This close to PB pike..(pic)

First of all, lip readers be aware that this may be a graphic picture!
 
Hit the river this morning for a couple of frustrating hours. I had at least 6 solid strikes without a hook up. WTF !!! It seemed like every pike would take a huge strike at the spinner bait and never really commit to it.
 
Then I finally hooked up with a monster! This fight was the longest ever for me with a pike. There was at least 3 times I had it near the kayak when it took a run accross the river and one time almost spooled me.
 
After a ten minute battle, I had him close to the kayak and tried to grab it behind the head, and there was no way my hands would reach around with one hand to land it. I tried to grab the spinner bait and lift it (which I knew was going to be a mistake) but as I grabbed the spinner bait, I saw that after the long fight, the hook was just holding on to a small piece of skin, in the mouth.
 
Needless to say, as I went to lift the pike, the hook came out and the fish was free before a good picture.
 
I am estimating this fish at close to 46 inches and about 25 lbs. A real river monster!
 
Here are a couple of pictures. The first one is when I had it to the kayak for the third time and it took a nasty run accross the river, with me trying to hold on.
 
The second picture is how close I came to a good picture of my PB. Only about 2/3rds of the fish is pictured in the water. You can see me holding the spinner bait that was in his mouth about 2 seconds before the picture was taken.  The pain on my face in the second picture shows the disbelief that it got off.
 
Happy fathers day to all !!!!






Danny V

Norherns are such a blast-especially from a yak!
I used to fly fish for them while I lived  in Minnesota. And getting dragged around by 40" plus fish was pretty close to catching saltwater fish too.

Gonna happen at times. Still, sounds like a thrilla. WTG.

Sorry about your loss fish Danny but I know you'll catch a PB Pike soon or later (hopefully soon)    Thanks for the report and pictures.

Absolutely Precious!!!!

Far as I'm concerned, it counts as caught Danny!!!

BTW for those who don't know Dan, he's a Loooong time yak fisher and good buddy, part of the 2010 Modelo Memorial La Paz trip....I'll poke around and find a couple shots that Prove Danny can get a fish onboard.

Allen

Looks like a case of "oh, FFFFFFFFFFFFudge"

bummer on the loss, but from the pic it is easy to tell it was a monster.

WOW!! Nice exciting report. That northern looked like a beast too!

Here's a couple I stole from Dan.....I got the Baja ones at home:

Bushy ... that first shot is of Joey, not Danny.

-Allen

Ya, you definitely get credit for hooking a monster. That is a great action shot...except for the part where it got away, but that's what keeps us coming back again and again. It's just fuel for the fire.

Congrats on even hooking into an amazing fish like that and thanks for sharing the moment. Better luck next time.

-FF

Bushy ... that first shot is of Joey, not Danny.

-Allen

thought he looked kinda fat....

thought he looked kinda fat....

 

-FF

Great report! You do have a pic, maybe not one with you holding it. You caught that fish!!!

Thanks guys and thank you Bushy for the kind words!   I hit the river again yesterday after noon for a couple of hours,  trying to find that big one again.  After a few good strikes without a hook up,  I hooked into another pike about 40 inches.  This time I had a net and got the fish in the kayak.  That was the easy part!  Now I know why I don't use a net for pike (But I wish I had one the day before).  Getting the fish out of the net was a nightmare and it goes without saying that after getting the fish out of the net and trying for a picture....it jumped out. (I will spare the pictures of me trying to grab the fish in my lap)

But I did land about 6 more, none as big as the first,  but I did get a couple good action shots.



In the first picture,  you can see again that I have the spinner bait in my hand as it got off just before the camera went off.

I love this action shot !!!



Here is a different fish,  that was not as camera shy as the bigger ones.



I am leaving for Myrtle Beach SC tonight after work and I will have my kayak with me.  The shark fishing is insane,  and I hope to get a few great pictures and videos,  that I will be posting next week.

Danny V