Northern Pike

Esox, the old Latin name for pike, used as early as Pliny; perhaps derived from the Greek isox, or both the Latin and Greek from a common Celtic root (as in the Welsh ehawc, eog, "salmon")
lucius, from the supposed Latin name for the species, likely derived from the Greek lukos, "wolf", an obvious reference to the predatory habits of this fish.
Common name is short for pike-fish, a reference to the long, pointed snout resembling the pike, an iron tipped staff. Rather like the French, where brochet is the fish, but broche is a spit.
Other common names include: Common Pike, Great Northern Pike, Jack, Jackfish, Northern, Pickerel, Pike, Snake, Gädda (Swe), ?tika obecná (Czech), kinoje (Ojibwe)

The largest, and most voracious, predator of northern waters.
Length 18"-30", can exceed 4'
Weight 20 oz to 8 lbs, to over 40 lbs
Color
- extremely variable, depending upon the waters from which it is taken.
- back and sides predominantly dark green to olive-green, to almost brown, with irregular rows of yellow to white spots.blueish-green to grey
- lighter on lower sides
- underside cream to milk-white
- tiny gold spot on the tip of most scales - appears flecked with gold.
- eyes brilliant yellow
Body
- slimy; long, slender, and serpentine
- lateral line of 119 to128 scales
- dorsal fin of 16-19 soft rays, located far back on the body
Head
- long and flat, depressed forward into a pair of large, duck-billed jaws imbedded with numerous canine teeth.
- teeth sharp, backward-slanting
- cheek fully scaled, but lower half of opercle scaleless
- number of sensory pores located along the undersides of the lower jaws is never more than 10
- 14-16 branchiostegal rays in membrane just below gill cover.
Lifespan 10-26 years depending upon the area