Note the glowing eye.
Exacting, dignified fish
Pikeperch is quite pretentious about environment. It won't get along in small lakes. It requires at least 50-100 hectares water. Water must be warm, preferably troubled and still rather oxygen rich: 4,5-5 mg/l. Demand of warm water is associated to reproduction. Firstly, reproduction starts after water is warmed up to + 14 C. Young pikeperchs have rest of the summer time to grow enough to survive their first winter. So early start gives young ones better changes. Secondly, young develop faster in warm water. Favouring troubled waters is probably associated to food taking of the young. It is easier in dark water. Also light can harm young pikeperchs that reside in surface waters.
Foodtaking and daily rhythm
Young pikeperchs hunt small fauna and plankton in shoals. Fish becomes main part of the menu in size of 5-15 cm. Pikeperch grow rather slow, they reach weight of 1 kilo in 6-8 years.
They move and hunt in small shoals or single. In winter pikeperch is mainly in deep water. In Spring and beginning of the Summer Pikeperchs are moving to shallower waters and they have clear daily rhythm that they are in deeper and more far away from shores at days but in the dark they come to the surface to catch the prey. To the Autumn pikeperchs go shallower and also they activate earlier than in Summer.
In inland waters general prey of pikeperch are roach, smelt, vendace, perch and in the sea also Baltic herring. It is suggested that 40-50 cm pikeperch eats 10-12 cm fish, just like same sized Pikes. Pikeperch larger than that continue eating 10-12 cm fish when Pikes' size of prey increases.
Pikeperch is a predator of free waters. It hunts prey by chasing.
Spawning
Breeding starts as water has warmed to + 14 C. So spawning can start in southern Finland in May, but elsewhere and generally it starts in June (by Midsummer).
Spawning places are usually in 1 - 3 m depth areas with hard bottom. It's suitable that some water plants or twigs etc. is present for spawn to snatch at.
At the beginning male fish searches suitable place, cleans it up or digs a spawning pit. Pikeperch spawns in couples and both sexes take care of and guard spawn. Young hatch out in couple of weeks.
Catch, records and notable ways to fish
Pikeperch is a fish with high value and importance. It's price is high and as a fillet it is often the most expensive fish shop has. Pro fishermen caught 470 tonnes Pikeperch from the sea in 2006 and 113 tonnes from inland waters. Recreational fishermen caught 2006 incredible 3000 tonnes of Pikeperch.
At the writing time official Pikeperch record of Finland were 13,69 kg. Old record that were set in 19th century went recently unofficial and there was 16,5 kg Pikeperch caught in 1967 in Piikkiö.
Pikeperch is not much a fighter in the line. However it is popular in Finland to troll it at long summer nights. Nowadays it's been jigged from spawning areas too in Spring. In Winter fisherman who knows his waters catch Pikeperch with nets. Large Pikeperchs is most likely caught with traditional trawl line with fishbaits, that is quite hard but very exciting fishing. Pikeperch is fairly good as food.
Sources:- Koli, Lauri, Suomen kalat
- FGFRI's stats (In Finnish)
- Fish records (In Finnish)