bay that most fisherman use, and it is small so they usually end up parking along side of the road--which works out okay if the snow plow has pushed the snow back far enough and if the cars don't park there before the plow comes through.  The weekends are the most crowded time on the bay.  Last Saturday when I left the nature center at four PM there were over twenty-six vehicles parked along the road, and probably another six in the lot. The ice fisherman have been known to use our [nature center] lot, but it is easier for them to haul their stuff from the boat launch to the ice then down the hill from our lot.

“Here at the nature center there are just two full time people and a couple hourly people that keep us going from November-May (after May I have seasonal employees that come aboard). Kim Chapman, my assistant and other permanent employee and I ironically were talking about using ice fishing as a pull to bring more people to the nature center during the winter months.  This year is the exception with the skiing – meaning that the cross country ski season has been GOOD.  The last few years it has been poor or almost non-existent.   In order to run a program like this I would need some dedicated volunteer ice fisherman.  I could probably come up with the equipment.

C. Williams photograph.

“I have seen scout groups, dad's and sons, retirees, people fishing to sell the fish, husbands and wives.   The [Wellesley Island State] Park cottages and cabins are often used by fishermen.  The cottages are located just past the boat launch before you get to the nature center property.  There are some days it looks like a scene from ‘Grumpy Old Men’ with all the ice shanties out there.”

“The ice fishing for northerns in the bays around Clayton still produce some nice fish,” according to Capt. Rich Clarke, who notes, “Since the onset of zebra mussels the weed beds under the ice are very sparse.  The northerns like to hunt in the weeds so it makes it tougher to catch them now.  They tend to come through areas in packs and we will catch fish for a short time and then they move on.  Then it is time to wait for the next wave to come through.”

C. Williams photograph.

The northern pike season reopens for rod and reel anglers on the first Saturday in May.  Capt. Rich Clarke observes, “Northern pike fishing has been better in the last three years than the two years prior.  It seems to be easier to catch them trolling for some reason.  I still prefer to cast for them and my customers primarily cast and drift bait for them.  The Spring Pike fishing has been excellent especially once the water warms up above fifty.”

The northern pike is one of our most rapidly growing fish, averaging two to four pounds and two feet long. Often these fish reach the 20-pound class—but hardly the muskie class. Large northern pike resemble muskies, causing some (usually optimistic) confusion.  In fact, the “tiger muskellunge” is a hybrid.  We used to refer to small northern pike as “pickerel”—as a youngster I thought this was a distinct species.  Now I understand that it’s a Canadian term for walleye—a fish unfamiliar to me in those days, since the prime fishing season was spring, when I was still in school.  The walleye, although it resembles a northern pike, is really a member of the perch family (the pike perch).

Photograph courtesy Clayton Fire Department

Recently funds have become available to cut channels into massive mats of cattails, in order to improve pike habitat. Capt. Allen Benas recalls that previously “the NYSDEC did develop a spawning area in the French Creek Wildlife area that empties into the bay in Clayton. Apparently, it has proven to be a big success. A group of Alex Bay sportsmen tried to introduce pike from mid-west waters in a cleared area east of the Bay a few years ago. The DEC initially approved the project but one of my friends out there later commented that he thought they had made a mistake by introducing ‘alien’ strains of pike to the river, strains that are not naturally as strong as ours. This is always an issue with any stocking program--’contaminating’ the natural strain, usually for the worse, by introducing weaker strains. That was the reasoning for the French Creek project that would just improve natural spawning areas, thereby increasing the success of a spawn. It gets complicated, just like introducing Pacific Salmon into the Great Lakes. I figure that if God had wanted Pacific Salmon in the Great Lakes he would have built them on the west coast.”