Ecological Significance of Vegetation to Northern Pike, Esox lucius, Spawning

Authors

D. B. McCarraher, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
Robert E. Thomas, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

January 1972

Comments

Published in TRANS. AMER. FISH. SOC., 1972, NO. 3. Copyright © The American Fisheries Society. Used by permission.

Abstract

Since 1955, information has been collected from six Nebraska sandhill lakes to evaluate northern pike spawning success based on type of aquatic vegetation preferred by pike for spawning. The lakes, all located in Cherry County, were Big Alkali, Watts, Hackberry, Cottonwood, Shell, and Pelican. Several investigators have commented that pike year class strength is closely related to type and abundance of aquatic vegetation present in a lake (Clark and Steinbach, 1959; Forney, 1967). Documented information on spawning habitats is scant other than vague references to pike spawning over submerged vegetation or inundated meadows.