Biggest Pike.....

[cjac]

Hey all,

Lots of muskie talk, but lets not forget the beloved pike!! So,lets hear it, what's your biggest pike?

My biggest is a 46' from Lake Utik, upper parts of Manitoba, Canada. Goes all the way back to 1991...... Chartruese 1oz Daredevil with 7 pink dots. Ambassedeur 521 reel on a 6'rod....boy I'm dating myself!

Minnesota: Little lake up north of Brainerd, pushing 40', caught on a 1oz Johnson Silver Minnow.

Let's hear 'em!

[Quackaddict9]

40" on Grace Lake with a brown/tan/yellow harrasser bucktail in May 2005

42" on Upper Red Lake walleye fishing with a 1/4 oz jighead rigged on a salty berkley grub when the walleyes reopened on URL.

[b1gf1sh1]

St. Croix river, last year, october. 40'' on the button, full of shad(i'm assuming) it was a 6 or 8 lb. flouro leader i think 6, on a silver/black #9 rapala Husky j e r k. 6' 3'' Shimano Crucial, medium power/extra fast spinning rod, with a Shimano Spirex RE with fightin' drag. swimming release with water splashed in my face from tail... priceless!!! i was going for walleye but knew the area has large pike as i get them there in the 30 - 38'' range regularly. 38'' was my best before. same fish twice one week apart. got the 40'' within ten feet of where i got that 38''er the first time. was about three years ago i got that 38 so mabe i got her 3 times??? who knows,

[fishcast]

Biggest is 32", caught trolling a deep diving crankbait, banging the bottom along a deep weedline on the Gull Lake Chain. Also caught a 29" that night, and my grandpa lost one about 35" as we tried to net it. Cool thing was the summer after that my grandpas neighbors kid who was about 7 years old caught a 40 incher trolling a crankbait.

But the biggest I have seen have been sight fishing through the ice, some monster northerns for around where I was, but haven't been able to get those big ones to open there mouths yet.

[MuskieSlayer]

The longest pike I've caught was about 41" on Mille Lacs while fishing muskie, but it was really skinny (prop wounds). I've caught quite a few around the 40" mark that were healthier and bigger than the 41 incher. I've heard they really like Mantas.

[PikeKing]

My two biggest were caught about and hour apart on Leech lake in 95. The first was 40 and the second 42. Funny thing was that though we had no scale it was easy to tell the 40 far outweighed the 42. They were both caught on a copper red eye wiggler on one of the craziest weather days i have ever seen. It was mid/late August. Severe thunderstorms rolled through just about at day break. That lasted for about an hour or so. They rest of the day was cold, very windy and rained like [PoorWordUsage], you could hear thunder clapping int the distance all day long. The high was about 45. We almost didnt even go out that day, easy to say im glad we braved it. It was by far the best day fishing ive had in my life.

[jwhjr]

39" 7 or 8 yrs ago ice fishing up in the Crosby area. That one was fun to pull in on 2lb test. Luckily I had plenty of witnesses, as the pics didn't end up turning out...

[SJonesi]

I don't know what was going on in 2006, but it was the best season for big pike I/we've ever had. I had 12 over 40" in the boat , the largest being 44" with a "nub"(rubbed raw)tail. All were caught on Mille Lacs while muskie fishing, and they all ate big blades and big rubber.A couple were caught at night too. Very strange.A buddy caught a 42" on a Hog Wobbler(slow moving topwater) at 2AM!!!! Apparently, the fish STILL can't read the rulebook. Steve

"When everyone else zigs, it's time to zag"-Ron Lindner

[MuskieMojoTackle]

I've got 2 at 42" on tipups.

Biggest is 43" from Mille Lacs on a Dawg

[polarsusd81]

I had the fortune of fishing on a Gravel Pit that was accross the street from my dad's old place. We did very well there fishing for pike. One day when I was a junior in High School, a buddy and I were out there fishing pike (the day I burnt up my citica). It was late October right before ice up and we knew they would be stacked up on the edge of a shelf out there. The water was crystal clear, you could see bottom in 30 during the winter. We were casting big rapalas and suicks just past the edge of the shelf and slowly pulling them right over and up on the shelf and we would see them come up like a submarine. In three hours out there, we caught 30 fish from 34-44" and I missed one that would have been close to 46-48. It was the best day of piking we ever had. Unfortunately, it was a really cloudy day and the disposable camera we had with us had low speed film and none of our photos turned out.

I located the big pike in the pond fishing for the tiny panfish that called it home. One day in the summer I was reeling in a small gill from some timber along the shoreline and a huge pike came up and inhaled it hole and bit me off right at my feet. To say I was trembling with delight would be an understatement. There were millions of 2-3" bluegills and 3-4" crappies in there. I was also able to catch a bass that went 5 lbs and a crappie that was 14" long out of this pond. I loved it. The only problem I have is getting access to the place anymore as it is all private land surrounding it now.

We got some rod breakers through the ice out there too, tons of fun had when growing up there.

[RK]

Hiya -

51-1/4", from the Innoko River in Alaska, 1996. Probably won't ever see one bigger. Also probably the only fish I ever have or will measure to the quarter inch...

The Innoko is a tributary of the Yukon that runs into the Yukon at Holy Cross. I guided there for the summer in '96. Most spectacular pike fishing I'll probably ever have. We averaged 7-10 a day over 40 inches. If I had decent fishermen in the boat and the fish were going, doubling that wasn't unusual. Best day I had was with four fly fishermen - one of the guides was sick so I ferried his guys to a nearby backwater off the river and had them wade. I stood on the bank watched them catch 41 over 40 inches that they measured, and there were probably a bunch more that were 40 that they just unhooked and let go. Set 3 line class records, one guy broke not one but two Sage fly rods when hooked fish ran between his legs, and one dude who has a medical condition that made him pee about every 10 minutes actually peed in his waders rather than stop fishing long enough to get out of the water and pull down his chest waders... (that's hard core...)

For the season, we caught 11 over 50 inches. I had two of them - 50, and 51-1/4.

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[BigWadeS]

 Originally Posted By: b1gf1sh1

St. Croix river, last year, october. knew the area has large pike as i get them there in the 30 - 38'' range regularly.

b1gfsh1 -- I would like to find out a general area (if you don't mind sharing) where you find pike on the Croix, I have found every other species but them. [YouNeedAuthorization]@yahoo.com if you would rather email me.

My biggest is 32" caught 2006 opener on Many Point Lake...black and gray #7 shad rap trolling for eyes...

[PDXFisher]

 Originally Posted By: RK

51-1/4", from the Innoko River in Alaska, 1996. Probably won't ever see one bigger. Also probably the only fish I ever have or will measure to the quarter inch...

The Innoko is a tributary of the Yukon that runs into the Yukon at Holy Cross. I guided there for the summer in '96. Most spectacular pike fishing I'll probably ever have.

Whoah. I've actually been looking into Pike fishing in Alaska, but seem to get the impression that all the car-accessible places have been fished out. The sizes of the fish in the pictures on the guide websites are less impressive than what I've caught in MN and Calgary. I had pretty much given up and assumed I'd be doing Salmon on the fly instead. Innoko looks to be pretty far away from everything, flyin and dropoff, I assume? Is it still supposed to be great fishing? Any other places in Alaska you can recommend? Gotta use those Alaska Airline miles somehow...

OK, wow. Just read about the Midnight Sun houseboat out there. 50" Pike all over the place, huh? I think I will wait to see what the economy does...

Thanks Rob!

[Hammer Handle]

As a kid, I caught one that was 14 pounds. We didn't go by length then, just weight. As a 13-year-old, I was pretty proud.

Since then, 42 inches (not counted fishing is Canada).

I saw one last year spearing in the winter that could have topped that. I tried to angle it, but it wouldn't bite. Still trying to catch him in the summer....

[Tippman]

An honest 46" fishing out of a canoe in the Boundary Waters. Had to paddle to shore to land it then used the fishing rod to measure. Didn't know the length until we got back to town a few days later and put a tape on the mark.

[BoxMN]

Mine is small, but considering it is almost in St. Paul City waters is it okay. Got a 38" out of Gervais about 10 years ago. Maybe she is still there?... probably not though...

[Murdock]

41 1/2 inch toothy critter that was far from starving, caught on a 7 foot IM7 Ultra lite with 4 pound test mono while crappie fishing. Saw several pike chase the crappie around but didn't see this tank hit it until 5+ minutes into the fight. Took a little over 10 minutes to land, admire and slip back into the water to swim another day. Unfortunately no camera, only two wittnesses sitting in their shore line lawn chairs cheering.

[ANYFISH]

41 1/4" (only 16# 9 Oz)caught on Basswood Lake last march.

The story goes, we move a tip up shallow and for an hour we had it go up 6 or 7 times and just could not hook up with any. Finally we decided that we would run to it instead of walking so to set the hook before they dropped it. The flag goes up I run to it, as I get within 20 ft or so I slow down, I could honestly hear the buzz of the T spinning and the tip-up looked to be floating in the air, the fastest I have ever seen a fish run! I kneel down, pick up the tip-up, and grab the line, set the hook (more the fish set it's self). I drop the tip-up and the line comes off the tip-up I had only approx. 8" of line left on the tip-up, boy was I glad I ran to that flag. just to make a short story long, I had set my personal best earlier that day with a 36" that weighted 14# 12oz.

[RK]

Hey PDX

A lot of the stuff around Anchorage was pretty beat down even back when I was there. Imagine it's worse now. Pike aren't exactly high value fish up there. The place I worked for in Alaska was actually run off a houseboat. So you flew in and stayed on the boat. Can't have a land-based lodge because all the land is Indian Corporation land. From there we fished out of flat bottomed river boats. If you search online for Innoko River pike, you'll come across the place I worked for. There are a couple other guides that work the area I think - fish off the floats kind of deal with a float plane. Wouldn't be my favorite.

Another area is the Kayuh Flats area further inland. Only went there a little bit, but the fishing's tremendous there too. Middle of bloody nowhere though.

Hope that helps...

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[Random guy]

 Originally Posted By: Hammer Handle

As a kid, I caught one that was 14 pounds. We didn't go by length then, just weight.

Same here. Growing up we used to wade for pike just about every day after chores. I remember one fish caught on a orange floating Rapala that was the newest and coolest thing to hit Waskish and it was to long for me to carry by myself at 15 and floored the 20lb scale. I will never know how it would measure but it scared me bad enough I had a hard time getting back in the water.

As for documeted I dinged a long 46" out of Red and a super fat 43" out of a gravel pit pond. Went in looking for stocked bluegills and found what had to have been a stocked pike. That one also scared the heck out of me. Wasn't ready for that monster on the take down rod.

[cjac]

Ummmm.....let's not forget Shamu/Orca/Moby Dick/Godzilla/Aircraft Carrier over to the left in your avatar photo either!

[b1gf1sh1]

i have problems giving people specifics because i'm almost exclusively CPR. and i need to know someone first.i might keep a small walleye up to 19-20 inches or a few crappie mabe a few more if loved one's want fish dinner, or breakfast . but i'm willing to give general guide lines to look for. shorelines, inside bays, weeds in 5 - 8 feet of water,sand bars, humps, underwater island, dropoffs, coldwater springs on hot days, smack dab inside and off the strongest current you can find, dropoffs, troll the main channel, large slow water flats full of baitfish especially with structure and/or bottom transitions, around islands, rock ledges, where you are catching small smallmouth bass. theres more but this will fill your year up. basicly that river is full of pike. i do best with small to medium baits. i mentioned the husky j e r k. thats about as small and skinny as you want, got them on crappie minnows, mainly i stay about as big as a medium sucker minnow, like a 7'' swim whizz, mabe a 6'' believer. that type. or small to medium bucktails, like about the size of a showgirl is as big as i go. spoons produce if you know how to fish them. you know... no spinning all wonderful wobble. and of course spinner baits. spinnerbaits tied with angora rabbit fur are by far my hottest pike bait. breaths as big and deep as Lonnie Anderson. well i hope this helps.

[cjac]

 Quote:

mabe a 6'' believer.

You just spilled the beans! That is a great bait! Great post, good info, thanks! Regarding the Rap Husky j e r k s .....look at how many big pike and muskies are caught during the Fall by guys trolling for eyes. In short, a LOT!

[Random guy]

 Originally Posted By: cjac

Ummmm.....let's not forget Shamu/Orca/Moby Dick/Godzilla/Aircraft Carrier over to the left in your avatar photo either!

Ah that was just the perfect camera angle by accident. I just about dropped the fish from a horizontal hold (yes I am bad)and the shooter snapped the photo just as I was trying to keep the fish off the floor. That is why my mouth is in mid curse.

[MNMUSKIES]

My biggest came from Little Boy it was 33 inches. I caught in on a hi-fin fooler perch color. I caught it last fall.