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!

WOW. Congrats man, that's the fish of a lifetime.

WOW!! GREAT Fish, congrats!! and beautiful pic. I see a fiberglas cast in your future, and thanks for releasing the fish, great genetics need to stay in the water.

Awesome fish, congrats!

Great fish, congratulations!!! Thanks for sharing.

Now that's a big fish!

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 .

Wow, what a monster!

46" and FAT!! congrats!!!!

Hats off to you! That is one to remember for a long time.

Wow, that is one big slimer! Congrats, I really like the color on that fish. Save your pennies, a replica might look nice in the man cave.

NICE!!!! Congrats.

That's a beast of a fish and an awesome pic! Congrats!!!

MagicStik

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?

VERY NICE!!!

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.

Great catch! I think I would need some fresh shorts after a catch that big!

HUGE FISH!!!! Don't think you will see another like it, that is one to tell the grand kids about.

That is a beautiful fish. Most of the real big Northern I have seen up there are kind of discolored and beat up. That monster looks like a fish should. Congrats, Wow!

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

That is what I am looking for on this next trip. OH boy, I would be dancing a jig and singing danny boy. Great catch.

Congrats on a fish of a lifetime, or three. WOW, Good job to a good fisherman!

Awesome, awesome fish!

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:)

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.

Great catch!!

Congrats! That is one healthy, beautiful looking fish! What colors!!

awesome!!!

A true trophy! Congrats!!!

Very nice BC. You make a good point about catching it in a canoe.

Good God Gertie, look at the size of that one!! Nicely done man, a true memmory for you and yours! Cheers.

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

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!!

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.

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... :-)

That is a really nice fish. Congrats.

T

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.

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.

Wow what a catch and now that you released it maybe it will be lurking next year,just a little bit bigger. It looked it very good condition.

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 !!

Nice fish.

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

im speechless just viewing the photo. incredible catch!

What a dandy!

I honest-to-God got tears in my eyes just now looking at that beast.

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.

WOW!! That is one huge fish!


But pike are normally greenish in color but, yours seems to be almost brown, like a muskie.

Hey, what do I know I'm just an amateur.

Simply stunning! The joy on your face is incredible!! Congrats.

makes me not want to take a swim.....ever

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.

I wont even land a 24 inch pike in a canoe, I pull over. I can't imagine landing that beast. NICE FISH

Amazing, a 2 1/2" lure! When I go Muskie fishing I throw mostly 10"-12" baits and catch mostly 18"-24" Pike, what size won't those fish eat?

Beautiful fish man!

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.

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.

Nice fish man!

Now that is the reason I typicslly just dont go for a swim in lakes......

Awesome, repeat, repeat. Very happy for you and the ones who shared your joy. Cheers

Awesome photo and fish! I knew your fish story was true when we met up and that grin would not go away. Never saw whiter teeth at 40 yards.

Great day of fishin and a trip to remember!

Congratulations on a beautiful fish. If a fish like that don't make your hands shake and your knees knock there is no hope for you!

Now that's a Pike, Mate.

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

Nice fish

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?

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.

Wow! Very nice.
Boppa

Wow! What a fish! Man would love to catch a monster like that!

beautiful fish-nice job-what a thrill

Let me add "nice fish" too!

jealous. and thanks for releasing it.

landing a big gator like that out of a canoe! thats like winning the masters in golf. thanks for sharing

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 !

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!

That fish makes me nervous about swimming.....

Anyway - Holy proud lifetime memories!!!! That picture must be framed.

quote vickieh69: "Now that is the reason I typicslly just dont go for a swim in lakes......"

You and me both!! LOL

Congrats!! that is a huge monster of a fish. Beautiful!

Holy Cow! Count your toes when you go swim'in with fish like that around!

Great fish - congrats. I'm very happy to hear she is still swimming.

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!

So cool!! I can't even begin to imagine the fight that you had with that Pike in a conoe! Incredible!

Nice job, I think that pic and story was in the latest BWJ. Congrats

Wow - fish of a life time! Extra special out of a canoe in the bdub...

great fish great story i caught a 44 inch pike in 08 and another in 09 in the exact same spot not sure if it was the same fish but i had the same lure as well. those were my biggest ever.

Awesome fish!!!

Wow, glad this came to the top again - what an awusome fish

"I think we need a bigger boat"

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!

Gotta love modern, digital cameras.
Very nice fish.

Bluescanoe,

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

quote Ohiopikeman: "Bluescanoe,


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"

If theres a better fish picture I havent seen it, great fish and great reaction .

That is incredible. Definitely get a mount for the wall!

I do love that pic! Thanks for the bump.