How To Get Slime Off Northern Pike

There's no denying the reputation of the northern pike as a slimy fish. While many fish produce some slime in the water, superhighway produce enough that "snot rocket" is i of their most mutual nicknames later on serpent fish and jackfish. Not a very flattering nickname, for sure.

But why are pike so slimy? There really are a few practiced reasons for this.

The scientific reason for pike being so slimy is the glycol-proteins in the expressway's skin, which produce slime when exposed to water. From a applied purpose the slime cuts friction in the water making the pike faster, quicker, and capable of crazy ambushes on their prey.

While maybe not flattering this trait of sliminess has many advantages that the northern pike uses to the fullest in any environment it finds itself in.

Examining Nature's Snot Rockets

If motorway had feelings I'm sure they'd prefer freshwater wolf, but snot rocket is a nickname that is very well earned. "Slimer" is another one that picked up after the commencement Ghostbusters movie. So why are pike so slimy when many other fish are not? Why do they take this trait that so many other fish don't?

Some sites barely bear on on this question, with one case being the Minnesota DNR which gives a cracking rundown of the pike species, just simply mentions the sliminess in i single line before moving on.

There take been studies washed by wildlife biologists diving deeper into this question and in the studies they have shown and published it turns out in that location are a multifariousness of reasons for pike to have their slimy exterior.

This is a trait that most fish share, simply the thruway admittedly tend to take it to the extreme.

Still, these benefits of the extra slime are part of the reason that pike tend to be the kinds of their northern freshwater territories.

What Benefits Does Slime Requite Thruway?

Protection for their skin. Since motorway tend to chase in areas with many sticks, weeds, downed logs, they're more than probable to be in places where they could get errantly injure or damaged. The slime is similar a protective shield for the pare protecting from infected injuries.
Faster/quicker move that is perfect for an ambush predator that needs a lot of food to get to their big upper limit sizes.
The slime has evolved to help go on a proper healthy balance in the northern throughway'due south internal systems and health.
Perfect for those "bursts of speed" which pike are famous for when they spot and then chase down prey. That burst of speed is aided past the slime because the slime reduces the friction of water confronting the throughway'south torso that would otherwise deadening information technology down more.
The slime can give pike a slightly better adventure when they're small-scale of escaping predators. This is less of an issue after a certain size, just then again anyone who has had a big pike put hooks in their hand before information technology slid out of the boat knows how painfully relevant this point can be.

If y'all have any doubts, merely take a look at the video below of superhighway using that extra bit of speed and quickness from reduced friction to strike.

How Should Anglers Handle the Slime?

At that place are ii primary situations where the sliminess of the thruway matters to the angler. Those are:

Being careful to make sure a slippery pike doesn't put a hook in your hand (or bite your hand with those razor abrupt teeth)
Making sure the slime doesn't spoil that great tasting expressway mankind from the pike you lot keep off the stringer

The 2nd bespeak is piece of cake enough. A thorough washing with a hose before skinning the motorway is important to brand sure there isn't backlog slime around. At that place were likewise always multiple "snot rags" effectually that would become used, one per pike, before hitting the laundry, for the times of year up in Canada where the freeway were especially slimy.

When timing things out an quondam rule of thumb was "Continue them concluding only clean them first." Having a properly aerated live well helps with things, and you lot don't want dead pike that aren't properly skinned and filleted kept in the libation for a long period of time.

We never let a northern striking the ice of a cooler, and that seemed to assist united states avoid many of the issues that other anglers complained nigh when information technology came to these tough freshwater fighters.

As for the 2d, I recommend the correct tools, combined with a respectful caution.

So what can assistance?

This varies based on which anglers you talk to. In my experience a adept pair of fishing gloves and needle nose pliers for removing hooks from the pike's oral fissure are tools enough.

This may vary depending on the size and fight of the motorway y'all hook and bargain with, what local catch and release rules are, as well as your experience handling these absolutely slick and glace fish.

This isn't a production review so I won't go into too much, but if you desire the correct tools for safely dealing with the sliminess of the northern pike, my favorite pair of fishing gloves and angling pliers can be establish below.

Favorite Fishing Gloves: Palmyth Flexible Fishing Gloves

Some of the best line-fishing gloves around from a company that understands fishing.

Favorite Angling Pliers: Piscifun Premium Aluminum Fishing Pliers

Lots of good options out there, these are great all-purpose fishing pliers.

Expressway Hit Lures/Fish Underwater Video

In Decision

While being slimy might not be a flattering feature, information technology is 1 that has served the pike really well. While at that place are many throughway myths out there, the expressway being slimy is non one of them. This is a legitimate ascertainment on the fish only it is ane that actually makes sense.

The slime helps northern pike be the local apex predator in any common cold body of northern freshwater they're in. While information technology might exist inconvenient for u.s. anglers bringing them in, this is a major part of what makes these fish the dear trophies so many of us hunt.

Now you know how to handle even the slimiest of pike. Happy pike fishing!