How does the lateral line help a pike hunt?
The lateral line reads pressure waves and water displacement, and in pike it is unusually well developed — including rows of large sensory pores across the underside of the lower jaw, right where an upward ambush strike needs its final targeting data. Vision finds and ranges the prey; the lateral line times and corrects the last split second of the lunge, and keeps working when silt or twilight takes the eyes offline. Blinded pike have been documented surviving and feeding for years on lateral-line information alone — it is a full backup fire-control system, not a garnish.
The full story
This answer is one piece of a longer lesson — setups, diagrams and the reasoning behind it.
More questions about Lateral Line
Same topic, other species
- How do crappie find a jig in muddy water? — Crappie
- How does the lateral line help a muskie track a lure? — Muskellunge (Muskie)
- How does a perch find my jig before it can see it? — Yellow Perch
- In river current, do smallmouth feed by sight or by feel? — Smallmouth Bass
- What does the lateral line do for a trout holding in current? — Trout (Rainbow · Brook · Lake)
- How does a walleye find my lure in total darkness? — Walleye