Gigantic Pike

[MJBo]

I've looked long and hard at that photo and I'd bet my boat its the real deal. The stomach bulge would be hard to make look that natural. The tail, gill and head structure all look perfectly normal. Only two strange things about that pic. 1) theres a pike the size of a baby elephant and 2) that lucky european didn't immediately die of a heart attack.

[onemagnum]

According to another HSOforum, the fish was caught in Holland.

[onemagnum]

According to another HSOforum, the fish was caught in Holland.

[MNBIGBEAR]

Heres one I found that is supposedly the new netherlands record. I couldnt find any dimensions on it though. Huge fish. (Notice the "double" gill plate on this one too)

[Random guy]

Very well could be a pike from across the big pond. The gill plates are correct, larger pike will have a more defined cheek plate. The tail does look a little messed up but you will see that in fish that spend alot of time in changing currents on big waters with wave induced current. They get pushed back and in the water and the soft tissue on the tail can become damaged from this motion.

What really makes me think it is a UK pike is the color and the lima beans. See how far down onto the belly the beans go? Uk pike tend to have color lower on the body then our US fish. Also the fin coloring in more of a tan with molted brown instead of our dark brown/red with black molted in like we have.

...and as Muskie Mojo stated way to many Salmo lures for a American boat. We buy one or two and never make that mistake again, the boys overseas love those things.

I would not be surprised to see this was a real fish, I have seen pics of HUGE pike they catch out of these little canals that criss cross the country side on that corner of the world.

[MuskieMojoTackle]

If that thing is 54", which it certainly appears to be all of, I gotta think it would go more than 44lb. It has a serious eating disorder...oink, oink

[i got carps]

Thats what I was thinking... More like 54 lbs.

[dudeofpurple]

If you look at the seat you see the "S" there. the boat is a smokercraft they do not sell those in europe.

[MuskieMojoTackle]

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If you look at the seat you see the "S" there. the boat is a smokercraft they do not sell those in europe.

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Lots of "American" boats being fished out of in Europe...Ranger, Nitro, Triton, etc

[Random guy]

Europe makes great lures and some pretty good line but they truly lack in the boat/electronics department. Most of the small angling boats 20'-14' are imported from the states or Canada.

[Morquinn23]

I sat at the computer last night with a freshwater fish book and the picture up on the screen, and looked at the fish that was caught, with pictures in the book, and the fins didnt really match a northern pike, and looked kind of like a hybrid muskie(the fins that is), but than again, any picture could be off im sure. World record is in Germany, right, at like 55lbs?

[MuskieMojoTackle]

Pike and Hybrid muskies will have the same fins, as the Tiger is a pike/muskie hybrid. A pure strain muskie will have different fins (at least in the tail) from both.

[blakjack23]

Here's one of those Euro pike almost taking some dudes hand off.....

[redneckid951]

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What do you guys think?

Does that 'pike' have 2 gill covers on this side of it?

Still looks like a photoshop job to me between a pike & an alligator gar.

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Anybody knowing what they're doing in photoshop could make it look as real as they want, and you could NOT tell the difference!!!! I uploaded the photo, zoomed it into focus in photoshop and there is nothing fake looking about it for my eyes to be able to detect.

[toonfish]

I posted this in the Photo Sharing section also, but doesn't the back dorsal fin look more triangular than most Pike pics you have seen....Isn't it usually more rounded. Or does it get more triangular if it is flared? The top fin just looks different (triangular) from most pike I have seen.

[BigWadeS]

That was/is a great video feed

[shogun]

I know for a fact this fish is real. This pic was sent to me by an honest friend (who is friends with the guy in the photo) before it ever appeared on this site. Hard to believe, just shy of the state record huh?

[toonfish]

OK maybe I am wrong, I did see some other pics and maybe it does depend on how the fin flared at the time.

[Muskie-searcher]

I believe the fish is real, but it looks like a Prior Lake pike to me. I am guessing it was just super-imposed to keep the likes of toonfish from wasting all of their time trolling Salmo baits on the said Metro Lake.

[toonfish]

M. Searcher.....Get back to work, You need to make some cash to replace all the lures your co-worker puts in the trees....Hey when I come up next are we going to fish that one spot that Nick likes???

[MJBo]

Where was it caught? I believe its real too but I wanna knoe where.

[Cooter]

Check out the ad for Ace baits, dubbed the #1 lure in Europe. The pike pictured there is very similar to this one, same almost double looking gill plate, and coloration. Must be Euro. I think the guy looks European as well - like a Hans or Greuber(with an umlaut!)

[Spork]

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I remember seeing the photo somewhere, maybe a few years back in email or maybe one afternoon while board off my arse at work and browsing the internet, and something is telling me that thing is was caught in Europe.

Anyway I believe that fish is from Rainy Lake like I believe the fish below is from LOTW/Rainy River like the email I recieved told me it was. After having done a little research I discovered that the Sturgeon was caught in British Columbia on the Fraser river and is actually VERY REAL, now that would be fun.

RU

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I finally received that email today regarding both fish. It was only a matter of time...

[mitch]

I don't think this fish has a double gill plate. If you look at a pic of any other nothern it has that ridge too. The one on this fish is just more pronounced.