Water temperature and the northern pike: where the model feeds, and where it stops
The northern pike model runs hottest at 64 °F (18 °C). It holds 80% of that or better from 60 °F to 70 °F, and switches off outside 34 °F to 79 °F. Those numbers are the model's working assumptions for the species, not measurements; the curve between them is the part you can check.
- Peak (≥ 80%)
- 60 °F to 70 °F
- Active (≥ 50%)
- 51 °F to 74 °F
- Not shut down (≥ 20%)
- 41 °F to 77 °F
- Feeds at all
- 34 °F to 79 °F
The curve
Metabolism climbs steadily from the cold limit to the optimum, then falls much faster on the warm side, because oxygen demand outruns supply. The dashed red line is the 20% cut-off below which the model says the fish is not moving far for anything.
Horizontal: water temperature, °F above and °C below. Vertical: model metabolism.
Try a temperature
Drag to any water temperature. The readout uses the same functions the Fish uses.
- State
- Peak
- Metabolism
- 100%
- Strike reach
- 3.5 m
- Top chase speed
- 1.5 m/s
Every 5 °F
Strike reach is the northern pike model's reaction distance (3.5 m) scaled by metabolism. Top chase speed is the fastest retrieve it can keep up with. Both come straight from the equations in How it works.
| °F | °C | Metabolism | State | Strike reach | Top chase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | -1.1 | 2% | Shut down | 1.96 m | 0.37 m/s |
| 35 | 1.7 | 7% | Shut down | 2.04 m | 0.43 m/s |
| 40 | 4.4 | 17% | Shut down | 2.19 m | 0.54 m/s |
| 45 | 7.2 | 30% | Sluggish | 2.40 m | 0.70 m/s |
| 50 | 10.0 | 46% | Sluggish | 2.65 m | 0.88 m/s |
| 55 | 12.8 | 63% | Active | 2.92 m | 1.08 m/s |
| 60 | 15.6 | 82% | Peak | 3.22 m | 1.30 m/s |
| 65 | 18.3 | 99% | Peak | 3.49 m | 1.49 m/s |
| 70 | 21.1 | 79% | Active | 3.17 m | 1.26 m/s |
| 75 | 23.9 | 42% | Sluggish | 2.58 m | 0.83 m/s |
| 80 | 26.7 | 2% | Shut down | 1.96 m | 0.37 m/s |
The row nearest the optimum is shaded. Below 34 °F and above 79 °F the model holds metabolism at 2%.
What it does to lure verdicts
The same 11 lure archetypes, clear water, neutral mood, a fixed 2 m depth, run at three temperatures on this species' own curve. The retrieve speed is capped at 1.0 m/s or the fish's top chase speed, whichever is lower.
| Band | Temperature | Retrieve | Eaten | Best result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold water | 43 °F · 6 °C | 0.6 m/s | 0 of 11 | Pike bait (refused, nothing eaten) |
| Near optimum | 64 °F · 18 °C | 1.0 m/s | 3 of 11 | Pike bait |
| Too warm | 73 °F · 23 °C | 0.9 m/s | 2 of 11 | Pike bait |
"Eaten" counts archetypes the model ate in at least one of eight colours. Full rankings, with the refusal message for each lure, are on the linked scenario pages and theNorthern pike scenario hub.
Go further
Species values are working assumptions, not calibrated field measurements. The model has no thermocline, no seasonal acclimation and no spawning-temperature triggers; see where this model is wrong.