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drrick
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11/08/2016 06:08PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
On this years trip, our group had quite a few large pike up to the canoe and were not able to get them into the boat. We did not have nets. I know some say leave the net home. I would like to bring a net in the spring and try to get some of the larger pike in the boat. Can some of you'all give advice on what net to bring? Thanks Rick
 
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11/08/2016 08:16PM  
Leave the net at home. More big pike are lost with a net than without.

Define big pike. Are we talking 40" or more?

Fight out a big pike. Fight it until it lays alongside the canoe. Reach down and touch its back. It will be 50' away in 2 seconds so be ready for it. Fight it back to the canoe until it lays alongside the canoe. Reach down and touch or poke its back. It will be 25' away in 2 seconds. Fight it back again and again until it will just lay alongside the canoe when you poke it. Now if it is small enough, reach across the top of its head and squeeze the gills shut. Pick it up, remove hooks, take pictures, put it back in the water and swish it forth and back until it is ready to swim away.

If you have reached the point of trying to reach across the head and squeeze the gills but your hand won't reach across, slid you hand up its back to the back side of the gills and when it flares its gills slip you hand inside them and grasp it around the neck.

This works until you reach a big pike, one where you can't reach half way around it neck. The only one I had like that I just left in the water, controlling it with one hand while I removed the hooks with the other and let it swim away.
 
plittle
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11/08/2016 08:33PM  
quote RMinMN: "Leave the net at home. More big pike are lost with a net than without.

Define big pike. Are we talking 40" or more?

Fight out a big pike. Fight it until it lays alongside the canoe. Reach down and touch its back. It will be 50' away in 2 seconds so be ready for it. Fight it back to the canoe until it lays alongside the canoe. Reach down and touch or poke its back. It will be 25' away in 2 seconds. Fight it back again and again until it will just lay alongside the canoe when you poke it. Now if it is small enough, reach across the top of its head and squeeze the gills shut. Pick it up, remove hooks, take pictures, put it back in the water and swish it forth and back until it is ready to swim away.

If you have reached the point of trying to reach across the head and squeeze the gills but your hand won't reach across, slid you hand up its back to the back side of the gills and when it flares its gills slip you hand inside them and grasp it around the neck.

This works until you reach a big pike, one where you can't reach half way around it neck. The only one I had like that I just left in the water, controlling it with one hand while I removed the hooks with the other and let it swim away."

I hope you're joking!

Do not "slide your hands in its gill" for two reasons. First off, you will kill the fish. Secondly, pike have sharp gill rakers and you will get cut.

If you anticipate catching some big fish...bring a big ass net. That's what I do!
 
tarnkt
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11/08/2016 08:54PM  
I use and would recommend this Net

Maybe not the best choice if you are targeting the sea monsters plittle does but it packs nice and the hooks don't get tangled in it.

 
drrick
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11/08/2016 10:01PM  
We had no trouble with the 30 inch or less fish. Lost several 36 and up to 43 inch pike at the boat. With a proper net I feel we could have had most all in the boat. I am also concerned about damage to the fish with poor handling. I understand some of these fish can be 35 or more years old.
 
missmolly
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11/09/2016 04:11PM  
A cradle might be easier to portage than a net. It's easier on the fish and lands the biggest fish. You could lash it to the thwarts on a portage with those bingy bangy dealie bobbies.
 
11/09/2016 05:18PM  
I'm glad when I lose them at the boat!
 
11/09/2016 07:33PM  
I agree with RMinMN. If you are too ascared to land a Pike by hand, just cut your line. I've hand landed Pike by hand many times without injury. Man Up dude.
 
missmolly
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11/09/2016 08:51PM  
quote AndySG: "I agree with RMinMN. If you are too ascared to land a Pike by hand, just cut your line. I've hand landed Pike by hand many times without injury. Man Up dude."


I think smaller fish are more dangerous than bigger fish. The small ones are more explosive.
 
dpreiner21
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11/09/2016 10:39PM  
A net is very important for me on my canoe fishing trips. It allows me to safely land a fish and limits the chance of the big guy getting away. I use the Frabil telescoping net with the rubber netting (super important for not getting hooks embeded in the net material). I also like the telescoping handle. It allows me to also use it when fishing from shore. it's a good all around net and can also be used in any fishing boat.
 
11/10/2016 10:07AM  
Biggest northern out of my canoe was 43".

Me: This is a big one.
Buddy: Crap.. we don't have a net!
Fish: --cruises by boat, showing head and teeth--
Me: I don't think we want that in the boat! Head for shore.


We don't take nets nowadays.
 
11/10/2016 10:19AM  
quote bobbernumber3: "Biggest northern out of my canoe was 43".


Me: This is a big one.
Buddy: Crap.. we don't have a net!
Fish: --cruises by boat, showing head and teeth--
Me: I don't think we want that in the boat! Head for shore.




We don't take nets nowadays."


Nice pike and that conversation sounds really similar to some I've had. LOL
 
11/10/2016 10:30AM  
Since the author asked about a net, here is my point .02. My net is a deep bag simple one, with two machine screws that hold the hoop to the handle. This is important for two reasons. Take the screws out, duct tape them to the handle, the net is now easy to portage in two pieces. Put the handle with your poles. Stuff the aluminum handle with packing peanuts, push them all the way to the bottom. Now you have a floating net as well. I am a net guy when needed. Put an extra screw in your tackle box in case of assembly error when at camp. Do not assemble near water, as screws are non returnable from there. I know that fact :-)
 
11/10/2016 10:31AM  
I would go to shore to land or take a cradle(if 2 people in canoe). Neither of the nets mentioned here would be of much use on anything over 30".
 
eOar
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11/10/2016 11:23AM  
I agree with the large wading net
 
11/10/2016 11:55AM  
Bring a net. Catching and releasing large pike quickly during the summer months is essential in keeping the fish alive. If you play the fish until it's tired, you will kill the fish. There are many nets that are designed for quick catch and release.
 
missmolly
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11/10/2016 12:41PM  
quote egknuti: "Bring a net. Catching and releasing large pike quickly during the summer months is essential in keeping the fish alive. If you play the fish until it's tired, you will kill the fish. There are many nets that are designed for quick catch and release. "


I too worry about the mortality rates on landing fish by paddling to shore. I understand the desire to do so. I've never done it, but I might next June if the shore is close and suitable. However, even the shore can be problematic when you're alone. My biggest measured musky is 47". I once caught and landed a bigger one. I was alone and ashore, which was pretty sloped. I did manage to get half of the fish out of the water (It was heavy!) and unhooked, but going for the camera seemed to be fruitless. Either I could drag the fish high up the rock, which wouldn't be good for it, or just hope it wouldn't flop back into the water, which it could do with half a twitch since it was already halfway in the water. I simply eased it back into the water and the only image is in my memory. I've caught big pike in a canoe, but have unhooked and released them in the water. It's frustrating to have no photos, so a few years back, I used an abandoned leaky boat that was on the lake I was fishing and brought a big net for the express purpose of getting a pic of a big pike. I managed to catch one the first evening and was therefore able to return to canoeing and releasing the big pike sans pics.
 
lundojam
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11/10/2016 06:58PM  
I use a small net. I cut down the handle and replace the netting with a bigger-basket net. Then you have a small net that will take a big fish.
 
11/11/2016 09:24AM  
Same as you Lundo, my net mentioned above has cut down handle, 15" hoop and deeep replacement bag on it.
 
Savage Voyageur
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11/12/2016 08:21AM  
We take a collapsable Flabil net with us, it has helped a few times. The last time I got about 4 hooks caught in the net when the fish did a roll. It took a while to free the fish and my lure.
 
CardinalNation
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11/16/2016 06:01PM  
Net is too much trouble to carry around.

Try a knock off boga grip (Bass Pro, Academy) for < $15 instead. Never lost a fish using one of these.

 
Frenchy
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11/18/2016 07:18PM  
I use a Cabela's Fold and Stow that my daughter bought me to replace the one I left at the bottom of a lake. It really works well, and folds down pretty compact. Both Northern Pike and Lakers have a much better chance of survival if caught and released fairly quick. Cabela's landing net
 
11/19/2016 09:39AM  
I am a big advocate of a landing net for trophy fish.

Playing a fish until it is laying docile next to the canoe or dragging it to shore in shallow warmer water are recipes for delayed hooking mortality. I've landed 42" pike by hand but it took a loong time to get it going again, a lot of reviving needed---with the net they recover much faster.

I am also not a big fan of grips for very large fish as if you don't hold the fish correctly you can cause damage to the jaw and once again increase the chances of delayed mortality.

Make sure ya get a net with a rubber netting or rubberized coating stay away from nylon. Also get a heavy duty net. I broke this one on netting nice lakers one year.


This fish was netted---look how far away we are from shore. If we paddled in it would of died for sure. We didn't need to play it out until exhaustion either.


I'd look at a net with a telescoping handle and rubberized netting. I have a stowmaster and it works great but haven't seen one in awhile in stores.



Net options


T
 
mastertangler
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11/19/2016 04:37PM  
I was on Poohbah and popped a nice laker going about 8lbs....very dark colored trout. I unwisely netted it and it spun up in the net and tangled the hooks......totally impossible to get out. By the time I got done I was furious and the trout was dead.

Now I boga pretty much everything. Despite claims that trophy fish might suffer jaw damage from being lifted I have never had that happen. Not saying it can't happen just that I have never had it happen.

Net or no net I'm not bringing pike over 40" into the boat to bang around, get tangled in everything and lose a bunch of slime which exposes them to getting sick in a week or two.

 
drrick
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11/21/2016 01:41PM  
You'all have been very helpful. I never heard of a Boga prior to this thread. Also I am wondering about eating Pike over 36 inches long. Is there any change at some length fish in the quality of the meat?
 
dpreiner21
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11/21/2016 02:48PM  
I wouldn't recommend eating fish that big. The meat is not as good imo. The fillets and meat flakes are thicker, they taste fishier, they contain more mercury, and there is often way more food than you need. I recommend pike in the 26-34 in range and walleye 14-19 in. That is just my preference but to each his own.
 
11/21/2016 11:42PM  
quote dpreiner21: "I recommend pike in the 26-34 in range and walleye 14-19 in."

That is my preference for eating too.
 
CityFisher74
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11/22/2016 08:05AM  
Highly recommend a net, even just for eaters and especially walleye. I do NOT recommend anything but rubber. I bought a Frabill collapsible net because it was very compact but hooks are like a magnet to that fabric and they do not let go. I took it on one trip and had to cut out the net so many times it was in shreds by the end of the trip. Just my experience.
 
11/27/2016 06:39PM  
We carry a net but a big fish in the net with treble hooks in it's mouth can take a lot of time to disengage which is definitely not good for the fish and risky for the fisherman. We will land them by hand if they're too big for the net but I agree, that requires an awful lot of fighting time which is also hard on the fish. The last couple trips we have been using "The Fish Grip" which we picked up at Piragis, and we're sold on it. Get's the big, toothy ones under control in the water and unhooked quickly and helps avoid getting a hand hooked when things get crazy. Contrary to the photo I am posting we try to never hoist a big fish by it's jaw with the gripper, but support it's belly when lifting it for a photo.

 
zski
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11/27/2016 11:09PM  
quote CityFisher74: "Highly recommend a net, even just for eaters and especially walleye. I do NOT recommend anything but rubber. I bought a Frabill collapsible net because it was very compact but hooks are like a magnet to that fabric and they do not let go. I took it on one trip and had to cut out the net so many times it was in shreds by the end of the trip. Just my experience."

had similar experience with same net. didn't have to cut it up to get the hooks out because we were using barbless but even at that it was a hassle.
 
12/12/2016 10:00PM  
Forget the net, buy a cheap plastic fish grip. Lock it on his lower lip and you can control the fish enough to release the lure or pick him up for a quick photo.

Plastic Fish Gripper
 
mastertangler
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12/13/2016 10:44AM  
quote drrick: "You'all have been very helpful. I never heard of a Boga prior to this thread. Also I am wondering about eating Pike over 36 inches long. Is there any change at some length fish in the quality of the meat?"


Well I guess I will beg to differ.........I like eating rather larger pike than most would consider an "eater" and one about 36 to 38" is just about right. They are easier to clean and I really like the big thick strips of dense meat.......very tasty and quite firm. Harder to appreciate the table qualities of pike in the smaller versions (especially the texture) IMO and the little guys are a pain to clean with small tender bones that are easily missed or are cut through.
 
RackWrangler
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01/30/2017 05:09PM  
Last year my group lost two pike that were around 40" due to trying to use an net that was not up to the task. We were using a Frabill Kwik Stow 18x16 folding net with a deeper replacement net to avoid the problems with hooks catching in the fabric netting. This setup worked great for anything under 30". With the larger pike, the opening was too small to get the head in far enough to secure them while keeping the line tight. Both times the lure hit the net and the fish shook free.

This year I plan on bringing my Power Stow 24x28 net for bigger fish. The extra size and weight is worth it to me so I can safely land big fish and get them back into the water without killing them from exhaustion.

RW
 
01/30/2017 07:56PM  
Real men/women don't use nets. If you don't know how to land any fish by hand, then buy and carry a net. In my experience, more fish are lost by netting than landed by hand.
 
RackWrangler
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01/31/2017 03:45AM  
Ouch, now me being "real" is being called into question. I guess all the guides and pro fishermen who use nets to land trophy fish just don't know how to land a fish by hand. Oh well. It's how I like to roll and I'm comfortable with that.

RW
 
walleye_hunter
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01/31/2017 06:18AM  
That's alright rackwrangler. Maybe those of us that use landing nets can start a support group. There have been a few times that I've forgotten my landing net giving me the opportunity to be a real man. However, I know what I catch and definitely prefer a net.

I have a small circle of people that I seek angling information from, and share some specific information with. People that I consider the real deal, not wannabes like myself. They usually have a net in their boat or canoe. Anglers can be a secretive bunch, maybe they just have the net to throw folks off a bit so nobody knows that they are onto something.
 
mastertangler
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01/31/2017 06:44AM  
I like netting fish that I am going to be taking home........yup they are secure and in the box. The bummer about netting fish like Lakers and pike is they typically are netted to soon and they bang around on the bottom of the boat. In doing so they tend to lose a bunch of slime........that slime is a protective coating..........it comes off via abrasion of the net and when banging around on the bottom of the boat. The fish can get sick a week or two after release.

Here is a story to illustrate which some may find interesting and enlightening. We had a small pond near our home in Michigan and we started putting big panfish in it. A week after putting several slab crappie in it we went back to give them a try. I seen one of the big crappie with white "ick" in the perfect shape of a hand. It was obviously sick and going to die. It took me a little while to make the connection that my hand had removed its protective coating. So that stuff is important.........would it make much difference in the cool clear waters of the canadian shield? I dunno but its a thought worth pondering.

My advice, and it has nothing to do with "manning up" but rather becoming educated, is to take advantage of the built in handle that God in his wisdom has provided for handling pike and cudas. Try it on the next 36" pike you net...........underneath the gills near the belly you can safely slide your hand up and into the "handle"........avoid the gills and rakers and of course the teeth near the mouths entrance. You will find this a very easy way to handle them. I am not a fan of pinching their eyeballs nor do I like trying to grip them from the back via forefinger and thumb through the top of the gills as they can shake free.
 
forgop
member (22)member
  
06/21/2017 09:01AM  
I know my net for Canada is way too big...I'm thinking something like one of these nets.

https://www.amazon.com/MadBite-Fishing-Release-Landing-Foldable/dp/B01FFB0U3A/ref=sr_1_11?s=sporting-goods&rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1498058087&sr=1-11&keywords=rubber%2Bnet&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011&th=1&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Frabill-Rubber-Handled-Trout-Landing/dp/B001FTSADY

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4N94YZ/ref=pd_luc_rh_sbs_03_02_t_img_lh?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
 
Big Lakers
Guest Paddler
  
06/21/2017 10:09AM  
quote mastertangler: "I like netting fish that I am going to be taking home........yup they are secure and in the box. The bummer about netting fish like Lakers and pike is they typically are netted to soon and they bang around on the bottom of the boat. In doing so they tend to lose a bunch of slime........that slime is a protective coating..........it comes off via abrasion of the net and when banging around on the bottom of the boat. The fish can get sick a week or two after release.


Here is a story to illustrate which some may find interesting and enlightening. We had a small pond near our home in Michigan and we started putting big panfish in it. A week after putting several slab crappie in it we went back to give them a try. I seen one of the big crappie with white "ick" in the perfect shape of a hand. It was obviously sick and going to die. It took me a little while to make the connection that my hand had removed its protective coating. So that stuff is important.........would it make much difference in the cool clear waters of the canadian shield? I dunno but its a thought worth pondering.


My advice, and it has nothing to do with "manning up" but rather becoming educated, is to take advantage of the built in handle that God in his wisdom has provided for handling pike and cudas. Try it on the next 36" pike you net...........underneath the gills near the belly you can safely slide your hand up and into the "handle"........avoid the gills and rakers and of course the teeth near the mouths entrance. You will find this a very easy way to handle them. I am not a fan of pinching their eyeballs nor do I like trying to grip them from the back via forefinger and thumb through the top of the gills as they can shake free. "


Your lengthy posts don't always make you right. Hand landing a big lake trout is a death sentence for the fish. Use a net, there is no need to put the fish or the net in the bottom of the canoe. Leave the fish in the net, in the water while you unhook her. Careful pick the fish out of the net while someone takes a picture. Put the fish back into the lake.
 
Mad_Angler
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06/21/2017 11:55AM  
I caught a 39" pike on my very first BW trip. I played it for a long time, landed it by hand, and then took a while to get the hooks out.

I tried and tried but the fish would not revive. We had 6 guys and we ate the pike. It was way more food than we needed.

 
06/21/2017 01:29PM  
quote RMinMN: "Leave the net at home. More big pike are lost with a net than without.


Define big pike. Are we talking 40" or more?


Fight out a big pike. Fight it until it lays alongside the canoe. Reach down and touch its back. It will be 50' away in 2 seconds so be ready for it. Fight it back to the canoe until it lays alongside the canoe. Reach down and touch or poke its back. It will be 25' away in 2 seconds. Fight it back again and again until it will just lay alongside the canoe when you poke it. Now if it is small enough, reach across the top of its head and squeeze the gills shut. Pick it up, remove hooks, take pictures, put it back in the water and swish it forth and back until it is ready to swim away.


If you have reached the point of trying to reach across the head and squeeze the gills but your hand won't reach across, slid you hand up its back to the back side of the gills and when it flares its gills slip you hand inside them and grasp it around the neck.


This works until you reach a big pike, one where you can't reach half way around it neck. The only one I had like that I just left in the water, controlling it with one hand while I removed the hooks with the other and let it swim away."



This is the best way to KILL a fish. And the whole "man up" thing is also a load of BS.
 
06/21/2017 06:20PM  
i bring a net , it does help for not having to over play a fish. but when it comes to pike i prefer to hand handle them , netting them in a canoe is generally when they go crazy and can take longer to get them back in the water , pike under #5 hand across the back or and with larger pike gill plate them , once you've done that a few times its easy , you understand right where to grab them , you dont want your fingers tips too deep ;) anything your keeping for food , its nice to have a net.
 
Guest Paddler
  
06/21/2017 10:03PM  
quote forgop: "I know my net for Canada is way too big...I'm thinking something like one of these nets.


https://www.amazon.com/MadBite-Fishing-Release-Landing-Foldable/dp/B01FFB0U3A/ref=sr_1_11?s=sporting-goods&rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1498058087&sr=1-11&keywords=rubber%2Bnet&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011&th=1&psc=1


https://www.amazon.com/Frabill-Rubber-Handled-Trout-Landing/dp/B001FTSADY


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4N94YZ/ref=pd_luc_rh_sbs_03_02_t_img_lh?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1"


I have the Frabill trout landing net. I like the rubberized net. Spend less time taking hooks out of net. It get tucked in and stored behind my seat. I portage with it in. I do have to untuck it if i I plan on using it.
 
rpike
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06/22/2017 09:38AM  
For me, a net big enough to land a BIG pike, say over 40", is a net that is *way* too big to have in a canoe and to portage. I mostly fish for muskies. I know from big nets. I know they are excellent tools for getting a big fish in the bag quickly and unhooking them while they are in the water. All of that is true *if* you can reach way over the gunnel and into the very wide, deep net to get to the fish. From a canoe, no way.

I use a Boga grip. With it, I can land a fish very nearly as quickly as I can with a net. I can leave the fish in the water for the entire unhooking process. If I don't want a picture or to eat the fish, it never leaves the water. Boga grips are more expensive than the knock-offs, but they have the very large advantage of having a head that spins. Lake trout and pike both like to spin like tops. With a gripper head that does not spin, your wrist takes a beating, and you potentially bust up the fish's jaw. Some knock off grips have very tall, blunt faces on the gripping surfaces. They are giant pains in the behind; they are too wide to easily get into the fish's mouth unless it opens all the way up. I watched my partner spend 5 minutes trying to grip a 6 pound laker. I could have had that fish with a Boga on the first attempt.

For lifting the fish out of the water, I use the boga to get just its head out, then use the grab the "handle" of the jaw as described by MasterT. It's the same hold you should use when taking a big fish out of a net.

I've landed dozens of 10+ pound lakers, pike, and muskies with the boga grip. It does not work as well on 1-2 pound lake trout, but those I can easily land by hand and quickly transfer to the stringer!
 
06/23/2019 09:01AM  
mastertangler: "I was on Poohbah and popped a nice laker going about 8lbs....very dark colored trout. I unwisely netted it and it spun up in the net and tangled the hooks......totally impossible to get out. By the time I got done I was furious and the trout was dead. "


Lakers all seem to do this but they also seem to be able to spit the hook out in the process. I have pretty good luck that way I guess so I am able to just pick up the fish at that point and send them on their way. Then I have time to deal with the mess in the net.
 
Basspro69
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06/23/2019 09:43AM  
plittle: "
quote RMinMN: "Leave the net at home. More big pike are lost with a net than without.

Define big pike. Are we talking 40" or more?

Fight out a big pike. Fight it until it lays alongside the canoe. Reach down and touch its back. It will be 50' away in 2 seconds so be ready for it. Fight it back to the canoe until it lays alongside the canoe. Reach down and touch or poke its back. It will be 25' away in 2 seconds. Fight it back again and again until it will just lay alongside the canoe when you poke it. Now if it is small enough, reach across the top of its head and squeeze the gills shut. Pick it up, remove hooks, take pictures, put it back in the water and swish it forth and back until it is ready to swim away.

If you have reached the point of trying to reach across the head and squeeze the gills but your hand won't reach across, slid you hand up its back to the back side of the gills and when it flares its gills slip you hand inside them and grasp it around the neck.

This works until you reach a big pike, one where you can't reach half way around it neck. The only one I had like that I just left in the water, controlling it with one hand while I removed the hooks with the other and let it swim away."

I hope you're joking!

Do not "slide your hands in its gill" for two reasons. First off, you will kill the fish. Secondly, pike have sharp gill rakers and you will get cut.

If you anticipate catching some big fish...bring a big ass net. That's what I do!"
Agree 100 percent also fighting a fish past exhaustion can kill the fish also .
 
Bearpath9
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06/23/2019 09:43AM  
I bring a pair of leather gloves out with me. It helps grasping the fish, especially pike, and I don't get too nervous around the mouth and teeth. Works for me.
 
06/23/2019 10:53AM  
RMinMN: "Leave the net at home. More big pike are lost with a net than without.


Define big pike. Are we talking 40" or more?


Fight out a big pike. Fight it until it lays alongside the canoe. Reach down and touch its back. It will be 50' away in 2 seconds so be ready for it. Fight it back to the canoe until it lays alongside the canoe. Reach down and touch or poke its back. It will be 25' away in 2 seconds. Fight it back again and again until it will just lay alongside the canoe when you poke it. Now if it is small enough, reach across the top of its head and squeeze the gills shut. Pick it up, remove hooks, take pictures, put it back in the water and swish it forth and back until it is ready to swim away.


If you have reached the point of trying to reach across the head and squeeze the gills but your hand won't reach across, slid you hand up its back to the back side of the gills and when it flares its gills slip you hand inside them and grasp it around the neck.


This works until you reach a big pike, one where you can't reach half way around it neck. The only one I had like that I just left in the water, controlling it with one hand while I removed the hooks with the other and let it swim away."


Unless the water temps are cool, this is the exact recipe on how to kill big pike and Lakers. The only other thing you could do wrong is tow it to shore and release it in shallow water.

T
 
06/23/2019 12:27PM  
AmarilloJim: "I'm glad when I lose them at the boat!
"
Agree!!
 
Zwater
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06/23/2019 04:20PM  
Bring the Big Pike in as fast as you can (less stress on fish). Get it along side the canoe. Put your hand under the gill plate (not touching the gills). Lift it into canoe. Take pics, then let it go. It's that easy.
 
CityFisher74
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06/24/2019 10:31AM  
Agreed - don't net anything unless it's either a giant or a walleye.
 
thegildedgopher
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06/24/2019 10:54AM  
This is an interesting discussion.

I am in the net camp. We carry one of the cheapest Frabill nets you can buy, just a basic handle that slides down to collapse, upgraded with the thick rubber basket net. Typically I will hold the basket over the gunwhale and remove the hooks from the fish. If things are taking longer than I'd like, I'm able to lower the fish back into the water and keep water moving over its gills.

Re: the "play the fish out" comments, I strongly disagree with this approach. I know that sometimes you catch something bigger than what you're expecting but I also am not a fan of fishing trophy waters with medium-light spinning gear and 6-8lb test. If there are 15-20 pound fish swimming in the lake and I don't plan to harvest them, then I feel a responsibility to equip myself with gear that can bring them topside in a safe and quick manner and enable a healthy release. Our recent trophy laker was brought to the net in less than 5 minutes by my 12-year-old who doesn't even weigh 90 pounds.
 
foxfireniner
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06/25/2019 07:51AM  
I have never liked using a net from a canoe since I was kid. I have never had a huge fish in the net in a canoe but even the smaller ones put the canoe out of balance, IMO. On this trip, I will have 2 teenagers and me in the 18 foot canoe. A net would crowd us, I think.

On our trip, I will try the fish grippers if we hook any big ones or will paddle to shore while fighting the fish. I am wary of the fish grippers but willing to try them.

We won't be keeping any big fish, anyway, so if we lose one trying to land it, I will just consider that a catch and early release. The only reason to land a big one is to get your lure back and photos.
 
06/25/2019 09:13AM  
CardinalNation: "Net is too much trouble to carry around.


Try a knock off boga grip (Bass Pro, Academy) for < $15 instead. Never lost a fish using one of these.


"


CardinalNation is on the right page with this! We decided to stop screwing with nets in the BWCA because of the issues with netting larger fish and also bringing something that doesn't take up a lot of room and is durable. This is the best new item we started bringing to the BWCA. It also tells you how much the fish weighs so you can get all the stats on it, get the hook out and release quickly.
 
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