Just returned from up north. Went with two of my johns. I better rephrase that. I went with my 80-year old dad, whose name is John, and my longtime fishing partner, who's also John. The second evening was windy and rainy, but we found Big Mamas' House, where fat bass had congregated. I'd caught two 20-inchers, four 19-inchers, two 18.75 inchers, and some 17-inch to 18.5 inch fish. Then I cast at a rock and a pike launched itself at my lure...and kept going, beaching itself on the rock.

"Look at that pike!" I yelled.

It flopped back into the water and after several long runs, for I was using a tiny reel and 6-pound test with no steel leader (Next time, I'll use a Snoopy rod and kite string. Old kite string.), I got it boat side and could only see the rear treble of my F-13 Rapala protruding out the side of its mouth.

"We'll have to net it," I said, which made a liar out of me, since I said in an earlier thread that I unhook big pike in the water, but I didn't want that fish cutting my line and swimming around with a mouthful of Rapala.

We had to scootch it into the net, I unhooked it on my lap, and then posed for a quickie before releasing it. I didn't have a tape measure long enough for it, but having caught and released plenty of 19-inch bass, I assure you that it was at least 19 inches.

Beautiful, fat pike....great looking fish. Funny looking canoe though.

NIce story.

T

quote Boarstalker: "
Beautiful, fat pike....great looking fish. Funny looking canoe though."

We had a canoe. We just used the v-hull because my dad is 80 and I was able to mount a seat in that leaky boat for him. Here's a fish we caught this morning in our canoe on the way back to camp to pack and leave.

Here's the story of that leaky boat for those of you who don't venture north of BWCA/Quetico. The north is littered with boats. Some are wooden and mostly down to bones. Some are aluminum and leaky, like the one we used. Some are aluminum and being swallowed by the Earth, like the one I found last year and tried to lift, but couldn't, as the dirt and plants were gobbling it. They're put on lakes and some are likely still used, but most are abandoned because it costs more to retrieve them than they're worth. So, we hoped this leaky boat was abandoned, as I found it last year, along with half a dozen other boats, and knew my dad couldn't be comfy in a canoe.

quote missmolly: "Just returned from up north. Went with two of my johns. I better rephrase that. I went with my 80-year old dad, who's name is John, and my longtime fishing partner, who's also John. The second evening was windy and rainy, but we found Big Mamas' House, where fat bass had congregated. I'd caught two 20-inchers, four 19-inchers, two 18.75 inchers, and some 17-inch to 18.5 inch fish. Then I cast at a rock and a pike launched itself at my lure...and kept going, beaching itself on the rock.

"Look at that pike!" I yelled.

It flopped back into the water and after several long runs, for I was using a tiny reel and 6-pound test with no steel leader (Next time, I'll use a Snoopy rod and kite string. Old kite string.), I got it boat side and could only see the rear treble of my F-13 Rapala protruding out the side of its mouth.

"We'll have to net it," I said, which made a liar out of me, since I said in an earlier thread that I unhook big pike in the water, but I didn't want that fish cutting my line and swimming around with a mouthful of Rapala.

We had to scootch it into the net, I unhooked it on my lap, and then posed for a quickie before releasing it. I didn't have a tape measure long enough for it, but having caught and released plenty of 19-inch bass, I assure you that it was at least 19 inches.

"

Very nice pike.

quote missmolly: "Here's the story of that leaky boat for those of you who don't venture north of BWCA/Quetico. The north is littered with boats. Some are wooden and mostly down to bones. Some are aluminum and leaky, like the one we used. Some are aluminum and being swallowed by the Earth, like the one I found last year and tried to lift, but couldn't, as the dirt and plants were gobbling it. They're put on lakes and some are likely still used, but most are abandoned because it costs more to retrieve them than they're worth. So, we hoped this leaky boat was abandoned, as I found it last year, along with half a dozen other boats, and knew my dad couldn't be comfy in a canoe."

Wow...I had no idea.

You two hugging those norties going to bring home the slime and nice smell as trophies to remember, apparently :-)

If that didn't thrill ya, you had better check your pulse. Nice Pike.

That Pike slime is better than campdry for your rain gear, smells better too.

quote Arlo Pankook: "If that didn't thrill ya, you had better check your pulse. Nice Pike."

It was a lot of fun. I've never had a fish beach itself from the momentum of its strike. It was also great to hold the fish, since I've historically kept them in the water.

quote Boarstalker: "

quote missmolly: "Here's the story of that leaky boat for those of you who don't venture north of BWCA/Quetico. The north is littered with boats. Some are wooden and mostly down to bones. Some are aluminum and leaky, like the one we used. Some are aluminum and being swallowed by the Earth, like the one I found last year and tried to lift, but couldn't, as the dirt and plants were gobbling it. They're put on lakes and some are likely still used, but most are abandoned because it costs more to retrieve them than they're worth. So, we hoped this leaky boat was abandoned, as I found it last year, along with half a dozen other boats, and knew my dad couldn't be comfy in a canoe."

Wow...I had no idea."

Yeah, the more time I spend up there, the more I realize that there is no wilderness. There are traces of our ancestors in adventuring everywhere up there.

quote missmolly: "we found Big Mamas' House...

Thank you for that expression. Put a smile on my face.

Sounds like great bass fishing. Wow.


Nice pike, looks like a warrior that's been through a battle or six.


My brother likes to hug his pike too. Slime be damned.

That's a great story and and great catch Missmolly. You should have named that fish "Rocket Pike." I am glad you got to take your father along and I hope he did well too.

quote AndySG: "That's a great story and and great catch Missmolly. You should have named that fish "Rocket Pike." I am glad you got to take your father along and I hope he did well too."

He didn't do well fishing. He's just too old to cast long and accurately, but he had a nice time in camp, playing cards, reading, chatting, and eating fish. Here's a pic of him in camp.

@ analyzer

It was pretty good bass fishing. We were fishing a lake in a chain that doesn't grow lots of bass, but the bass are big. That night was the exception for lots of big bass.

quote missmolly: "

quote AndySG: "That's a great story and and great catch Missmolly. You should have named that fish "Rocket Pike." I am glad you got to take your father along and I hope he did well too."

He didn't do well fishing. He's just too old to cast long and accurately, but he had a nice time in camp, playing cards, reading, chatting, and eating fish. Here's a pic of him in camp. "

that's wonderful that you could spend time with your Dad, fish or not it was a nice memory. One to be cherished

Nice fish, nice story, and glad that you got time with pa.

"I assure you that it was at least 19 inches."
Very good. I can see that you have become the master in avoiding controversy.
-grasshopper

quote Jeriatric: ""I assure you that it was at least 19 inches."
Very good. I can see that you have become the master in avoiding controversy.
-grasshopper"

Not so. I was referring to the teeth being 19 inches long.

quote missmolly: "

quote Jeriatric: ""I assure you that it was at least 19 inches."
Very good. I can see that you have become the master in avoiding controversy.
-grasshopper"

Not so. I was referring to the teeth being 19 inches long. "

LOL. good one missmolly

quote serenityseeker: "

quote missmolly: "

quote Jeriatric: ""I assure you that it was at least 19 inches."
Very good. I can see that you have become the master in avoiding controversy.
-grasshopper"

Not so. I was referring to the teeth being 19 inches long. "

LOL. good one missmolly"

Thanks!

Well well well,
Look who claims to have caught two 20 inch Bass, fish she previously claimed were merely Northland folk lore a few weeks ago!!!!!
Were they really that large missmolly, or did your nose grow a wee bit when you wrote this post????
Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!! :)

quote The Great Outdoors: "Well well well,
Look who claims to have caught two 20 inch Bass, fish she previously claimed were merely Northland folk lore a few weeks ago!!!!!
Were they really that large missmolly, or did your nose grow a wee bit when you wrote this post????
Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!! :)"

Oh, I've caught a few 20-inches in the past and that was my first time to catch two in the same evening. I still believe that 22, 23, and 24-inch smallmouth are mostly folklore. If they were true, people would have photographic proof and not some 19-incher shoved into the camera lens with the assertion that it's a 23-incher. A 23-incher is an eight pound fish. The Ontario record, caught back in 1954, was 24 inches.

However, I did think of you when the fish pretty much refused to bite live bait. ;-)

Sounds like a little "fish envy" to me missmolly, since you have never caught a 22," or larger Bass!!
I also didn't see any proof of it's length, like a fish trough with legible numbers.
All I imagined was you holding it straight out in front of you, with 2 foot arm extenders trying to make it look really big if a picture even exists
I'm thinking it was probably about 16-17 inches, tops! :)
Heh, heh, heh!

I'm not a big fan of taking pics of fish on weight of length scales. That takes time. Meanwhile, the fish is drowning in air. Do you remember that recent thread with that huge bass caught by a fisherwoman? They measured it at 22.5 inches and I believe that fish, not just because of the photo of the fish on the tape measure, but because it was clearly a monstrous fish and yes, I'm jealous of that woman and her fish, but I'm not jealous of those who assert they've caught similar fish, but didn't bother to verify it with a photo that means something. I've attached a photo I've used many times. It's of a nineteen inch fish. It's a fine, fine fish, but worlds away from a 23-inch fish. I doubt that I'll ever catch a 23-inch fish. They're just too rare. However, if I do, I won't shove it towards the camera lens. I don't do that. As far as 16-17 inch fish, the lake I fished produces few of those. A 16-inch fish is as rare as a 20-inch fish. I expect most of the smaller bass are eaten by the big bass, bigger walleye, and even bigger pike.

Say, TGO, I've a serious question for you. We couldn't catch bass on bait last week. I've NEVER had that happen. Any ideas as to what went wrong? We typically fish artificial until they stop hitting those and then switch to live bait, which has ALWAYS worked in the past, but this past week, when we switched, we couldn't get a bite shallow or deep, casting or drifting.

Here's a 20-inch fish I caught last week. I know the tip of the tail isn't easy to see, but it's a long ways from the tip of its head.

Is there any particular reason you have a picture of a SMB's poop chute?

quote mr.barley: "Is there any particular reason you have a picture of a SMB's poop chute?"

I took the pic that way because I thought its fat belly was funny.

quote missmolly: "Say, TGO, I've a serious question for you. We couldn't catch bass on bait last week. I've NEVER had that happen. Any ideas as to what went wrong? We typically fish artificial until they stop hitting those and then switch to live bait, which has ALWAYS worked in the past, but this past week, when we switched, we couldn't get a bite shallow or deep, casting or drifting. "

When you get the cold water temp & weather changes we've had recently, fish don't follow any type of pattern and bite very lightly.
I've watched Bass suck in a minnow, spit it out, and the rod tip never moved.
If you want a good chance at the 22 inch+ Bass, use medium sized suckers for bait with a plain hook early in the year before the spawn (15-20 FOW), or on the reefs from mid September on. I have caught my largest bass (23 inch) on them.
Your larger Bass (mid July/August) are best taken on double twister tails (green/black flecks) on a chartreuse jig, trolled at a medium speed.

Thanks, TGO. Now, when you say "reef," do you mean a reef that's completely underwater or a rising of rock that you can see?

missmolly
You can fish around the exposed rocks, or fish underwater reefs (sunken islands)which I prefer, not that there is a lot of difference between either.
Avoid the large, flat rock type reef, as these do not seem to harbor any fish.
Concentrate on the boulder/gravel types.

Thanks, TGO.

What a great story!
Looks like great fishing and even better company. I can only hope that when (if) 80 years comes around I'd be so blessed as to have a similar experience. Cheers!

@ dmr

Stay strong and you'll be up north when you're 80. Actually, the fishing was very slow. It was just sooo cold. We had heavy frost one morning. However, we did catch some big fish despite the cold.

Your dad is cool.