Northern Pike

Esox lucius

DE: Hecht

* · Not threatened

Maximum Size: 150 cm
Waters: 27

Distinguishing Features

Elongated body, dorsal fin far back, duckbill-shaped flattened snout, greenish colouring with pale spots.

Habitat

Standing and slowly flowing waters with aquatic plants.

Red List Germany

* · Not threatened

Not threatened in Germany.

Red List of freshwater fish:: Freyhof et al. 2023 · Rote-Liste-Zentrum
IUCN global:: LC · Least Concern

Fishing rules by federal state

Can I keep it?

Federal state	Minimum size	Closed season	Notes
Baden-Württemberg	50 cm	15 Feb – 15 May	In the Main: 50 cm, closed 1 Feb – 30 Apr. Does not apply to Lake Constance, which has its own rules.
Bavaria	50 cm	15 Feb – 30 Apr	Districts may set different rules.
Berlin	45 cm	1 Jan – 30 Apr	1 Jan – 30 Apr: no bait-fish nets or predator baits.
Brandenburg	45 cm	1 Feb – 31 Mar
Bremen	60 cm	1 Feb – 15 May	1 Feb – 15 May: no spinning, no bait fish.
Hamburg	45–75 cm	1 Feb – 31 May	At most 2 fish per day. Harvest slots: only fish between the minimum and maximum size may be kept.
Hesse	50–90 cm	1 Feb – 15 Apr	Harvest slots: only fish between the minimum and maximum size may be kept.
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern	45 cm	none	Values for inland waters; coastal waters have their own ordinance.
Lower Saxony	40 cm	1 Feb – 15 Apr	Values for inland waters; coastal waters have their own rules.
North Rhine-Westphalia	45 cm	15 Feb – 30 Apr
Rhineland-Palatinate	50 cm	1 Feb – 31 May	Many waters (incl. Rhine, Mosel, Lahn) have additional closed seasons.
Saarland	50 cm	15 Feb – 31 May	Night fishing is prohibited.
Saxony	50 cm	1 Feb – 30 Apr	1 Feb – 30 Apr: fishing with predator baits is prohibited.
Saxony-Anhalt	50 cm	15 Feb – 30 Apr	The fisheries authority may allow different minimum sizes for individual waters.
Schleswig-Holstein	45 cm	15 Feb – 15 Apr	Values for inland waters; coastal waters have their own ordinance.
Thuringia	50 cm	15 Feb – 30 Apr

Compare all states

Statewide rules for anglers as of 24 Oct 2026, without guarantee. Clubs and waters can set stricter rules; the ordinance text is binding.

Waters

Native

Expected in these federal states

Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia

Expected occurrence, modelled from each water's fish zones, habitat type and the federal states the species lives in, and checked against GBIF records — not a record of observations.