Who’s fired up for spring pike fishing?

[Susky River Rat]

@casts_by_fly maybe I’m just thsg bad at fishing 😂😂 on the flip side now that i mainly fish the river they aren’t really in there. I mean it’s the river you can bump into anything but you are more likely for a musky,walleye,catfish as an accident catch 

[TnRiver46]

15 hours ago, Way north bass guy said:

Spring pike fishing is one of the most fun times of the year around here. I’m also blessed to be around a ton of big fish, especially when the water is cool and they’re still pretty shallow and feeding heavily after they’ve spawned. Won’t be long now and I’ll be cruising the shallow back bays, watching “logs” swim around and sunning themselves, and having absolute monsters dart out of fallen trees and make my bait disappear in their mouths that look like five gallon pails when they inhale it!

[gim]

12 hours ago, Chilidog said:

The big ones

Define “big.”

 

The DNR classifies any pike that’s 30+ inches as a big one nowadays. There’s so many of those small aggressive 21 inchers in our lakes you can’t avoid them.

[Chilidog]

3 hours ago, gimruis said:

Define “big.”

 

The DNR classifies any pike that’s 30+ inches as a big one nowadays. There’s so many of those small aggressive 21 inchers in our lakes you can’t avoid them.

I would consider a 30 inch pike a big pike in Minnesota.  There is the potential for pike up to 40 inches or bigger on some lakes in Minnesota that are managed for big pike.  On the lake that I mainly fish the pike are getting bigger since the new statewide regulations went into effect.  I fish lake Pepin also and I would regard that lake as one on the best pike lakes in Minnesota.  

[gim]

5 minutes ago, Chilidog said:

There is the potential for pike up to 40 inches or bigger on some lakes in Minnesota that are managed for big pike. 

The DNR just released their minimum criteria to enter a northern pike for the new state record.  Must be at least 32 POUNDS.  That's just absurd.  There is no pike swimming in this state that is 32 pounds.  Even one half that size is a true behemoth these days.

[MassBass]

On 3/1/2024 at 10:26 PM, gimruis said:

  There is no pike swimming in this state that is 32 pounds.  

Sorry man but I find it hard to believe there is not a record Pike in the whole state of Minnesota. I think maybe the pike you catch on bass lures may not be a fair representation of every pike in the lake. There is always a few giants cannibalizing on all the small ones. 

[gim]

3 hours ago, MassBass said:

Sorry man but I find it hard to believe there is not a record Pike in the whole state of Minnesota

It’s impossible. A fish of this size does not exist anymore here.

 

A 20 pounder, yes. But not one that is still 35% larger. You’ll need to head further north to Canada to find one that big, and even that would be extremely difficult.

[Nelson Delaney]

19 minutes ago, gimruis said:

It’s impossible. A fish of this size does not exist anymore here.

 

A 20 pounder, yes. But not one that is still 35% larger. You’ll need to head further north to Canada to find one that big, and even that would be extremely difficult.

there’s 30 pound pike in Massachusetts.  There has to be a few in the thousands of Minnesota lakes

[gim]

28 minutes ago, Nelson Delaney said:

there’s 30 pound pike in Massachusetts.  There has to be a few in the thousands of Minnesota lakes

Well if someone catches one that big then I’ll admit I was wrong. I don’t mind eating crow.

 

I worked for the DNR on a pike study way back in 2005 when the problem of stunted pike was just starting to rear it’s slimy, ugly head. Nothing has changed since.

[Nelson Delaney]

17 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Well if someone catches one that big then I’ll admit I was wrong.

 

I worked for the DNR on a pike study way back in 2005 when the problem of stunted pike was just starting to rear itsslimy, ugly head. Nothing has changed since.

Mass state record is 47”  35lbs   I submitted a 51” fish for consideration.  It was certified at 29lbs.  
 

 

[gim]

4 minutes ago, Nelson Delaney said:

I submitted a 51” fish for consideration.  It was certified at 29lbs

Fantastic, that’s a behemoth.

[TnRiver46]

Good gracious

[Further North]

15 hours ago, Nelson Delaney said:

Mass state record is 47”  35lbs   I submitted a 51” fish for consideration.  It was certified at 29lbs.  
 

 

Amazing fish...and it illustrated the problem well: If a 51" pike is 29 lbs., how much bigger does a 32# fish have to be?

[gim]

6 minutes ago, Further North said:

Amazing fish...and it illustrated the problem well: If a 51" pike is 29 lbs., how much bigger does a 32# fish have to be?

The "historical" MN state record pike by weight is 45 pounds, 12 ounces.  But it was caught in 1929 when state records were not certified, did not require a witness, and did not require a photo.

[Further North]

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

The "historical" MN state record pike by weight is 45 pounds, 12 ounces.  But it was caught in 1929 when state records were not certified, did not require a witness, and did not require a photo.

Any mention of length?

[gim]

No length on that one.  Many of the older historical state records do not have a length listed.

 

Its from Basswood Lake which is in the Boundary Waters and its a border water shared with Quetico in Ontario.  So its definitely kind of an "off the grid" location too.

[T-Billy]

🤣😝

[Dwight Hottle]

@gimruis You don't have to go to Canada to catch big pike. Take a look at the Idaho recent record pike.

https://www.sportfishingmag.com/game-fish/state-record-idaho-pike/

5 hours ago, Further North said:

Amazing fish...and it illustrated the problem well: If a 51" pike is 29 lbs., how much bigger does a 32# fish have to be?

 

This 32 lb pike was only 49" long.

[MassBass]

Out in the backwoods of Minnesota there is a swampy place with giant pike eating stray cats and stuff no doubt in my mind.

[TnRiver46]

58 minutes ago, Dwight Hottle said:

@gimruis You don't have to go to Canada to catch big pike. Take a look at the Idaho recent record pike.

https://www.sportfishingmag.com/game-fish/state-record-idaho-pike/

 

This 32 lb pike was only 49" long.

That guy said he catches 20-30 lbers on the regular, dang! 

[Dwight Hottle]

@TnRiver46 Idaho is an untapped resource for big fish. The previous pike record was just over 40 lb. The recent explosion of big smallies getting fat on high protein Kokanee salmon supports this  amazing fisherie. 

[The Baron]

We got out on Lake Ontario today in my little Bass Tracker.  March 8 and we didn’t even need gloves.  Crazy.  
 

Water temp about 35-36 on the main lake, up to 42 in the back of the bay.  Caught a couple good ones in 6-7ft.  Still a bit early, but if it keeps up like this it’s gonna be really good in a few weeks.

[Further North]

On 3/7/2024 at 5:16 PM, Dwight Hottle said:

You don't have to go to Canada to catch big pike. Take a look at the Idaho recent record pike.

We're a heck of a lot closer to Canada than we are to Idaho. 

[TnRiver46]

Nice one @The Baron!!!!

[Dwight Hottle]

12 hours ago, Further North said:

We're a heck of a lot closer to Canada than we are to Idaho. 

Yes I agree but my point was there are big pike in the US if you know where to look for them. The big girls are only found shallow for a short window after ice out then they are only found deep.