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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum Fishing Forum I cannot resist to share this! (BIG PIKE) Lure Picture added |
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06/07/2011 09:54PM
Caught this monster June 1st on my first trip into Quetico. Biggest fish of my life! We measured 46" from the bottom jaw to the pinched tail. I am 6' 3" and 220 lbs. She is a little bit out in front, but not that much, too heavy to hold way out front! Medium spinning rod using 20 lb braided line casting a Salmo Hornet #6 with a single rear gamakatsu barbless. I had just caught two walleyes and then hooked into this. After I hooked her, she came out of the water and went on a few deep runs. I was speechless. After much fear of losing it, we landed her, took pictures and let her go on her way. This is why I love canoe fishing! Thanks for letting me share!
06/07/2011 11:30PM
quote bluescanoe: "Caught this monster June 1st on my first trip into Quetico. Biggest fish of my life! We measured 46" from the bottom jaw to the pinched tail. I am 6' 3" and 220 lbs. She is a little bit out in front, but not that much, too heavy to hold way out front! Medium spinning rod using 20 lb braided line casting a Salmo Hornet #6 with a single rear gamakatsu barbless. I had just caught two walleyes and then hooked into this. After I hooked her, she came out of the water and went on a few deep runs. I was speechless. After much fear of losing it, we landed her, took pictures and let her go on her way. This is why I love canoe fishing! Thanks for letting me share!
"
That is a fantastic fish, and also a great picture, you captured the beautiful color of the fish and also captured how excited you were, you should be very proud of that fish it is awesome .
" I want to know Gods thoughts , The rest are details " Albert Einstein. WWJD
06/08/2011 08:45AM
quote buz: "Tremendous, thanks for sharing, beautiful fish. Bet you were a little surprised the first time you saw how big it was.
Any guess on the weight?"
Thanks for all the support. I have shared it with lots of friends and family, but only my fellow canoeists really know what I went through to catch something like this.
Surprised? My whole life of fishing flashed through my mind, then it went blank. I was speechless. Then the ______, ________, _______ !!! phrases started coming. (use your creativity and create your own phrase. If you rehearse, you will be ready).
I really didn't give two fritos what happened the rest of the trip. I mostly sat in the stern and mingled fishing with talking smack to my buddies for three more days. My new focus the rest of trip was keeping my camera safe.
I have talked to a few replica makers, some very experienced with pike. Given the picture and the length measurement, they dismissed my 18 girth measurement as too small. James of Advanced Taxidermy in Toronto said it would look like a snake if it was 18" and that most people, even experienced guides, don't measure girth properly. He's done thousands of pike and he put my fish in the 22-24" proportional girth range. Did I measure in the wrong spot? Did I pull too tight? I frankly don't remember I was so jacked up about the fish. All this adds to the fish tale anyway. So, given these variables, and holding it, and my buddy's experience, and some estimate tables, we are estimating it was 35-38 lbs.
06/08/2011 09:24AM
Really, Really, Awesome Pike!!!
I've been fortunate enough to get three different pike that were 45", and the heaviest of them went 25 lbs. My 1st thought when I saw your picture is that this thing is significantly fatter than the ones I caught, and that she must be at least 30 lbs.
I only remember ever catching one pike that looked anything like yours with regard to girth. It was a 39" pike that went 22 lbs.
The picture is also excellent.... pretty clear that you were excited about that fish!
- Dave
I've been fortunate enough to get three different pike that were 45", and the heaviest of them went 25 lbs. My 1st thought when I saw your picture is that this thing is significantly fatter than the ones I caught, and that she must be at least 30 lbs.
I only remember ever catching one pike that looked anything like yours with regard to girth. It was a 39" pike that went 22 lbs.
The picture is also excellent.... pretty clear that you were excited about that fish!
- Dave
06/08/2011 10:21AM
quote The expression on your face is priceless. Maybe you could have a bust of your head made from this pic and place it under your mount:)"
LOL!! My wife would really like that in addition to the giant pig on the wall.
I couldn't help it! I have been fishing since I can remember. It was pure youthful joy! Every good fishing memory as a kid with my grandpa, dad and uncles and now as a dad with my own boys flooded in.
06/08/2011 01:41PM
Super fish!
Congrats on a great trip and great fish.
You are some lucky dude - to catch the ONLY big pike left in all of Quetico. As we all know - it's all fished out up there - nothing left! Just ask Fishguts. :)
Doubt you will be going back any time soon. :)
Agree it at least 30-35 lbs. The length is good for 25-28 lbs, but girth pushes it up 8-10 more.
Old Hoosier
Congrats on a great trip and great fish.
You are some lucky dude - to catch the ONLY big pike left in all of Quetico. As we all know - it's all fished out up there - nothing left! Just ask Fishguts. :)
Doubt you will be going back any time soon. :)
Agree it at least 30-35 lbs. The length is good for 25-28 lbs, but girth pushes it up 8-10 more.
Old Hoosier
06/08/2011 02:03PM
Thanks for sharing this!! I'm headed to crooked on Saturday and I'm already fired up but now.....
I'm glad you landed this one. Could you imagine the fish of a lifetime like this getting away? That pain just wouldn't go away I think. My biggest is a 43 I caught much farther north out of a motor boat. I can't imagine what that must have been like trying to get that thing into a canoe!! We're targeting smallies but I'll have my pike gear ready also!!
Congrats on a beautiful fish!!
I'm glad you landed this one. Could you imagine the fish of a lifetime like this getting away? That pain just wouldn't go away I think. My biggest is a 43 I caught much farther north out of a motor boat. I can't imagine what that must have been like trying to get that thing into a canoe!! We're targeting smallies but I'll have my pike gear ready also!!
Congrats on a beautiful fish!!
06/08/2011 03:56PM
yeah, i hear the q's fished out. that 'guts guy is right. which fished out lake did that monster come out of? thinking of avoiding it when i get up there, as that guy probably ate the few fish the remained:)
super pick. funny how we can all sort of feel your excitement.
super pick. funny how we can all sort of feel your excitement.
06/08/2011 04:09PM
quote golanibutch: " which fished out lake did that monster come out of?
I got confused while we were bushwhacking. Then I slipped and hit my head while I was dancing a jig on shore after I released it. Forgot my name for an hour or two. Foggy recollection at best... :-)
06/08/2011 04:58PM
Amazing fish. I'd have to agree on the girth thing. I've had trouble with that myself. I guess what makes it even more incredible is the single barbless hook. You had to keep the tension the entire time, even through the jumps. Beautiful colors. I love bdub colors for pike, walleyes and smallies. Just about everything is better in the bdub: The air, the food, the water, the colors, the smells, you name it. mmmmmmm. What a memory you just created.
Let me make a suggestion. Write yourself a story, be as detailed as possible, and send it to yourself in an email. You will forget some of the details over time, and it's nice to go back and read years later. You could even frame the story under the mount when you get it done.
Write about the weather, air temp, landscape features, where you tossed your line, how it felt at first, or what you saw when she hit, describe the runs, everything you can remember. When you re-read it years later, it will wake up your memory cells and be like you're sitting right there in that canoe again.
Let me make a suggestion. Write yourself a story, be as detailed as possible, and send it to yourself in an email. You will forget some of the details over time, and it's nice to go back and read years later. You could even frame the story under the mount when you get it done.
Write about the weather, air temp, landscape features, where you tossed your line, how it felt at first, or what you saw when she hit, describe the runs, everything you can remember. When you re-read it years later, it will wake up your memory cells and be like you're sitting right there in that canoe again.
06/08/2011 05:28PM
I haven't got any wall-space that the wife would give me in case of such a monster coming to visit. The least I would do, however, is to make the picture my computer desktop. When my brothers came for the holidays, the computer would keep mysteriously waking up.
Congrats.
Congrats.
The business of life is the acquisition of memories. In the end that's all there is. ___Mr Carson (Downton Abby)
06/08/2011 05:51PM
Wow.... !!!! If ever there was a Fish of the Year contest on this site that monster would probably take it. Would love to see a trip report complete with photos of that barbless lure, etc. And I hope we all get to see pics of the reproduction mount when you have that done.
Fantastic job, amazing fish, perfect photo. Thanks for sharing !!
Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents. It was loaned to you by your children. -- Native American Proverb
06/08/2011 06:29PM
Damn what a fish, I have dreamed of setting the hook on a beauty like that. Nice picture you should get a replica made of it. I know if I caught one as nice as that I'd have one on the wall.
JB
JB
You can't explain the obvious to the ignorant.
06/08/2011 08:59PM
Awesome pike! I have been looking for a big girl like that for a while. My biggest is 42".
Just by looking at your picture I would guess the girth at about 21-23 inches and the weight is more like 27-28 pounds. I have handled many muskies in that size range and my fall fish compare in girth to this - about 22" for chunky ones.
I recomend researching taxidermists before making a choice - there are many good ones out there and many average ones. Pick the best artist that you can afford - a graphite mount can last forever.
Just by looking at your picture I would guess the girth at about 21-23 inches and the weight is more like 27-28 pounds. I have handled many muskies in that size range and my fall fish compare in girth to this - about 22" for chunky ones.
I recomend researching taxidermists before making a choice - there are many good ones out there and many average ones. Pick the best artist that you can afford - a graphite mount can last forever.
06/08/2011 11:21PM
Would love to see a trip report complete with photos of that barbless lure
There it is in all its giant pike catching glory. A H6F Salmo Hornet in Hot Perch. That is a NERF dart for reference, if you are not familiar with the lure. Yes, it is only 2.5 inches long. That is a gamakatsu barbless treble in the rear. I would like to think it was skill, but I was just lucky that she never threw the lure. When we finally landed her, the lure was on its last hook in some very thin flesh. It popped right out when we got ahold of the fish.
06/09/2011 12:37PM
If you haven't already, don't forget to name her. When we catch a big fish we always give her a name like Bertha, Layla or Mabelene etc. I guess if you just refer to her as "the fish" everyone will know what your talking about.
All Rapalas that wander are not lost.
06/09/2011 01:56PM
Amazing fish. The fish by which all my future BW/Quetico fish will be judged. I tip my hat to you, and thanks for sharing. With a little luck, I can photoshop my face into that picture.
You cannot hope too much or dare too much. - R.W. Emerson
06/13/2011 10:27PM
Hell of a fish....great story, and best of all: still swimmin!
I had a 43-45" pike on for 3-4 minutes and lost it on that same day. Felt like I'd been punched in the gut for the rest of the day. Almost cried...seriously.
I'm glad that another C&R angler not too far away got to see the other side of the coin that same day! Awesome fish.
Tuna
I had a 43-45" pike on for 3-4 minutes and lost it on that same day. Felt like I'd been punched in the gut for the rest of the day. Almost cried...seriously.
I'm glad that another C&R angler not too far away got to see the other side of the coin that same day! Awesome fish.
Tuna
"If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there’d be a shortage of fishing poles." -Doug Larson
06/17/2011 09:46AM
Such an awesome fish and what a great story! I gotta be honest Blue Scanoe and say I just had to print this photo and show it to people here at work. That thing is truly a monster and catching it from a canoe makes it even better!
Did you have to go to the shore to land it or were you able to boat it?
Did you have to go to the shore to land it or were you able to boat it?
There is no Sin greater than Ignorance. ~ Rudyard Kipling
06/17/2011 10:50AM
quote boss_angler: "Did you have to go to the shore to land it or were you able to boat it?"
We paddled around with her to let her get a little tired first. I tried to get her on a boga grip, but no luck. My buddy in the stearn eventually grabbed her bottom jaw. Brief rodeo unsued, but he never let go! I then paddled us over to shore while he dipped her in the water. She never came in the canoe. Not with a head and teeth that big! Yes, my friends name is going on the replica mount somewhere and I owe him dinner!
Heck yea, show all your friends! I lost a day or two at work just showing off and telling the story.
07/03/2011 10:21PM
I forgot to mention that Im as proud of your accomplishment as any ive seen in fishing, because that is truly a spectacular trophy fish, and the fact that you released it gives me hope for the future of fishing,because that fish truly has superior genetics and hopefully will get to produce children that look just like her !
" I want to know Gods thoughts , The rest are details " Albert Einstein. WWJD
07/03/2011 11:20PM
Topics like this and the support people give others is why I enjoy coming to this site. Catching a fish like that has to be similar to hitting a hole in one to a golfer, neither of which I have yet to do. Congrats on the Pike!
How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?
03/27/2012 11:13AM
I read this again as I am getting prepped for this year's trip. Your comments make me laugh and get totally excited for another year. The mount (replica) is in the works and I will post pics when it is done. I think I am going to print off this thread and place it hidden in a scroll behind the mount. Thank you for enhancing the experience!
Good luck to all this year!
Good luck to all this year!
03/28/2012 11:36AM
I have this as my desk top background at work...everybody say WOW! What a fish...who is that? I just say "I don't know, but yeah what a fish!"
Congrats, this is a perfect example of why a picture is worth a thousand words. Great fish and great photo!
Congrats, this is a perfect example of why a picture is worth a thousand words. Great fish and great photo!
05/15/2012 08:20PM
quote Ohiopikeman: "Bluescanoe,If theres a better fish picture I havent seen it, great fish and great reaction .
I was reading my copy of the Boundary Waters Journal when I flipped the page and came face-to-face with you and your monster pike! That picture is just as stunning the 2nd time around as the first!!
- Dave"
" I want to know Gods thoughts , The rest are details " Albert Einstein. WWJD
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