Top 10 Largest Pike in the World

The TOP 10 Largest Pike in the World. Pike are one of the most recognizable and coveted freshwater fishing trophies. They are a powerful, fast, and extremely aggressive predator of the pike family (Esox), capable of reaching impressive sizes under favorable conditions. Among the varieties are the common (northern) pike, Amur pike, muskellunge pike, striped pike, and redfin pike. The common and Amur pike are dominant in Eurasia, while the latter three predominate in North America.

Myths about pike living for over a hundred years and giants several meters in length have persisted for centuries, but the actual scientific evidence is much more modest. Pike grow throughout their lives, but the most rapid gains in weight and length occur in the spring and fall. The average lifespan is 18–20 years, with the maximum recorded being 33 years. In cold northern waters, growth is significantly slower, while in southern waters, it accelerates. The largest specimens are more often found in large, clean, well-aerated lakes and rivers with high oxygen levels in winter (at least 3–4 mg/L).

Approximate age-size relationship of the common pike (based on research data from Lake Yerington, Canada):

Scientists admit that in exceptional cases, pike can reach lengths of around 2 meters and weigh 40–45 kg, but these are extremely rare and isolated specimens. In real catches, the average weight is 2.5–3.5 kg with a length of 60–80 cm. Fish weighing 4–7 kg are considered good trophies, and fish weighing 10–12 kg are the dream of most spinning anglers.

Pikes of the Putorana Plateau – trophy potential in pristine conditions

The Putorana Plateau remains one of the few places in Russia where pike retain the ability to grow to truly large sizes. In crystal-clear lakes (Lama, Keta, Khantayskoye, Sobachye, Ayan) and rivers (Erachimo, Tutonchana, Severnaya, Sukhaya Tunguska, Nimde, Agata, Musima, Anadyakan), this predatory fish reaches impressive sizes thanks to several key factors: icy water with high oxygen levels year-round, virtually no human impact, minimal poaching, and an exceptionally rich food supply— grayling, whitefish, Arctic char, Siberian lenok, salmon fry, and minnow.

In these conditions, pike often grow to 10–15 kg, while specimens weighing 12–18 kg are no longer considered a sensation. Some trophies, according to anglers and guides, exceed 20 kg, especially in large lakes and deep reaches of rivers with lake outlets. The Putorana Plateau offers a real chance to catch a pike weighing over 15 kg in a virtually untouched ecosystem, where the predator feeds abundantly and grows undisturbed for decades.

The top 10 largest pikes caught in the world

Here's a list of the largest documented specimens (including the muskeg as a related species). Many older records are semi-legendary; modern official IGFA records are more modest: 25 kg for a common pike (1986, Germany).

10th place

• Mass — 15 kg
• Country: Sweden, Baltic Sea area
• Date: September 1998
• Fisherman - Christer Mattsson
• The bait is a large wobbler

9th place

• Mass — 16 kg
• Country — Italy, Lake Annone
• Date: June 2010
• The Fisherman - Paolo Pacciarini
• The tackle is with a wire leash

8th place

• Mass — 17 kg
• Country: Sweden, Lake Osthammer
• Date: November 1993
• The Fisherman - Benny Petersson
• The bait is a large silver spoon

7th place

• Mass — 19 kg
• Country — Switzerland, Lake Maggiore
• Date: December 1990
• The Fisherman - Giacomo Pinotti
• Livestock — livestock

6th place

• Mass — 21 kg
• Country — Sweden, Lodde River
• Date — January 1989
• Angler - Ake Nilsson
• The bait is a spoon

5th place

• Mass — 25 kg
• Country — Germany, Lake Greifern
• Date: October 1986
• Fisherman - Lottery Louis
• The bait is a small live bait
• The peculiarity is that the fisherman's hands were bitten while he was pulling out the catch.

4th place

• Weight - 27 kg, length - 1.2 m
• Country — Netherlands
• Date: October 2013
• The Fisherman - Stefan Gockel
• The special thing is that the landing took only 10 minutes.

3rd place

• Weight - 27 kg (Maskongong), length - 1.3 m
• Country - USA
• Fisherman - Mark Carlson Rockford
• Method: trolling
• The peculiarity is that the landing took 15 minutes.

2nd place

• Weight - 32 kg (Maskongong), length - 130 cm
• Country - USA, St. Lawrence River
• Date: 1957
• The Fisherman - Michael Forgeon
• Tackle - spinning rod

1 place

• Weight - 75 kg, length - about 2 m
• Country - Canada, Hudson Bay
• Date: 1660
• The fisherman is the French explorer Pierre-Esprit Radisson.

Russian records

The first recorded record pike in the USSR was from Lake Ilmen, 1930: length over 1.9 m, weight 35 kg.

A giant fish weighing 49.2 kg was caught in Lake Ladoga near Sortavala. It took a 5 kg live bait that the fishermen were pulling in.

The largest documented pike in Russia weighed 56 kg and came from Lake Uvildy in the Southern Urals. It was hauled in by a team of people using a pheromone-based bite activator.

Guinness World Record

The largest:
32 kg - St. Lawrence River, USA (Muscongong);
35 kg – Lake Ilmen, USSR;
49.2 kg - Lake Ladoga, Russia;
56 kg – Lake Uvildy, Russia.

The longest:
120 cm - Netherlands;
130 cm – St. Lawrence River, USA (Muscongong). Dutch pike caught in 10 minutes.

The oldest, 33 years old, was caught in Ukraine. Many believe that long-lived seals also occur on Lake Ladoga, but there is no official confirmation.

Myths and interesting facts about pike

The most famous legend concerns a pike ringed in 1230 by Emperor Frederick II Barbarossa. In 1497, it was allegedly caught in Lake Bjockingen: 267 years old, 5.7 meters long, and weighing 140 kg. The skeleton was displayed in the Mannheim Museum, but an examination revealed it to be a fake made from the bones of numerous pikes.

In Russia, there is a legend about a pike from the Tsaritsyn ponds in 1794: with a golden ring of Boris Godunov, over 190 years old, weighing about 60 kg, and 2 m long.

In the 17th century, a pike 9 meters long and weighing 2 tons was allegedly caught on the Volga – scientists consider this impossible.

In the Far North, there are tales of man-eating pikes that capsize boats and break through ice. One such monster was caught by trickery: carts loaded with reindeer meat were lowered to the bottom of a pond, the fish's teeth got stuck in the wood, and the fish was pulled out.

Pike remains a symbol of strength and power in freshwater. In pristine corners of Russia, including the Putorana Plateau, where pristine water and a rich ecosystem allow the predator to thrive unhindered, trophy specimens continue to delight anglers today.

Photos of trophy pike on the Putorana Plateau