The Predator Beneath

The Predator Beneath

by

Rob Read

As I mentioned last time, I used to spend a lot of time sat on the banks of rivers, lakes, canals, and ponds trying to outwit their piscatorial inhabitants. More often than not, the fish got the better of me of course, but catching the fish was only a small part of the attraction. Spending time outdoors and in direct contact with nature is what I now realise was the vital element. Whether I’m fishing, walking, or taking photographs, I have a real need to spend a lot of time outside. Ironic really, when the very love of something has led directly to me spending most of my time inside staring at a screen and bashing away at my keyboard.

Above: The Northern Pike is a formidable predator.

Fish don’t seem to get as much attention in wildlife publications compared to birds, mammals and invertebrates. I guess this may be down to their relative lack of accessibility to most people; after all, you either have to tempt them out of their watery home on rod and line, or jump into their element in a wetsuit to get a close look at them. This is a great shame as the different species have very different characters and live their lives in very diverse ways. I thought I would do my bit to share my experiences with a few of the iconic UK species and the beauty that can be found beneath the surface of our waterways.

There is no better place to start than with the Northern Pike or Esox lucious to give it its scientific name, a ruthlessly efficient predator whose diet consists primarily of fish, but it will also take small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds when the opportunity arises. It is a sleek and muscular fish, shaped like a torpedo with a large and powerful tail, attributes that provide it with an explosive turn of speed to ambush unsuspecting prey. A mixture of mottled olive green and yellow, fading to white on its underside, its markings are exquisite – I would say that this is arguably the most beautiful of all the freshwater fish in the UK - a large, well-marked female at her peak in February is truly a sight to behold. Its colouration is designed to camouflage it against the underwater snags and vegetation from which it launches its attacks. It has a very long head and huge mouth which is adorned with rows of pointed, backward facing, razor-sharp teeth which it uses to grab and grip its prey, which it swallows whole and headfirst. It’s a rather aggressive feeder and a species which is commonly cannibalistic where other prey items are scarce.

The Pike is a very adaptable fish which is found throughout the Northern Hemisphere and inhabits most freshwater environments from small streams to large reservoirs and gravel pits. It even tolerates brackish water. Females grow much larger than their male counterparts and can reach as much as 50lbs in weight and be four feet in length, but average specimens are much smaller. A 10lb fish was always considered a good size when I used to fish for them, my personal best being slightly over 20lb – an unbelievably beautiful fish I caught many years ago from a backwater of the River Kennet in Berkshire one February. To hold such an animal was a true privilege and an experience I’ll not forget.

Over the coming weeks, I’ll take a look at a few more of my favourite species.

Rob Read. October 2021.