My buddies and I have been having the discussion whether or not northerns really lose their teeth? All spear guys seem to agree they do, but most anglers say no? I’m totally new to the spearing thing, so I cant really weigh in on that. I do know that angling I have never caught one with no teeth?
I thought they were like sharks, constantly loosing and regrowing their teeth, but not all at once.
Fictional fact 
I’m not real sure what to think about it. I used to think it was just another excuse why late ice gets tough. Recently I had a buddy that’s not a BS’er spear a 36″ that had absolutely no teeth!? This is his first year spearing also so he was like me, and didn’t know what to think?
i think he ate too much crappie candy and didnt see the dentist… 
i found this on the DNR website:
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There’s a long-standing belief, likely begun by ancient anglers in search of an excuse for their lousy luck, that northern pike lose teeth at certain times of the year. In fact, this is nothing but a fishy folk tale. According to DNR fish biologist Don Pereira, northerns may occasionally lose teeth in an unfortunate run-in with particularly tough prey or bait, but there’s no evidence they do so regularly.
Except for when I pull one out of my finger it is fiction 
Most of the problem can be blamed on improved dental care for children. The resulting lack of teeth has caused the tooth fairy to gather from another source. 
Someone should have told Granrud (RD) a week or so ago that this was a folk tale.
Only from waters that Dave B has polluted with lead….
-J.
In my years of spearing, I always noticed a slow down around early to mid January. This was when the pike “lost their teeth”. It just happened to coincide with the shallow weeds dying. I figured out that moving my set-up to the nearest breakline on the edge of deep water got me right back into the game……..and these ‘new’ fish I would get had a full set of chompers…..
Tim
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Except for when I pull one out of my finger it is fiction
…and they are so sharp, I usually don’t notice until I see my blood oozing all over my digits.
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Except for when I pull one out of my finger it is fiction
…and they are so sharp, I usually don’t notice until I see my blood oozing all over my digits.
I’vw had one in my right thumb for two years… 
I just had this conversation last year with a buddy of mine who commercial fishes. He said they lose their teeth and he could prove it. So the day came when he was expecting a lot of northerns in the net and told me to come out and sure enough I released about 50 northerns from the nets and more than half had no teeth. The numbers were about the same for everyone helping that day. It was amazing how many northerns were gathered up together among the rough fish something he told me happens every year in that two week period.
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Most of the problem can be blamed on improved dental care for children. The resulting lack of teeth has caused the tooth fairy to gather from another source.
No its all the new flavored and scented baits, pike tooth decay is on the rise from these sweet little treats. 
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Fiction!! 
well i was taught “at a young age of 4″ by my native grandfather that they did lose there teeth.from begginning of july-late aug. ” in MN “, so now i’m a lil older and picked up his fishing bible ” fishermans guide to fish” it tells you EVERY NOOK AN CRANNY about the freshwater fish. how to catch , what to use, the sunlight, the darkness of the water. even gets into 1 VERRY GOOD SUBJECT , “the air pressure,,, baromectric pressure ” after reading that, i found out ” an proved” you can catch any pike,bass.walleye, anytime you want+ i’ve got over 50 , over 10lbs + 20 over 15lbs, largest was 22.5. Might have ben a record, but i fish for fun now , “catch an release only “. kinda forced to get into that habit when you do tournaments. BUT long story short…..NO THEY DON’T LOSE THERE TEETH , there in deeper water to get away from the HI AIR PREASURE,AN CONSTANT CHANNGING AIR PREASURE ” STORMS “.
GOOD LUCK FISHING
BIGDOG
Welcome to IDO BigDog!
Thanks for sharing your experiences! 
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