My suggestion is that if you can purchase Pickerel, do that, but Northern Pike are an option and likely will survive as long as they have suitable oxygen.
They can survive hot summers and their metabolism requires more food in hotter temperatures (as long as there is suitable oxygen). My guess is that if your water can support Bass, the Northern will survive and likely put a suitable dent into your skinny Bass population
Yon can experiment with as few as 20 Northern and see what happens.
