An unusual, orange-hued pike was recently caught in Lake Hajnal, Hungary. A photo of this rare fish, posted in a popular angling group, quickly went viral.
Members marveled at the sight, with many noting they had never seen a pike with such coloration before.
Responding to an inquiry from Pecaverzum, Hungary’s leading fishing news platform, István Földi – who shared the photograph – revealed that the “golden fish” was caught in late June by Gézáné Vajda at Lake Hajnal, a five-hectare fishing spot in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County.
This golden pike came as a complete surprise, as it bit on bait intended for carp.
“I was using a method rig with halibut micro pellets in the feeder, and the bait was a piece of rubber corn. This beautiful pike took it at 9 a.m.” Földi shared with us.
The lake spans about fourty meters in width and stretches for 1,500 meters in length.
Its banks are lined with reeds, cattails, and fallen trees, providing ideal cover for pike and giving the lake a backwater feel.
“I never imagined such a color variation existed in pike. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience! We’ve searched for similar catches worldwide but found nothing like it. Could it be that this small lake alone holds such wonders?” Földi mused.
Weighing in at 6.25 kilograms, this remarkable predator was photographed once and then released back into the water.
“I’ve never seen a pike with this xanthoristic trait before,” commented Zoltán Sallai, a board member of the Hungarian Ichthyological Society.
Sallai explained that this unique specimen exhibits a complete lack of melanin.
In fish skin, pigment cells produce four main colors: pearlescent guanine, brownish-black melanin, red erythrophyll, and yellow xanthophyll.
Genetic mutations can lead to over- or under-production of one or more of these pigments.
In this case, the yellow xanthophyll pigment is overproduced, resulting in what is known as xanthorism – making this an extraordinary xanthoristic pike.
Earlier, Pecaverzum reported on a story of a 130 cm, 25 kg pike; you can read about that HERE.
