Pike teeth research: they DO cut line!

[Okanagan]

In a earlier thread I asked about musky teeth cutting line, and commented that I had never had a pike cut my line when not using wire leader.  Well, now I have, twice within a few hours.

I examined a pike's teeth and confirmed that not only are they sharply pointed, they also have very sharp cutting blade edges on the teeth all the way down into their gums, much like shark teeth.  I saw a pike cut my line off clean when he hit a spoon just as I started to lift it from the water, and another cut off a spoon awhile later.

Yet in previous years I had caught several hundred pike without ever having one cut my line.  The difference?  Nearly all of the previous pike had been caught on lead headed jigs fished from shore.  The pike bite a jig on the bottom differently than the slashing sideways strike they make at a spoon or plug that is being trolled or retrieved.

A guide friend agreed with my theory on this.  He is convinced that pike bite a bottom hopping jig from behind it with the front of their mouth and almost never cut the line in that case, even without a wire leader.

I am still of the opinion that usually I get more strikes from pike when not using a wire leader, but there is much higher risk of cut offs.  In my recent Saskatchewan fishing we released most fish and most of us did not use wire leader most of the time.  In all, we had six lures cut off by pike, including two from my off duty guide friend who fished beside me without wire leader.

[FinsnFur]

Interesting
I knew they swept their targets to the side as they took them but thats interesting about the jig, and I agree, it makes perfect sense.
I can always tell when I have a Pike on even before he shows himself. I use Spider Wire religiously and you can feel the line going across their teeth as the fight. It's like someone dragging a comb sideways across your tight line.

If I am targeting Pike, which isnt too often, I'll almost always use as leader.

[Hidehunter]

I have never tried jigs for musky (closest I have to a pike) but I do know that every lure I throw they side swipe it hard.