The northern pike is generally distributed over the upper two-thirds of the state. It varies from occasional in a few man-made recreational lakes to common in the natural lakes and large rivers depending on reproductive success. It prefers sluggish, heavily vegetated habitat and is quite numerous in the upper reaches of the large interior streams, such as the Des Moines, Wapsipinicon and Iowa rivers. It is especially abundant in the Mississippi River above Clinton. The northern pike is an elongated fish with a long head, which is depressed forward into a pair of large duck-bill shaped jaws imbedded with numerous canine teeth.
Body color is extremely variable, depending upon the waters from which it is taken.
Usually it is bluish-green to gray on the back, and the markings on the sides are in the form of irregular rows of light yellow or gold spots. These little markings distinguish it from the grass pickerel and muskellunge. The dorsal fin is located far back on the body and has l6 to l9 soft rays. The cheeks are fully scaled, but the lower half of the opercle is scaleless. There are from l4 to l6 branchiostegal rays contained in the membrane just below the gill cover.