Last January I was at the dam in Gays Mills throwing around some spoons trying to get a pike to come and play and I saw the most awe inspiring thing I have ever seen while pike fishing.
The carp typically school up below the first dam on the Kickapoo River every winter. This right in my hometown of Gays Mills. These schooling carp have an interesting secondary effect. The smaller carp attract the big predators like pike.
Getting back to casting my little cleo for a wayward pike. I was there about ten minutes. The carp were schooled up in the open water just below the dam like usual. There had to be 300-400 carp schooled there. There was every size imaginable carp there. I typically work the edges of the carp to get a pike to play.
Then it happened. The water is typically really clear there and I can see down a good eight feet. The carp all parted quickly. It was like the Red Seas being parted in the bible. The only difference was there was no bearded guy with a long staff parting the carp. There was an enormous pike parting the school of carp with a smallish carp sideways in its mouth. I swear I couple hear the jaws tune playing. My biggest pike to date is 41 inches. This pike had that one by about 6 inches or so. It was so wide across the head I was left with my knees shaking. I guess the monster at 48 inches and 30 pounds. She did not come back that day. This one did.
Not a monster but it did keep me pacified until my next planned trip.
I went again about two weeks later and landed this one.
Season closed and I had to wait until May.
May season opened on the 4th and the water was high and dirty. Not many people went to the dam to fish because of it.
The Wednesday after the opener the water was down and a little cleaner.So I decided it was time to try the HUGE pike. I had gone to Cabelas during the closed season and stocked up on lures I thought the monster would like.
I had new 30 pound power pro on my Shimano 4000 reel and inspected my Falcon medium heavy spinning rod and was ready to dance with the big girl.
My second cast in to the dam area was rewarded with a follow by the resident monster. She looked like a mini submarine turning at shore. I threw right back in there and my lure was freight trained. It was a relativity short battle. I caught this 38 incher. It still boggles my mind that I was actually disappointed in a 38 inch pike. No more takers that day.
Mother's Day was last Sunday and I was in my hometown so I broke away from the family and went to the Kickapoo to try again. I cast and cast for almost 2 hours. I changed lures at least 20 times during those two hours. I told myself it was my last cast and I looked in my box and put on a bass lure with a white and chartreuse skirt. I was just to lift it out of the water and there she came. She hammered the lure and the one hooked lure just bounced off her armor plated mouth and swam away. No more hits after another hour of casting.
I took my daughter to school Monday morning and then drove the 32 miles to Gays Mills to try to catch the monster of the Gays Mills dam. Ten casts in my lure was slammed by a fish. This fish ran off lots of drag and it had me excited for a while. Five minutes later I landed her. It was not her. It was another nice pike but only a lowly 34 incher. No more hits after two more hours of casting.
I just got back from the dam. I casted from first light to about 8:45am. There were no hits. The weather is supposed to get really warm the next few days and cool down a little on Thursday. I plan a return trip on Thursday.
Chess Match With Huge Pike
-
- 500 Club
- Posts: 1154
- Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2010 11:10 am
- Status: Offline
- Stanley
- Honorary Moderator
- Posts: 18734
- Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2011 4:18 am
- Facebook: None
- Location: Iowa
- Status: Offline
Re: Chess Match With Huge Pike
Looks like you won the end game in that chess match.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
-
- Posts: 2123
- Joined: Wed Jun 16, 2010 2:29 pm
- Location: SW Michigan
- Status: Offline
Re: Chess Match With Huge Pike
Keep at her Len. That would be sweet if you landed her.
Did t realize there were other esox junkies on here.
Been getting the boat ready for a fishing trip up north in a couple weeks. I'll be sure to post some pics.
[ Post made via iPhone ]
Did t realize there were other esox junkies on here.
Been getting the boat ready for a fishing trip up north in a couple weeks. I'll be sure to post some pics.
[ Post made via iPhone ]
hard work trumps talent, when talent fails to work hard
- xpauliber
- 500 Club
- Posts: 1727
- Joined: Fri May 20, 2011 4:41 am
- Location: Central PA
- Status: Offline
Re: Chess Match With Huge Pike
Looking good! I love stories about giant fish sightings. It's just knowing that something like that is out there that keeps me casting.
- Dhurtubise
- 500 Club
- Posts: 1271
- Joined: Thu Mar 28, 2013 12:47 am
- Facebook: dhurtubise
- Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario
- Status: Offline
Re: Chess Match With Huge Pike
Looks like you're doing very well for yourself. I suspect all of those fish are real lunkers in your parts. They'd be good fish up here too. I'm surprised to see quality pike fishing like that in what I assume is fairly pressured waters. Nice to see the progression of the beard as well. That big one, if he makes 30 lbs is a true giant. I've only seen one like that landed in my boat. You usually have to get through a bunch of 25s before even smelling one of those.
I don't know what the temperature of the water is where you live but if it's below 58F, I would slow down my presentation with large plastics (10 inch swim baits) or even better a quick strike rig with a dead smelt on the bottom. Casting spoons here in my neck of the woods only becomes effective on the big boys after the water warms up a little. You can cast your spoons through schools of 50 to a hundred large pike (10-30lbs) in some of the bays I fish, but they will never hit when the water is too cold. We switch to a large reaper, or giant plastic worm or swimbaits and work them real slow - moderately slow and we start nailing them like crazy. It's the difference between nothing and bonanza squared.
Another thing, the biggest fish always spawn first. First ones in the bays and first ones out. In your case, they're following food, so it might be a little different, but usually, it's the same principle for that too. First ones in on the action. Your spawning might be done down south as well? I don't know. But ours is just starting
Good luck and Congrats!
Daniel.
I don't know what the temperature of the water is where you live but if it's below 58F, I would slow down my presentation with large plastics (10 inch swim baits) or even better a quick strike rig with a dead smelt on the bottom. Casting spoons here in my neck of the woods only becomes effective on the big boys after the water warms up a little. You can cast your spoons through schools of 50 to a hundred large pike (10-30lbs) in some of the bays I fish, but they will never hit when the water is too cold. We switch to a large reaper, or giant plastic worm or swimbaits and work them real slow - moderately slow and we start nailing them like crazy. It's the difference between nothing and bonanza squared.
Another thing, the biggest fish always spawn first. First ones in the bays and first ones out. In your case, they're following food, so it might be a little different, but usually, it's the same principle for that too. First ones in on the action. Your spawning might be done down south as well? I don't know. But ours is just starting
Good luck and Congrats!
Daniel.
-
- Posts: 5586
- Joined: Tue Aug 31, 2010 12:35 am
- Location: Appleton WI
- Status: Offline
Re: Chess Match With Huge Pike
You're better off catching TRUE gators through the ice
Unless you are fishing LOTW or Upper GB/Michigan I doubt you saw a fish anywhere near 30lbs
Last GATOR posted was 46" and 26lbs FYI.
Unless you are fishing LOTW or Upper GB/Michigan I doubt you saw a fish anywhere near 30lbs
Last GATOR posted was 46" and 26lbs FYI.
"When a hunter is in a tree stand with high moral values, with the proper hunting ethics and richer for the experience, that hunter is 20 feet closer to God." Fred Bear
-
- Site Owner
- Posts: 41642
- Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:11 am
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HuntingBeast/?ref=bookmarks
- Location: S.E. Wisconsin
- Contact:
- Status: Offline
Re: Chess Match With Huge Pike
When I was a kid my Dad caught a 49 incher in the rock river near Hustisford Wisconsin. You don't see to many monsters in Wisconsin any more. You really gotta work for them.
-
- Posts: 2123
- Joined: Wed Jun 16, 2010 2:29 pm
- Location: SW Michigan
- Status: Offline
Re: Chess Match With Huge Pike
Bucky wrote:You're better off catching TRUE gators through the ice
Unless you are fishing LOTW or Upper GB/Michigan I doubt you saw a fish anywhere near 30lbs
Last GATOR posted was 46" and 26lbs FYI.
Holy crap Bucky! Where in the world do you live? Or are you in Canada? I have been dreaming of landing giant gators like those.
Ever have an opening in your trips?
[ Post made via iPhone ]
hard work trumps talent, when talent fails to work hard
-
- Advertisement
Return to “Game fish, pan fish, and general fishing talk”
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 34 guests