the place im going to this weekend just went through a cold front. the water temp went from 74 to the low 60's. if pike like cold water then will this front help the fishing?

Not really. Pike often react to cold fronts by hunkering down or hugging bottom. Smaller pike like shallow water & will tolerate warmer water than large pike. Thats why large pike can be found shallow in the spring & fall when water temps are cooler. Once the water temps rise too much larger pike are found relatively deep. I have caught pike from 13-20 lbs in 60 feet on the bottom while jigging for lake trout.  

Not really. Pike often react to cold fronts by hunkering down or hugging bottom. Smaller pike like shallow water & will tolerate warmer water than large pike. Thats why large pike can be found shallow in the spring & fall when water temps are cooler. Once the water temps rise too much larger pike are found relatively deep. I have caught pike from 13-20 lbs in 60 feet on the bottom while jigging for lake trout.

That's very interesting Dwight, particularly catching those lunker pike in 60 ft of water!

No fish comes to mind, where the immatures and adults behave like two different species.

Although the axehandles are warmwater tolerant, biologists fall just a tad short

of classifying adult pike as "coldwater" species; colder than muskies and on par with lake trout.

Several years back, the Minnesota DNR seined a horse pike from deep cold water alongside kokanee salmon.

The DNR reported that the pike had pink flesh, indicating that kokanee salmon constituted their staple diet.

Roger