How do northern pike distribute themselves in relation to their habitat?
Radio-tracking studies done in Alaska and Canada show that pike tend to remain within 300 yards of shore during both summer and winter months. They seem to move more in winter than in summer, but in the summer, the fish usually remain within 200 yards of where they were the day before. The studies show that northern pike prefer weedy areas and depths of less than 15 feet, are more active during daylight hours and occupy deeper areas during sunny periods than during dark or cloudy intervals. Pike are usually found in deeper locations during stormy and windy periods and during the warmest summer days. ADF&G studies in the Minto Flats indicate that overwintering areas are located in main river channels of the Tolovana, Chatanika, and Tanana rivers, not in the shallow lake complexes where oxygen concentrations during the winter are extremely low. After break-up, and even before complete iceout in the lakes, pike migrate in large numbers from overwintering areas to spawn or feed in the lakes.
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