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Age and size of northern pike in Interior AlaskaNorthern pike are relatively long-lived. In the Tanana River Valley, large individuals exceed 20 years of age and weigh in excess of 30 pounds. The official Alaska sport fishing record pike weighed 38.5 pounds, and was taken in 1991 near Nulato in the Yukon River drainage. There are unsubstantiated reports of even larger fish taken in Alaska. In Europe, where the species is reported to attain larger sizes than in North America, northern pike weighing up to 75 pounds have been reported but not authenticated and no official world record pike is universally accepted. Fact and legend both seem to play a part in the various claims and reports of large pike dating back to antiquity in the literature.
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Introduction Distribution in the Tanana River Valley |
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Individuals that exceed 20 pounds in weight are not uncommon in interior Alaska, although they invariably compose a very small proportion (less than 1 percent) of the population. Life expectancy tables for northern pike suggest that fewer than one fish in a million that reaches one year of age will survive until age 24, when it will weigh about 32 pounds and exceed 48 inches in length. In general, the majority of the oldest and largest pike (over 30 inches) are females, indicating that males grow slower after maturity, (about age 5), and have lower survival rates. The accompanying graph illustrates the approximate relationship between length of fish and its weight for Interior Alaska pike. 
Age & Size of Interior Alaska pike