In common
with most coarse fish, pike have a normal 'growing span' of 12-15 years only.
Ageing from scale reading will 'under-age' old pike which have ceased growth because
no growth checks will be recorded on the scales.
Anglers
observations have shown that pike do not all die once growth ceases; we know that
some fish can live on well into their 20s and possibly older. For example one
fish which was tagged at a weight of 16.75lbs and with a length of 36.5in was
aged at 14 years. Six years later it was re-caught weighing and measuring exactly
the same! Pike are known to live to a maximum of fifty years.
NEWS