The English common name "pike" is an apparent shortening of "pike-fish", in reference to its pointed head, Old English píc originally referring to a pickaxe.
A northern English and Scottish name for the pike, ged, similarly derives from Old Norse gaddr (spike).
The English "pike" originally referred specifically to the adult fish, the diminuitive form "pickerel" (now used to name some of the smaller pikes, E. americanus and E. niger) referring to the young. The walleye (Sander vitreus) is sometimes called a pickerel, but it is unrelated to the pikes, being a member of the perch family (family Percidae). The pikes are not to be confused with the unrelated pikeminnows (formerly known as "squawfish") of genus Ptychocheilus (family Cyprinidae).
The pike species are native to the Palearctic and Nearctic ecozones, ranging across northern North America and from Western Europe to Siberia in Eurasia.
Pikes can grow to a maximum recorded length of 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in), reaching a maximum recorded weight of 35 kg (77 lb). Individuals have been reported to reach 30 years in age. They have the elongated, torpedo-like form of predatory fishes, with sharply-pointed heads and sharp teeth. Their coloration is typically grey-green with a mottled or spotted appearance.
The pikes are notoriously voracious carnivores and can be potential pests when introduced into alien ecosystems. They are prized as gamefish for their determined fighting and have been food fish since ancient times. (See Fishing for pike.)
Sailfish are prized by light tackle anglers for their tremendous speed and spectacular aerial acrobatics. Read More Sailfish Article 
