Crappie-Killing Pike

[ThunderLund78]

This one's making the rounds on FB. The story is that apparently it's a 28 lb pike caught on Mille Lacs, but I think they meant to say 28 INCH. It doesn't look that big. Plus who cleans a 28 lb Pike? Regardless, it looks like it had a full belly of baby crappies. I find this interesting, because I seem to find more crappies in Pike stomachs than any other kind of fish, even in lakes with modest crappie populations but have high perch numbers. Maybe it's coincidental, but I think the photo is cool. Anyone else find a lot of crappies in Pike stomachs?

[Stick500]

OK, I'm not saying this isn't a real deal, but I do have a few questions

I'm very surprised a pike could catch that many crappies in such a short amount of time that none of them even seem like they're starting to get digested

What sort of a situation would this be that a pike could catch that many? I always thought fish generally had to work pretty hard to get a meal, but I do know there are times when the conditions are right for easy pickings.

This could be a case where 3 or 4 other pike have already been cleaned and all the stomach contents are gathered together, though from the pic there isn't a lot of mess on the paper.

So, this just might be real! Would love to hear from a fisheries biologist on how something like this could occur.

BTW, thanks for posting the pic Thunder!

[leech~~]

It may have been a 28lbs pike if it was speared. I wonder how many crappies they take a year? Maybe its good they opened it up to spearing!

[leech~~]

What sort of a situation would this be that a pike could catch that many? I always thought fish generally had to work pretty hard to get a meal, but I do know there are times when the conditions are right for easy pickings.

Young fish and minnows school up in "bait balls". I few runs through a ball with that big mouth could make short work of getting a dinner!

[john.wells]

I fish a lake that has sheepshead (freshwater drum), and the pike I have cleaned from there always have a bunch of little sheepies in their bellies.

[Stick500]

wouldn't it be cool to see some footage of a pike in feeding frenzy!

we get to to see it on the nature shows with ocean fish, but filmmakers have yet to capture action like that in freshwater

[mainbutter]

really makes me want MN to liberalize what can be used for bait. Sigh

[Neighbor_guy]

Could also have been picking dead fish off the bottom of the lake or bottom of the ice...

Otherwise it's the cycle the lakes live by. Plankton is eaten by bugs and fry, bugs and fry are eaten by yearling panfish, yearling panfish are eaten by gamefish. Could be walleyes, bass, or in this case pike.

[11fish1]

It's a 36" pike speared on lake Osakis. I don't think there's 111 crappies though, if each one weighed 1oz that's 7lbs of crappies.

[Josh.P 86]

What I heard a while back was 20# pike on osakis. Weather or not 110 i beleive it got speared with a boat load of small crappies.

[Stick500]

Could also have been picking dead fish off the bottom of the lake or bottom of the ice...

never thought about that- makes more sense to me than a wild winter feeding frenzy

[Nick Kuhn]

Ever fish a lake that has winterkilled and doesn't have any predators to take down crappies? Be thankful pike are doing that; trying to keep a million 5 inch crappies off your line gets really annoying really fast.

[pushbutton]

If that is from Osakis, it is just ma nature doing what she does. Small crappies are the overwhelming food source on that lake right now. The waldos caught last fall and early winter were spitting them up as well. No doubt the crappies are eating each other too. Bite has been tough this year....the fish are full....of crappies.

[merkman]

This picture highlights one of many simple rules to fisheries management....

If a fish (any fish) will fit in another fishes mouth... that is probably where it will end up at some point in time.

There is another photo floating around; of a northern that shows 40 or more perch in its belly.

This photo does highlight just how much forage it actually takes to keep big fish in a lake...

To think that this fish was that full and still came up to a 12 inch darkhouse spearing decoy to see if it could have some more...... wow!!!

It's not too surprising when you think about it though... I see this behavior in humans at the buffet line almost every day.

.

[Stick500]

I see this behavior in humans at the buffet line almost every day.

[20lbSloughShark]

I believe its possible. I've seen an 8 pound pike try and eat a 3 pound bass, and it would have succeeded had I not had the bass on the end of my line. I would have to say whatever lake it was on, the lake must have a very poor population of crappie. Most of the pike I have cut open have had perch. It must be a regional thing. Where I fish, the lakes are stuffed with tiny perch, so it would only be logical for pike to eat them.

[MN Shutterbug]

wouldn't it be cool to see some footage of a pike in feeding frenzy!

we get to to see it on the nature shows with ocean fish, but filmmakers have yet to capture action like that in freshwater

Go for it. All it takes is a video camera with an underwater housing and scuba gear.

[ThunderLund78]

My family has a place on Fish Trap, west of Brainerd. That lake has a VERY healthy perch population (speaking in numbers) And what I would describe as a good crappie population - but maybe it's just because I haven't patterned them very well, yet . Anyway, I've cleaned numerous smaller pike (under 24") out of that lake trying to help the slot and I find lots of small crappies, but hardly any perch. Just one man's experience and it's probably anecdotal, but it always made me wonder if Pike actually prefer crappies for some reason. Both have spiky dorsal fins but I gotta think a perch especially has to hurt going down the hatch. I don't think there's another freshwater fish that's as hard on the hands as far as fins go when you're handling them.

[Stick500]

Speaking of spiky fish, I'll never understand how any fish or bird can swallow bullheads or catfish without ripping their throat and stomach all to heck! Ouch!