“Only the strong survive” is the usual saying but more often than not the most cunning have the upper hand. I was once told many years ago by a wise, old fisherman that the largest fish are generally the smartest. The rationale was that the more intelligent a fish is the less likely it is to get caught. Walleye that go chasing after anything that flashes have a higher chance of ending up in a frying pan, basically. The more selective walleye (filled with a degree of skepticism, perhaps?) don’t reflexively jump at everything that comes along. The benefit of their careful choices is the Darwinian right to produce more offspring. That’s not exactly good news for fisherman! As this video shot on Lac Seul demonstrates, pike may be learning the ability to jump right out of nets and back into the water without the usual fuss we normally associate with landing a northern!

They’re getting smarter!