Pike after dark.

[andrew chadwick]

I have been ice fishing for 16 years, and I had never caught a pike after dark until yesterday, when I tagged into a 33.5 inch pike while fishing crappies at 7pm.

It had two horrible injuries which the fish had began to recover from which were clearly from spears.

(one reason I disagree with the sport) One wound was right behind the head and had pretty badly messed up the gill plate, the other was halfway to the tail, and I could clearly see where 3 tines had hit the fish.

she was released to be caught some other day, hopefully by an angler who will CPR her as well.

My question is has any one else here caught pike after dark? I had never heard of this happening, and while reeling it up I was sort of suprised to find a pike instead of a very large walleye.

[jwhjr]

I haven't ever caught one after dark, but I bet it was a nice surprise. Good to hear that it was recovering from its injuries.

[minnbowhunter]

Several years ago I caught a pike in the middle of the night on a rattle reel we had set on the bottom for "eyes". It was on Big Marine and my brother who fished the lake alot more than I did has caught several after dark but only on Marine.

[Tim L]

1st one was about 15 years ago on South Center about Midnight fishing for eyes on a tip-up nice 12 lb Pike then got another one on coon about 5 years ago fishing for crappies,

[Traxxx]

My buddy caught a 32" on Red two nights ago, on a jigging spoon. I caught one about the same size a couple years ago, on a spoon. I think rattle in the spoon is enough for them to hone in on if they are close enough.

[sticknstring]

Interesting post... I just had the same experience a few nights ago on a wright county lake. I was fishing walleyes and at 7:45 I saw a mark on the vex and down went the cork... "finally a walleye" I said - it had been slow. Up comes about a 2 lb slimer instead. First one I've ever caught after dark.

[gopher_nation]

I've gotten two after dark this year, kind of upsets you when you think it's a walleye on the flasher.

[JigginIsLife]

I had done this for the first time this year as well, but the funny thing is, is that none of them take it like a snot rocket, its always really really slow, almost like a big eye bite. gets you all excited just to pull up a big ole slimer... waste of time, fun fight though.

[Random guy]

It is very common on Upper Red lake in the winter, NEVER in the summer. We normaly have at least one group every couple weeks get a big one in the middle of the night. Seldom small pike, normaly 36" and up.

I can only imagine the nightmare when you wake up to find 8-12 rattle reels tangled up and spinning at mach 4.

[sjburnt]

.

[fishcast]

I've caught a medium size northern on a rattle trap after dark but just the one. But I have heard people claim they catch big pike on certain lakes after dark, and the lakes they are on are ultra clear though.

[bradyd]

My uncle has a 46'' pike on his wall that he caught in the dark from Mille Lacs.

[SM1]

I have also caught many pike through the ice at night. Almost all of them have came while on the red river.