Northern pike are a freshwater fish occurring in countless lakes, rivers and streams in both North America and Eurasia. In Canada, their range begins in Quebec and extends through Ontario (including the Great Lakes) and the Prairie provinces to British Columbia, and north to Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Pike are also common throughout the United States. They are aggressive, territorial predators that like heavily vegetated areas of the water from which they can ambush prey.

Northern pike have a long, streamlined body and a flat, pointed snout that resembles a duck's bill. Their mouth is large and filled with sharp teeth. Pike have a dorsal fin quite far down their length, close to their tail fin and mirrored by their anal fin. On top, their colour ranges from brown or olive-brown to bright green, with white blotches along their flanks. On their underside they are white. Pike average about 50-75 centimetres in length and 0.9-2.3 kilograms in weight, though northern pike weighing 6.8-9.0 kilograms are not uncommon.