One of the great dilemmas faced by ethical anglers is how to quickly and efficiently release a hooked fish while causing the minimum amount of damage and stress. This is increasingly important these days as government regulations and progressive conservation groups stress catch and release angling as a way of perpetuating our pressured game fish populations. Or as the famous American fishing author and C&R proponent Lee Wulff said, " A fish is too valuable to be caught only once." Easy in theory but not necessarily that simple in practice.
Pike can be subdued by grasping them "behind the ears."
Especially with a large fish thrashing around in the bottom of the boat.
This is multiplied 10-fold when the fish is a northern pike with a generally nasty disposition, several rows of needle-shard teeth in it crocodile-like jaw and a natural reflex to clamp down on anything it comes in contact with. Even with pinched or barbless hooks, hook extraction can be problematic. And painful. Luckily there is a technique to calm and subdue a pike while removing the hook and allowing the nasty apex predator to swim another day.
There is a chink in a pike’s otherwise impenetrable armour and it’s located right behind it’s ears.
And the great water wolf (which is what the pike’s Latin name esox lucius means) turns into a tame pussy cat.
When a pike comes boat-side or over the gunwales in a net gently but firmly grasp it on the gill cover or just behind it. Being extra careful, of course, not to contact the actual gills. These are fragile and sensitive organs which are easily damaged.
For reasons known only to pike this renders the otherwise savage killer docile and calm - allowing the hook to be extracted with a minimum amount of commotion. And swim safely away to provide another angler the pleasure and fun of catching it again.