Northern pike fishing in Alaska is slowly coming into its own as a viable sport fish. The relocation of Midwesterners to Alaska has brought some acclaim to the fish once used simply for dog food. Largely though, many people won’t turn to Northern pike fishing in Alaska unless other species are in a slump. Northern pike play second fiddle to Alaskan salmon and trout, and are often maligned for the fact that they eat salmon and trout.
Northern pike in Alaska are found in the waters of the interior and southern Alaska, extending north to the Arctic Circle. Northern pike fishing in Alaska can be an adventure because most of these areas are accessible only by plane or riverboat. Large populations of Northern pike can be found in the Minto Flats, west of Fairbanks. The flats are over 800 square miles of interconnected lakes, waterways, and sloughs. Tributaries and sloughs of the Yukon River and Kuskokwim River also yield larger pike.
Northern pike will winter in the rivers, as lakes become depleted of oxygen. Once the ice melts they will rapidly migrate to their spawning ground and then to their summer feeding areas. Because of the water temperature, the spawning season can happen somewhat late, and eggs can take up to a month to incubate. Northern pike in areas of the state also exhibit slower growth rates. Since pike migration is minimal during the summer, common pike holes can be quickly fished out.
Outside its native range in Alaska, Northern pike are considered an ANS or, aquatic nuisance species. Many of the salmon runs in Alaska can be potentially threatened if Northern pike are introduced. Northern pike are extremely predatory and dominate the top spot in the aquatic ecosystem. When food supplies run short pike will also eat each other.
Northern pike exist harmoniously in their ecosystem north and west of the Alaska Range. South and east of the Alaska range is a different story. In their native territory, larger lakes contain sufficient room for the voracious pike and prey fish to maintain a distance. The salmon species in those waters lives in the ocean as fry. Freshwater prey fish and pike have common evolutionary ties fish have naturally developed predator avoidance. In the southern waters, salmon will spend one to four years in fresh water thus increasing their risk of predation.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is currently researching the issues of managing Alaskan Northern Pike populations, preventing illegal introductions, weighing the risks of control methods with economic impacts and trying to regain the balance so that Northern pike fishing in Alaska can be enjoyed for years to come, without the environmental impacts of an invasive species.