Why are big pike females and what is a big pike ?

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Taffypiker
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Why are big pike females and what is a big pike ?

Post by Taffypiker »

Its something that has always confused me

I would have thought nature would have an even balance of female and male pike ?

When does a jack pike become an adult pike ? 6 pound ? ........When do pike start breeding ?

Why are small pike mostly male ? And 25 pounders mostly female

Are there not pike of 12 pound that are male or are all small male pike eaten by the ladies before they grow up ?

Surely a ten pound lady pike mates with a chap pike of about the same size ?
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Re: Why are big pike females and what is a big pike ?

Post by Flipflopjoe »

There’s loads of threads on here about similar questions to yours, “when does a jack pike become a pike” etc etc…

I don’t know the science behind it but to me, a jack pike is fish up to 9lb 15oz. Once it reaches double figures I’d call it a pike.
Males sometimes do grow to this size but as far as I know low double figures is about it.
You can be fairly confident a fish of double figures or bigger is a female.
I suppose it’s just nature, unlike mammals and birds where the female tends to be smaller and less glamorous, with other species of vertebrates it’s the other way round which is apparent with our beloved Esox.
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Re: Why are big pike females and what is a big pike ?

Post by Taffypiker »

Flipflopjoe wrote: Tue Jun 29 2021 15:44 -
There’s loads of threads on here about similar questions to yours, “when does a jack pike become a pike” etc etc…

I don’t know the science behind it but to me, a jack pike is fish up to 9lb 15oz. Once it reaches double figures I’d call it a pike.
Males sometimes do grow to this size but as far as I know low double figures is about it.
You can be fairly confident a fish of double figures or bigger is a female.
I suppose it’s just nature, unlike mammals and birds where the female tends to be smaller and less glamorous, with other species of vertebrates it’s the other way round which is apparent with our beloved Esox.
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Re: Why are big pike females and what is a big pike ?

Post by chrisd123 »

i think females tend to be bigger as they have to gain more weight which goes into egg production. Males obviously produce milt so less body fat/tissue is required to be absorbed. Egg production is more expensive (biologically speaking) than milt production.
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Re: Why are big pike females and what is a big pike ?

Post by John Milford »

A "Jack" pike is a euphemism for a male pike (females being a "Jill").

Males growing to a significantly smaller size than females is probably why all smaller pike tend to be called jacks.

"Jack" is also an archaic term for pike in general, irrespective of gender or size, rather like "Luce".

I have seen a definition that once a pike's juvenile bars break up into spots, is a pike rather than a jack.

Assigning a size threshold to the definition is purely an individual angler's measure and would be entirely dependent on the average size of fish in any given water.

(E.g. On a canal were the general run of fish is 3 to 5 pounds, an 8 pounder wouldn't be regarded as a Jack - whereas on a trout water, with many very large pike present, a 12 pounder might be regarded as a jack).
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Re: Why are big pike females and what is a big pike ?

Post by chrisd123 »

I read somewhere that pike can be sexed by looking at the vent...on a female the "vent" is wider than the a**l aperture and v shaped whereas in a male its narrower and more of a slit.
Also around spawning period the female vent is pinkish whereas in a male its more blue/purple.
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Re: Why are big pike females and what is a big pike ?

Post by Mike J »

If you catch a nice fish and think to yourself thats big then thats what it is.
Forget about the lables anyone else uses, you caught it, and if its big to you thats the end of it.

Fred Buller who compiled the definitive book on large pike didn't call them big pike he called them mammoth pike.

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Re: Why are big pike females and what is a big pike ?

Post by John Milford »

chrisd123 wrote: Tue Nov 23 2021 20:03 -
I read somewhere that pike can be sexed by looking at the vent...on a female the "vent" is wider than the a**l aperture and v shaped whereas in a male its narrower and more of a slit.
Also around spawning period the female vent is pinkish whereas in a male its more blue/purple.
I get enough strange looks as it is when I'm piking Chris, without being seen examining pike's arses!! :clown:
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Re: Why are big pike females and what is a big pike ?

Post by chrisd123 »

Haha so do i John...its all good fun
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Re: Why are big pike females and what is a big pike ?

Post by stubbojo »

read somewhere male pike rarely grow over 7 pounds .......
i would call a big female pike .....over 20lbs ....a big pike, in my book , but that would depend on the individual .....
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Re: Why are big pike females and what is a big pike ?

Post by Mark Phillips »

In the UK, a big pike is over 20lbs, always has been, always will be. No body asks how many 18's you've had do they :laughs:

A Jack is any pike under 10lbs, again, pretty much set in stone. A pike between 10 and 20 (aka, a double), is a 'nice' fish and then a pike over 30lb, well that is a VERY big pike... I have not had a 40 (yet), but if that ever happens, that'll be a f*****g BIG pike :laughs:
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Re: Why are big pike females and what is a big pike ?

Post by nick the grief »

John Milford wrote: Wed Nov 24 2021 09:32 -
I get enough strange looks as it is when I'm piking Chris, without being seen examining pike's arses!! :clown:
:laughs: I was thinking I'd be more concerned with the toothy end
ntg :madmick:

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Re: Why are big pike females and what is a big pike ?

Post by cookiesdaughtersdad »

The main reason females grow bigger is that the eggs are considerably bigger than sperm.

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Re: Why are big pike females and what is a big pike ?

Post by Mike J »

cookiesdaughtersdad wrote: Sat Mar 19 2022 19:05 -
The main reason females grow bigger is that the eggs are considerably bigger than sperm.

Cheers, Alan

So why is a c0ck salmon always larger the the hen?

:scratch:

:exit:

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Re: Why are big pike females and what is a big pike ?

Post by davelumb »

Mike J wrote: Sun Mar 20 2022 12:00 -
cookiesdaughtersdad wrote: Sat Mar 19 2022 19:05 -
The main reason females grow bigger is that the eggs are considerably bigger than sperm.

Cheers, Alan

So why is a c0ck salmon always larger the the hen?

:scratch:

:exit:

.
I don't know about the salmon, Mike, but I'm sure I heard/read somewhere that jacks being smaller than female pike has something to do with the way they spawn. If male pike were larger they'd not fertilise the egss effeciently. I can't find the info on the web though. :shrug:

If Nev was posting here maybe he could tell us!
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Re: Why are big pike females and what is a big pike ?

Post by Mark_Houghton »

davelumb wrote: Sun Mar 20 2022 13:05 -
Mike J wrote: Sun Mar 20 2022 12:00 -
cookiesdaughtersdad wrote: Sat Mar 19 2022 19:05 -
The main reason females grow bigger is that the eggs are considerably bigger than sperm.

Cheers, Alan

So why is a c0ck salmon always larger the the hen?

:scratch:

:exit:

.
I don't know about the salmon, Mike, but I'm sure I heard/read somewhere that jacks being smaller than female pike has something to do with the way they spawn. If male pike were larger they'd not fertilise the egss effeciently. I can't find the info on the web though. :shrug:

If Nev was posting here maybe he could tell us!
It was probably referring to the side-by-side eye contact males and females maintain while spawning, and how the male`s milt needs to be dropped ahead of the eggs and washed back onto them by fin action.....if the male was the same size or larger than the female, the male`s milt would miss the eggs being laid by the female?
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Re: Why are big pike females and what is a big pike ?

Post by davelumb »

Mark_Houghton wrote: Sun Mar 20 2022 13:19 -
davelumb wrote: Sun Mar 20 2022 13:05 -
Mike J wrote: Sun Mar 20 2022 12:00 -
cookiesdaughtersdad wrote: Sat Mar 19 2022 19:05 -
The main reason females grow bigger is that the eggs are considerably bigger than sperm.

Cheers, Alan

So why is a c0ck salmon always larger the the hen?

:scratch:

:exit:

.
I don't know about the salmon, Mike, but I'm sure I heard/read somewhere that jacks being smaller than female pike has something to do with the way they spawn. If male pike were larger they'd not fertilise the egss effeciently. I can't find the info on the web though. :shrug:

If Nev was posting here maybe he could tell us!
It was probably referring to the side-by-side eye contact males and females maintain while spawning, and how the male`s milt needs to be dropped ahead of the eggs and washed back onto them by fin action.....if the male was the same size or larger than the female, the male`s milt would miss the eggs being laid by the female?
Something like that, Mark.
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Re: Why are big pike females and what is a big pike ?

Post by davelumb »

When you think about pike compared to bream a female bream, when full of spawn, might weigh more than a male but not be much longer. Same for most other coarse species. This suggests to me that in pike it is the behaviour which dictates the relative size of the sexes rather than females being bigger because of their eggs.
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Re: Why are big pike females and what is a big pike ?

Post by Mark_Houghton »

davelumb wrote: Sun Mar 20 2022 13:33 -
When you think about pike compared to bream a female bream, when full of spawn, might weigh more than a male but not be much longer. Same for most other coarse species. This suggests to me that in pike it is the behaviour which dictates the relative size of the sexes rather than females being bigger because of their eggs.
Perhaps the eye contact part is the key Dave? if that didn`t occur then the size difference between males and females wouldn`t be so necessary?
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Re: Why are big pike females and what is a big pike ?

Post by davelumb »

Mark_Houghton wrote: Sun Mar 20 2022 13:42 -
davelumb wrote: Sun Mar 20 2022 13:33 -
When you think about pike compared to bream a female bream, when full of spawn, might weigh more than a male but not be much longer. Same for most other coarse species. This suggests to me that in pike it is the behaviour which dictates the relative size of the sexes rather than females being bigger because of their eggs.
Perhaps the eye contact part is the key Dave? if that didn`t occur then the size difference between males and females wouldn`t be so necessary?
it would be interesting to find out what research has been done.
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