Northern pike
How to tell a northern pike from the fish it's most often mistaken for, and what you can keep in each BC region.
How to confirm it's a northern pike
- Long body with a flat, duck-bill snout
- Rows of pale, bean-shaped spots on a dark green body
- Dorsal fin far back, near the tail
Could it be something else?
Northern pike quotas by region
Each region's quota rule that covers northern pike, in the synopsis' words. Many waters set their own, lower quota or require release; check the water.
Region 1 · Vancouver Island
- No regional quota listed; see the rules for each water.
Region 2 · Lower Mainland
- No regional quota listed; see the rules for each water.
Region 3 · Thompson-Nicola
- No regional quota listed; see the rules for each water.
Region 4 · Kootenay
- Bass: 0 quota, closed to fishing. Crayfish: 25. Kokanee: 15 (none from streams), no more than 5 over 30 cm. Northern pike, walleye, yellow perch: 0 quota, closed to fishing (see tables for exceptions). White sturgeon: closed to fishing (no exceptions). Whitefish: 15 (all species combined).
Region 5 · Cariboo
- No regional quota listed; see the rules for each water.
Region 6 · Skeena
- No regional quota listed; see the rules for each water.
Region 7A · Omineca
- No regional quota listed; see the rules for each water.
Region 7B · Peace
- Arctic grayling: 2 (none under 30 cm and only 1 over 45 cm); release any size May 1-June 15 and all from Williston Lake and its tributaries. Goldeye: 10. Inconnu: 1. Kokanee: 10 (none from streams, except Peace River). Northern pike: 3 (only 1 over 90 cm). Walleye: 3 (only 1 over 70 cm); release all from streams Apr 1-May 15. Whitefish: 15 (all species combined). Yellow perch: 5.
Region 8 · Okanagan
- No regional quota listed; see the rules for each water.