The age old question, do northerns loose their teeth?

[Hammer Handle]

I hear many people say "yes" and many say "no".

I have caught northerns in January that have very loose back teeth...and small ones that are missing teeth (quite a few).

I believe they do shed some teeth. Is this true?

[Hammer Handle]

I ask, for Pike do loose teeth on some prey, that grow back. Also, research shows they can shed some teeth, but not all at once. They are continually replaced.

So, why it late January and February do I seem to find more missing teeth than any other time of the year??

Inquiring minds want to know....

[B420]

No they don't.

It is an old wives tale or excuse "oldtimers" use when they can't catch fish. I am sure they may lose one here or there feeding on prey but they don't just fall out. Whatever the case, they don't quit feeding.

[Hammer Handle]

My dad has argued that they do...and I didn't think they did (as everyone says).

So, last year spearing...we kept track. Teeth were all there (or mostly) all winter (and the teeth were "tight"). Then, in late January...many pike had missing teeth. Some had 25% - 30% missing teeth. Many of the notherns had back teeth that were "loose", not tight. After looking at about 100 northerns over the year...I became a believer.

I contacted a naturalist...and he said they do lose their teeth, but it is not proven if they have a "set time" they loose them. Most don't just fall out, but are lost to prey...but some can be shed. Like a shark, they shed teeth and they are replaced continuously...but not near as much as a shark.

I lost $20 on the bet to my dad...and will keep track again this winter.

I would love to prove my old man wrong, but so far the evidence we have seen first-hand is in his favor. I want my $20 back!!

[TurnUpTheFishing]

Like stated they do lose their teeth but not all at once causing them to not feed.

The whole myth started long ago. The story was that pike lost their teeth in the summer. Back then few people realised that pike, especially big fish, are cool water creatures and would go deep when water warmed. This seasonal movement resulted in less fish caught and someone somewhere started the rumor that still comes up to this day.

[Hammer Handle]

My father has always told me that it was a myth that they lose their teeth in the summer. But, he always said they do lose some teeth...but in the winter (late January to February).

From what I saw last year (and other years), he may be right? Has anyone ever researched this?

He also claims the best time to fish pike is Christmas time or early January. They "stock up" on eating for they will be less active (although still feeding) in January/February.

But, the truth is...like I said before...I want my $20 back

[AWH]

What I want to know is how did you determine that their back teeth were loose? I don't think I want to be the one to reach my hand back there to check! Also, sounds like you've been inspecting their mouths pretty closely. Let's have a little trivia. How many teeth in the average pike???

Aaron

[B420]

Maybe you are banging them so hard with the spear that you are jarring their teeth loose!

[Hammer Handle]

How many teeth? Well, they have large teeth on the side of their mouth, and many many small teeth inside of their mouth.

The large teeth are the ones they "lose". On the lower jaw, they only have about 10 on a side. This can vary depending on size.

The small teeth? I don't know...a lot!

[Tippman]

Alright just throwing out a guess on number of teeth in a pike. How about 600. I really have no idea, just that there are alot and they are sharp.

[cjac]

Good guess!! Very good in fact!

Here's a bit of info I found.....

"After arriving at their destination, the pike employs the approximately 700 backward-slanting canine teeth that adorn its duck-billed jaws, tongue, gillrakers, and the roof of its mouth to grip and devour the overmatched prey."

[papabear]

While fishin the power plant disharge in Cohasset I have seen Northern in Feb with enough missing teeth to lip them like a bass. I forgot they wil grow back a couple of weeks later when I went to lip one that had teeth.

[AWH]

Per the MN DNR HSOforum regarding the "do they lose their teeth" question...

What happens to the teeth of northern pike in winter? I have heard people say the fish lose their teeth in February and don't bite as often on bait. Others have said that the teeth in some fish appear to be loose at this time of year.

There's a long-standing belief, likely begun by ancient anglers in search of an excuse for their lousy luck, that northern pike lose teeth at certain times of the year. In fact, this is nothing but a fishy folk tale. According to DNR fish biologist Don Pereira, northerns may occasionally lose teeth in an unfortunate run-in with particularly tough prey or bait, but there's no evidence they do so regularly.

And from another section of the DNR HSOforum, it's addressed again...

Another myth: Pike are hard to catch during summer "dog days" because their teeth fall out. Their teeth do fall out, but not all at once. They are continually replaced. So why are pike so hard to catch in summer? The answer is the key to why pike grow big in some lakes but not in others.

Young pike abound in shallow, weedy bays. And there they stay much of the year. But pike larger than about 6 pounds lose weight in water warmer than about 75 degrees. To flourish, they must escape to cool, well-oxygenated water with abundant forage such as the delectable, soft-finned deepwater fish known as tullibees or ciscoes. "As a northern gets larger, it needs cooler and cooler water," says Pete Jacobson, DNR fisheries biologist.

For what it's worth...

Aaron