Do Northrerns Loose Their Teeth???

[Maryjl]

I was told that Northrens loose their teeth some time in the summer. Is this true? I was told they loose their old teeth and grow back new ones in a two week process. Never heard this before and was just wondering if it is true.

<><Mary><>

[Guest]

If you'll excuse the politically incorrect term, that's an old wives tale. I don't know the origin of the "lose their teeth" notion, but I suspect it goes back to the time when most folks fished the same way in spring, summer, and fall -- and, they looked for an excuse for why they caught fewer pike in summer.

Anyone really believing the notion would be ill advised to test it by putting a hand in a summer northern's mouth.

[perchpro]

actally they do seem to loose thier teeth (and yes i have seen them) but it is in the earley spring.

[Fisher Dave]

I'll stand behind Clayton on this one. There is no time of year that a northern doesnt have a mouth full of teeth. Im sure they lose teeth here and there due to feeding, but they grow back quickly or they probably wouldnt have any by the time they're mature. As a taxidermist I have mounted several northerns and muskies and never seen one toothless ... I'm also a very avid fisherman and northerns are one of my favorites ... never handled a live toothless one either. Broken teeth ... yes, missing teeth, yes.. no teeth .. no. When the esox family feed on largs prey, they tend to attack them from the side and often hold the fish until its dead, or near dead ... and then spit it out and take it down head 1st... If a 8 lb northern is eating a 2 lb walleye .. I could see teeth getting lost while the prey fish struggles. I have caught a few northerns in time that had northern tails sticking out of their mouth's the same size as the fish I just caught .. and they still try to feed. These are not exactly careful eaters.. They will lose teeth from natural feeding, not a yearly cycle.

[guideman]

As Clayton has already said it's an old wives tail and it is pure bullsh&*%.

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Terry Sjoberg
Ace guide service.
Beautiful Lake Vermilion.
aceguideservice.com

[Guest]

I read an article recently that helps explain something related to this topic.

Some guy told me to fish Spring Northerns with dead bait because they lose their teeth and can't grab lively prey. We know that to be bogus.
The article indicated that early spring (spawn time) Northerns hit dead fish because of winterkill. They seem to know that there is plenty of easy pickings in the early spring, and it's coinciding with spawn is a bonus - why hunt hard when there's other business to do?

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RobertC

[David Swenson]

I have caught northerns every month of the year, big and small ones, and I still have not found a time when I feel it was safe to put my hand in their mouth.

They always have teeth.

David Swenson
http://muskieguide.homestead.com/

[FI Guide]

if you think they lose their teeth try sticking your hand inside their mouth any time of the year and find out after your hand has been chomped on!

[crappie jigga]

That is an excellent question!
I am a firm believer that pike don't lose all of thier teeth, but I do think they go through a shedding transition of some sort. I have caught many pike in late Feb.through March that don't have a full set of chompers ,but do have some teeth, and very,very red mouths. Which to me says sorness and alittle pickier in food choice. I still would'nt put my hand into their mouth, but I do think there is some truth to the old wives tail.

Does anyone have any hard core proof either way?

[Pike Patrol]

pike do loose their teeth, i've heard of a couple this winter that have been speared w/o any teeth.
good advice dave s.

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-dont take 'em all

[Pig_sticka]

do pike lose their teeth?
it must have been a weird month or 2 but about 3 years ago on white bear lake. me, my friend, and friends dad caught several northerns with absolutely no teeth in the months of febuary and march. he caught atleast 5 and all of them he just stuck his hand in and grabbed em since they had no teeth. it was amazing and i have never seen anything like it. i am not lying one bit, all the teeth were gone also. they might have been growing back soon after or i donno maybe just a mutation.
i really dont believe they lose their teeth at any times but this was one occurance that really did happen.
these were all snakes 1.5-3lbs not huge fish.

just alittle bit to add into this conversation.

[Guest]

The Pike I have caught this winter have had teeth, b/c I had my lindy glove on and was pulling a pike out of the hole and it grabbed my thumb with its teeth and then i just pulled it out. Maybe pike only loose their molars and not the teeth in the front of their mouth???????
But the weird thing is that have caught them on mono and it didn't break even with the hook deep in its mouth. Kinda weird . So now in the winter I use fireline instead of a leader for pike.

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FISHSTUNNER

[Selmer]

I'll agree with the guys that talk about the shedding theory. We catch hundreds of pike every winter and they ALL have teeth, but come late Feb. and early March, they have fewer teeth and the mouths are red and swollen. I do believe this affects their feeding mood, but it doesn't shut them off, or we wouldn't be talking about this subject, we'd just wonder why the northerns quit biting, right?
Selmer