A Dark, Cold Night (an argument in favor of catch & release)

Suddenly, I felt a chill and caught a glimpse of cold steel. A flash, then it penetrated – the burn of a razor-sharp instrument tearing through skin, flesh, and bone.

I was hurt – bleeding.

My attackers grabbed at my flesh and pulled me into their vessel. They dropped me to the metal floor and watched as I thrashed about in pain. I fought for my life; they did nothing.

I couldn’t breath.

My heart was about to burst. I was weak – helpless – submitting to the brutes.

The burley strangers pinned me to the floor.

I was terrified.

My wounds ached and leaked blood. I knew, if they didn’t release me soon, I would certainly die.

Did you ever wonder what “the fight” is like – from the perspective of the fish you catch?

I just used a little dramatic action to make a point. We anglers love our sport. We also like to think that we respect the species we chase enough to treat them right after the fight. But a lot goes into the art of catch and release. From hook-set to the deep breath we take after the fish swims away; there are many potentially life-threatening hazards to the fish and dangers to the angler, as well.

Mike Ponder correctly holding a Dryberry monster muskie.

Every Esox Hunter obsesses over these great toothy beasts, like an NFL star would the Lombardi Trophy, or an NHL’er Lord Stanley’s Cup. The coveted prize in this sport is the mighty Esox. The real “trophy” of any Esox Hunter’s heart is to hold a behemoth in a photograph shared, touted, and yes, even boasted about for years to come. A photograph that represents much blood, sweat, and tears through hours-and-hours of planning, fruitless outings, sleepless nights, and relentless casting.

It is certainly true that Esox Hunters do dwell on the object of their affection probably more than most. But after all, it is because the rewards are so great – if not, so rare.

Take muskie hunting, for example. The promotion of catch and release has transformed the “fish of ten-thousand casts” from a mythical creature that only a select few learned scholars and river rats can catch with any kind of regularity, to a rewarding adventure on the water for even a relatively inexperienced angler. When a little homework and then some heavy lifting are applied, you’ll have success. I’m sure of it!

But after all that is said and done, with as many big fish fifty-inches and more that folks allegedly have caught and released over the years, these encounters are still far less common than all the braggin’ boards on internet chat sites would lead one to believe. It’s not as easy as it appears to be, or as the pros would lead you to believe. I’m sure of this too!

Pat Elza performing a proper release technique.

That being said, we can all agree that it is truly a special occasion to be holding a monster at the bow of the boat, while your partner snaps pictures – just you and that big fish with the golden sunset as the perfect backdrop. The scene never gets old!

Often overlooked in the relentless struggle to catch an Esox is proper release technique. I have caught enough fish over fifty-inches to know that if the best part of Esox fishing is the strike, the second best part is feeling the tail tense-up in your hand and then watching a healthy fish kick out of sight. That’s what it’s all about!

Reports of severely mishandled big Esox over my decades-long career in the sport have made it clear that it’s never too late (or too soon, or too often) for a refresher course on proper handling of Esox – from hook-up to release and everything in between.

So, let’s have at it, shall we? I’ll start with…

THE NET

Before you even think about starting the motor and heading out, assume you will catch the biggest Esox of your life today (go ahead, it’s good to always begin with a positive attitude), then ask one question: do you have everything you need to perform a release safely with minimum stress on the fish and risk of injury to you? You wouldn’t leave the launch without life jackets. There are other items you should also never leave without.

The only thing better than watching a healthy fish swim away is the strike itself.

Skipping past hand landing (or water release) for obvious reasons – no one in their right mind intentionally grabs a four-foot long fish with razor-sharp teeth knowing full well there is a lure with three 5.0 treble hooks embedded in the jaw.

For this scenario, only one bit of advice will do: know where the nearest medical attention can be found. A typical water release is performed first by playing a fish out to total exhaustion – not recommended. Throughout twenty-five years of experience, I have had occasion to actually pop hooks with long pliers at boatside, foregoing pictures (and without ever actually touching the fish), for the sake of the fish.

But then there’s reality…

After the enormous strike and fierce battle with jumps and power dives and the occasional awesome tail-walk, you’re going to need a solid (muskie) net with a coated bag. Each fight is unique and it takes experience to know when a big fish is ready to be bagged. Always expect the unexpected and be prepared for that last power dive to throw the lure – you don’t want it stuck in your forehead.

Looks like the author is playing his guitar! This is a correct alternate hold to the hand under the belly style.

Beckman makes one of the best nets on the market, with a tough treated hookless bag that won’t leave you with a tangled mess if the fish decides to do a barrel roll. And it has a handle tough enough to lift the weight of a big Esox. The stiff bag easily serves as a “pen” that you can use to corral the fish in order to LEAVE IT IN THE WATER while you remove the hooks and get your camera ready. Time out of the water is the key to survival and it cannot be over-emphasized: keep the fish in the water as much as possible while you work.

Frabill also makes quality products. My colleagues and I have used them and certainly stand by their tough, big fish capability. A net that can stand-up to a 50, 53, 55, 57-inch muskie is an essential part of the arsenal. Do not skimp, or cut costs here. Trust me, you won’t regret the decision to go with the best. The Esox will benefit too!

A Cradle will also work, as it supports the weight of the fish in the water. And when closed around the fish, a Cradle will immobilize your catch for the duration. A Cradle has a very soft Esox-friendly mesh that won’t remove the protective slime coating on the skin.

Be advised: a Cradle may not be as effective as the aforementioned products for bigger fish 48-inches, or larger. I’ve had big fish escape and a couple that didn’t fit, because the Cradle wouldn’t close around them. Not that I’d brag!

HOOK-OUTS & BOLT CUTTERS

Simply put, you cannot hunt Esox without certain tools. If you do, the probability you will be hurt, or that injury/death to the fish will result, increases dramatically. There are four tools you should never leave the dock without:

1.) Hook-out


2.) Small bolt cutters


3.) Jaw spreader


4.) Heavy duty long-nose pliers

, and/or channel locks

Of course, it is ideal to simply “pop” the hooks with hook-outs or pliers, but every year lures get bigger, hooks get stronger, and it gets harder to remove them without more stress to the fish. That’s where bolt cutters earn their place in the box – if hooks are hard to reach, or in a vital place, cut ‘em. Replacement hooks are cheap.

LIGHTS – CAMERA – ACTION!!!

Revive a fish in shallow water, so your catch has a better chance to rest before fighting current, or having to swim a long distance.

Before you remove a fish from your net, make sure your camera is ready to go and your partner knows how to use it. It’s always a good idea to have a camera training session before you ever hit the water – if everyone learns all the camera gear in advance, it’ll save valuable time on the water and will most likely improve the quality of your shots.

This is a critical time when most mistakes are made and the greatest danger to the captured fish occurs. NEVER LIFT THE FISH INTO THE BOAT WITH THE NET!!! Removing the fish from its environment and placing it on the bottom of the boat (in or out of the net) will remove the protective layer of slime from the skin that prevents bacterial infections.

A fish placed at the bottom of the boat will most likely begin to thrash and there’s a good chance injury will occur when the fish gets tangled in all the lures and gear in your boat.

Once hooks are removed and the fish has calmed down in the pen, it’s easy to place your thumb underneath the strong jaw bone – point thumb towards the head of the fish – then carefully slip four remaining fingers up under the gill plate taking care not to damage any of the vital organs.

Author holding a nice Dryberry muskie the RIGHT way.

ALWAYS SUPPORT YOUR FISH UNDERNEATH THE BELLY with your other hand when removing it from the water. A strong grip on the jaw bone should immobilize your catch and will give you a better leverage grip just in case, but cradling the belly lends support and will further freeze your subject for the photo. Take a couple of quick snaps of the shutter and then get that Esox back in the water.

A good alternative grip would be to grab the tail and then slip your other hand under the belly. This works well with smaller fish, but if you have substantial weight and length to control, a slippery fat tail isn’t the best place to grab. One thrash and you have an angry toothy beast at the bottom of your boat.

A MEASURE OF TIME

By now plenty of stress has been placed upon the fish and it should be top priority to set it free. Dropping, or tossing, an Esox overboard is not the right way to treat a creature that has just given you the thrill of a lifetime and then was gracious enough to stick around and pose for photographs. I have seen anglers do this with my own eyes and it’s all I can do to not board their vessel and release them the same way.

Carefully return your fish to the water by keeping your grip and supporting the belly all the time. Once the fish is in the water upright she will let you know if further attention is necessary. If she kicks and swims away, then it’s good for you. Many times the trauma of the fight leaves excess air in the swim bladder. She may turn on her side or flip upside down. You can hold her upright and “burp” her by gently rubbing her belly from the rear fin forward.

Author gripping tail to revive a muskie before release.

Once she is upright in the water, hold a firm grip on her tail while slowly rocking her side-to-side in a swimming motion. Gently push her forward (never backwards) to get water flowing over her gills. This often gets the fins moving and the gills flaring again. Keep rocking and you’ll feel the tail muscles tighten and try to kick. A gentle push usually does the trick from there and she’ll be off for the weeds to rest. Stick close to the area for a while just in case she surfaces – you may have to recapture and repeat this process a number of times.

Measurements are often taken during this revival time and a floating tape measure will serve well obtaining length and girth. Weight can be determined by formula and it is unnecessary to place the fish under additional stress using a scale, as Esox hunters brag by inches (not pounds) anyway.

If you really want to get a ballpark on the weight use this formula:

(girth x girth x length)/800



Example:


LENGTH = 45.0”


GIRTH = 21.5”


21.5X21.5X45.0/800 = 26 POUNDS

ALWAYS BE PREPARED

Your partner screaming, “Fish On!” isn’t the time to wonder if you remembered the bolt cutters… the camera… where you stuck the net. If you grab the net and thirty-seven lures are tangled in it and the soft cooler with today’s lunch is at the bottom of the bag – well, then you’ve got problems. Not the least of which will be a very angry partner if the fish gets away while you’re trying to undo the damage.

There are Esox hunters who have got their act together – tools in one pre-determined compartment, camera in dry storage, and lures away except for maybe a half-dozen in use and well away from the net. The net will be situated for quick release and easy one-step assembly.

Then there are those Esox hunters who leave for a day on the water with more tackle boxes full of lures and unnecessary gear than five people could use in a month. By lunch they have a treble hook nightmare as far as the eye can see – hooks in the net, stuck in the deck carpet, and hanging from the sides of the boat. They have rain gear and gloves and coolers stacked on top of things they might need – like the net, or the dry store hatch.

Where’s the camera again?

Be a boy scout (or a girl scout, as the case may be).

Always be prepared. Never take what you don’t need. If you have been Esox hunting for any length of time, you own enough gear to sink the Titanic. You don’t have to bring it all along every time you go fishing. Try to stick to the eighty pound weight limit that many fly in camps require for a week-long stay. It’ll lighten your load and leave behind gear you probably won’t use anyway.

Keep it simple.

Okay! One last pose, then it's bye, bye.

The sure way to make everyone think you are “in the know” is to be organized and keep a tidy deck out on the water. If you don’t have it narrowed to a three lure attack by day five, you are having a bad week anyway.

A FINAL WORD

Remember that the second best part of Esox hunting is the release – running a very close second to the strike. Esox hunters owe it to the species that occupies so much of their lives to make a conscious effort to carry the proper tools, equipment, and knowledge necessary for the preservation of our sport.

Learn how to handle these fish with care. They are big, nasty, and the true top predators of fresh water. Esox greatest ally is also ironically their greatest potential enemy. It is up to Esox hunters everywhere to catch and release, if we are to continue to grow the sport.

With every new generation of Esox hunters to come, let us live for the fight and treat ‘em right.

Always Catch & Release!

(Reporting for ESOXHUNT Magazine. April 2012.)

Sticker Shocked! (surviving the price wars)

A week or two ago, while planning a June trip to Canada, I decided to surf the web site of a large popular outdoor retail chain store, to price and therefore possibly purchase a new muskie rig for the adventure. I was shocked by what I found online.

Sticker shocked!

Pat Elza fishing with the author's ultimate ESOX combo.

It has been almost ten years since the last time I bought a new muskie rod. That may sound like a long time, but if you buy quality gear, then it’s gonna last a while, even if you put it through the rigors of the Canadian Shield, as I do. And I built quite a collection back in the day, when a guy didn’t have to sell a kidney, or consider a life of crime, just to buy a new fishing pole.

As for reels, well, I’ll get to that in a minute…

My surfing led me to have a revelation. I cannot afford to buy a lot of new gear anymore. That’s a personal budget choice.

Let me first say that I am hopelessly and forever brand loyal. When I find something that works, I’ll stick with it to the bitter end. And no fly-by-night gimmick, or latest and greatest innovation, will pry me away from that which I have come to know and love.

iBob luvs his Apple toys!

Take, for example, my personal electronic computer devices. I am a Mac guy forever. I have the latest iMac with OS X Lion software on my very large flat-screen Mac home office desktop, where I sit and write this article in full high-definition splendor. I also own an iPad2, iPhone4, iPod, and on a side work station devoted entirely to music and photos, sits the very first Steve Jobs innovation – an iMac G3 –  that turned Macintosh‘s dismal and near disastrous financial condition back in the 1990’s, into a billion-dollar cutting edge personal electronics juggernaut in 2012.

I’m often asked about that computer:

“Hey! Isn’t that…?” Yup!

“But that’s gotta be over fifteen years…?” Yup!

“You mean it still works?” Yup! And with the latest software too.

Camera gear is another area where I am forever brand loyal. I worked in a network TV production job for eighteen years and have tried every computer and camera known to mankind. If Mac is my only choice for computer gear (and it is), then Sony is where it’s at for me for all other things electronic.

I LUV my Alpha too!

I own two Sony DSLR cameras, two Sony digital video cameras, and a Sony hi-def TV. Every DVD deck, CD player, and amplifier in the house is a Sony. I had one 52-inch flat screen TV of another brand and gave it to my mother.

Need I say more?

There’s a point to all of this caterwauling about the brands I buy.

I am more picky about my fishing gear – particularly my muskie and pike gear – than I am about anything else I buy. That is why, when I hit the internet in search of my prize, an eight-foot St. Croix PREMIER® Heavy/Fast action muskie rod, I very nearly fell off my chair when I saw the price.

Last one I bought was $130.00 bucks out the door. Now they want $190.00 bucks and I have some choices to make. One question came to mind: does St. Croix make a more affordable muskie rod?

The answer is, YES!

St. Croix TRIUMPH® Series has got all the great advantages of owning (and staying brand loyal to) St. Croix products at a cost that certainly appeals to an angler without much money to burn – like me! TRIUMPH® is as close as you can get to PREMIER® and still maintain a sticker price that resembles the PREMIER® of old.

I’m sold on the TRIUMPH® and that’s a fact. My new rig starts with a St. Croix TRIUMPH®.

I got really lucky with my ultimate reel choice. And my new rig will be complete with something new – the rod – and something tried-and-true to my arsenal: an Abu Garcia Ambassadeur® 6500.

6500

Abu Garcia‘s Ambassadeur® 6500 Series has always been my go-to reel for muskie and pike. I have a bag full of them! Seriously!! With a price tag that’s still just under $100.00 bucks, I may buy a few more of them. They are every bit worth the money, if reliability is what you need. And they have not been on an inflation sky-rocket either, having increased at a much slower pace than most comparable products.

I don’t need gears stripping on the hook set, or faulty operation right out of the box, so the buck stops here where my reel choice is concerned. Abu Garcia‘s Ambassadeur® 6500 Series has never let me down over the course of more than a quarter of a Century of Esox Hunting.

Has it been that long?

5500

You bet! I’ve been doing this a long time and the 6500 has been along for the journey ever since day one. And I won’t switch any time soon – if ever? Searching for “something new” would be like shopping around for a different kind of computer, or camera, in my world.

It’s not gonna happen!

Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! Right? That’s what I think anyway.

What if? And this is purely hypothetical. What if I wanted to find a cheaper version of the Abu Garcia Ambassadeur® 6500? Does Abu Garcia make a more affordable version for a tighter budget?

You bet it does!

You can knock $10-bucks off the price right off the bat by simply buying an  Abu Garcia Ambassadeur® 5500, or 4600. These reels are every bit the formidable tools that the 6500’s are, except they are a little bit smaller, a little bit lighter, and a little bit cheaper than their big brother.

4600

I have a bag full of 5500’s too! Why does this surprise you?

The 5500’s and 4600’s pack better on an airplane and weigh less on a fly in adventure – keep that in mind. Certainly these are reels to have on hand for any getaway where space, weight, and/or cost are factored-in.

The bottom line is this: inflation is here to stay. Everything is going up in price and we all have to accept that. Sometimes we will pay more for the same product, sometimes we will pay more for technology and materials that have improved. Then there are products that increase in price in spite of the fact that cheaper materials like plastic have replaced durable metal parts. This is a sad and true fact of life.

Retailers have unleashed house brand gear that may, or may not be worth a second look. Many top retailers do have a brand of their own for just about every need. In some cases, for some products, they will serve you well.

Some others, not so much.

A recent visit to The Chicagoland Muskie Show revealed alternatives in the way of professional guides who have their own brand of muskie rods on the market. Like the guide series retail lines, these may all very well be good products to consider when prices travel out of sight. But I’m not gonna be convinced until I put one of these alternatives to the ultimate test. Being that I am so brand loyal, don’t count on me doing that any time soon.

Specialized tactics have also played a role in the price we pay for gear. A combo strong enough to throw the one-pound and two-pound plastic baits can run as high as $1000.00 bucks. Ouch! That news makes me almost feel lucky that I have back problems.

Decisions like these are personal. What is important to me may not be so important to the next angler – and vice versa. If you are able to pay more, then by all means go for it.

I know I’m not alone when I say that I’m going to have to make some difficult decisions before I head to Canada this summer, given my limited resources. One of them is going to be to take inventory of what I already have and then use it if I’ve got it. A quick glance around my storage area this morning let me know that “new” gear is as close on hand as a dust cloth and some quality lubricant. I already have tons of gear – maybe you do too? No sense overlooking the obvious, or re-inventing the wheel. Make sure you really need it before you go out and buy it.

I’m also gonna have to shop around a bit. Look for the “hot deals” and jump on them before they get away. You know all retail chains have sales and that is a good way to go.

The Moose

Buying directly from the manufacturer can save you money, as well.

Shopping direct can have perks to go along with the savings. A few years ago we entered our lodge owner’s truck – the one we have been using for many years to shuttle back-and-forth from camp to launch – in a St. Croix “coolest muskie fishing vehicle” contest. We call her “The Moose” and she was very deserving of the prize she won: an AVID® Series 7-foot muskie rod.

The Moose has long since been retired (to our obvious remorse), and we have given that spankin’ new AVID® to the lodge owner (it was his truck, after all), but that publicity event only served to endear St. Croix to me even more. What a great idea it was!

Shopping online has paid-off for me on just about everything I buy. From fishing gear to clothes to shoes to range ammo, I do not head to the mall before I check online prices and deals.

Don’t sell a kidney for goodness sake. And don’t stick-up a convenience store because you are frustrated by soaring retail prices. We’re all in the same boat, but so few of us are ready, willing, and able to keep up with inflation. If it’s a choice between a new 9-foot muskie rod and new shoes for your kids… well, I don’t know? You make the call.

I have given you a few suggestions here that may just save you some coin this season. If you are bent on spending $1000.00 bucks on a new combo, keep in mind that divorce can run into a small fortune in attorney’s fees.

Just a word to the wise!

______________________

Sticker Shocked! Part Two: I’m gonna talk to you about my choice for a low-profile reel, lower cost alternatives to that reel, plus several other “must have” items I use all the time (Esox necessities) that could break your bank, but don’t have to.

(Reporting for ESOXHUNT Magazine. April 2012.)

White Sox… Red Sox… ESOX! (Spring Is Coming)

“There is a stone that whoever kisses,
Oh! he never misses to grow eloquent
‘Tis he may clamber to a lady’s chamber,
Or become a member of parliament.”
—Francis Sylvester Mahony

Anglers in general have a reputation for blarney. Muskie hunters especially are full of this stuff, blarney, whatever physical form it may take: solid, liquid, or… I personally think it’s a gas, but I may be wrong about that? Stay tuned for some in-depth discussion about chili dogs – a muskie man’s diet main stay.

According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, the Blarney Stone is a block of bluestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle. Blarney is about 8 km from Cork, Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of gab (great eloquence or skill at flattery). The word blarney itself has come to mean clever, flattering, or coaxing talk.

(story continues below)

Webster’s online dictionary simply defines the word blarney as: flattering or wheedling talk; cajolery;  deceptive or misleading talk; nonsense; hooey: a lot of blarney about why he was broke;  to flatter or wheedle; use blarney: He blarneys his boss with the most shameless compliments.

Hooey! I like that one.

It was coincidentally the morning of March 17th – St. Patrick’s Day – a cold Indiana sunrise with ice all over the main lake (Webster Lake) and large chunks of ice floating through the channel to backwater. It looked sort of like a miniature version of an Alaskan iceberg – except not really – or maybe like some big green gooey frozen holiday margarita.

Did I mention that it was cold? Very cold!

Our very own muskie phenomenon, Patrick Elza (he’s no saint, but he certainly can spread blarney with the best of ’em), had a plumbing job to do with his Uncle (and boss) about three houses into the channel from the point. They had to work, but decided to grab a muskie rod, tie-on a quick strike rig and huge baseball-size bobber, and buy a few suckers in town after breakfast.

Hey, why waste the first open water of the season just because you gotta work, right? And who cares if you have to fish in between floating icebergs? It’s Spring doggone it!

The boys got to the job site. Pat rigged-up, strapped the sucker to a quick strike, and tossed the six-inch wiggling live bait fish off the dock into the frigid water, then secured the rod. Both men headed inside to work.

I’m sure that sucker was not too happy about being sent into the slush to find an active muskie, but nobody asked – they just tossed.

A few hours later it was time for lunch. Patrick’s Uncle went back into town for food. Pat looked out a frosty window to check the bobber and saw exactly what he was NOT expecting – the big float was cruising under the surface and heading out fast towards the point.

Pat Elza with a 49-inch Webster Lake muskie (that he caught off the point in pretty darn cold weather).

Patrick made it to the dock faster than a leprechaun chasing a pot-O-gold. He picked the rod up, waited a few, and then set the hooks. A couple of minutes later he landed a 40.5-inch muskie. And that ain’t no blarney folks.

So, what of this blarney that we anglers are so famous for spreading about? Where does it come from? Does it serve any purpose when we all know it flutters through the air like monarch butterflies to flowers in the springtime?

I’m reminded of a story I heard long ago of two chaps on a hike through the forest. Let it be known that both of these fellows were akin to embellishing a bit.

Suddenly the pair came upon a trellis bridge across a raging river. Almost immediately (and simultaneously, I might add) the two men were overwhelmed by an urge to… How do I put this? Answer nature’s call – from atop the bridge.

Standing side-by-side on the bridge taking care of business and contemplating the rush of all that… uh… water downstream, the two men fell silent for a time.

Then they spoke…

“Boy, that water sure is cold!” Boasted the first man.

Not to be outdone, the second man gave an almost instant reply…

“Deep too.”

Mike Ponder with a 50-inch Dryberry muskie.

Bragging! It’s what anglers do best. But when bragging turns to blarney, watch where you step. And with this being winter and all, it’s sure to pile up around these parts before the first robin of spring lays an egg.

Speaking of spring…

Every spring a young man’s fancy turns to… ESOX.

Bet you thought I was going to say something else, right?

Well, L-O-V-E and/or baseball may be what some guys are thinkin’ about, but I’m the kind of guy who would send a dozen long stem red roses to Joe Bucher if I were to catch a 50-incher during one of his moon phases. So, don’t go by what I say.

It’s all about the monsters of the deep for me. I’m always primed and ready – as soon as the clocks jump ahead and the sun starts to warm things up, I start thinkin’ about the hunt.

One spring I even dreamed I was crowned opening day King of muskie season all across Canada. Of course, Kate Beckinsale was my Queen (Hey, it was my dream, okay?), but that’s a whole other article.

There’s still time to prepare, so let’s think spring Esox and head out to open water, shall we?

Spring is synonymous with spawn and pike will do that as soon as we have ice-out until water temps hit thirty-eight degrees. A muskie’s window will be a bit warmer than that – not too much though. It certainly happens pretty quick once the Esox start moving into the beds.

Louis Hall with a 45-inch Dryberry muskie.

I have found that northwest-facing spawning bays usually see activity first, as these areas get more sunlight and thus warm quicker. Focus on bays that have some kind of good structure and deep water nearby. Early in the year you won’t find any weeds, but a good place to start to look for spawning fish would be a stump field – particularly if that stump paradise is known for thick weeds later in the season.

Don’t ignore the outside edges of these bays either, as they will be staging areas for fish moving in and out to spawn. Typically, if the bay has a rock point leading to deep water, or a steep and distinct break line, then this will be a good checkpoint.

Back in the bay is where most of the action takes place and you should see plenty of it. Remember: spawning fish won’t necessarily be eating, but they will vigorously defend their territory. Contrary to conventional thinking, a noisy surface lure can provoke the heck out of a fish in spawn mode.

Don’t worry if someone says, “But we don’t use surface baits until summer!” Ignore that – go slappin’.

We have also taken early season Esox on in-line spinners, soft plastic baits, small crank baits, and a buddy of mine last spring got a 50-incher on a tiny torpedo, while fishing for smallmouth bass.

"Oh, yeah!"

Conventional wisdom also sells “scale down” theory by suggesting the use of smaller baits early in the season. Yes, that was certainly true for my friend’s 50, but don’t bet against a big Bull Dawg either. I personally don’t care if my Esox tries to eat my bait, or kill my bait – so long as it gets stuck on my bait.

Location… Location… Location…

It’s the name of the Esox game. But there are some areas that will produce no matter if it is spring spawn time, dog days of summer, or smack in the middle of fall turnover.

Current!

Muskies and pike are by nature river creatures and tend to hang out near current. In the spring there is an abundance of current due to high water. Watch for rivers and streams that flow into the main lake. Also look for saddle areas and neck-down points in between parallel shore lines, or islands. Given that spring usually has wind to spare that’ll be whipping through these areas, you can bank on early season fish in these spots, as well.

The author freezing his bell sinkers off driving the boat on Dryberry.

Don’t over think your target. Think back bay (in case the fish are spawning), think nearby structure like rock points, down timber and stumps, saddle areas, and in-flowing streams (in case the fish are in pre/post spawn staging mode), and for goodness sake don’t leave out open water near the structure. After a spawn Esox will suspend and scatter to locate and claim summer digs.

If there’s one bit of advice I could give to you, no matter what season you are going on the Esox Hunt, it is to use your instincts. You’ve seen it, you’ve read about it, and you’ve probably been doing it too.

Way back in the early 90’s I took a guided trip with muskie pro guide Pete Maina. He introduced me to Burt – a jerk bait that he created. Burt was new back then, just a prototype, but the bait looked hot and so I went out and bought one as soon as it hit the stores.

I had a chance to watch the master work it for a day and I tucked that image in the back of my mind until a couple of years later when my dad and I were fishing on the Canadian Shield during a stretch of really hot and sunny weather with very slow muskie action. For days I had this brand-spankin’ new Burt sitting in my tackle box.

One late afternoon we got the condition changes we were looking for and set out in a cloudy cool drizzle with high hopes. I thought a lure change would help the luck along and when I opened my bait-filled box Burt just screamed, “Pick me!”

I hooked that new Burt to my leader and began to cast.

I made only about three when a nice pike hit. Soon after, another pike hit and then another. Burt was on fire! We fished until it was almost dark boating a bunch of pike. I had our boat drifting through a cabbage-infested neck down in between two rock reefs and wind pushing current through the area. I put a cast on the heaviest clump of weeds I could find and wouldn’t you know it, a 51-inch muskie came out of the thick cover and crushed Burt.

I boated four nice muskies on that trip, including a fat 48-incher the next evening. I lost count on the pike.

On subsequent trips Burt would be the star of my show, luring toothy creatures from the deep to strike. I can’t even estimate how many big muskies and pike Burt caught over the years, but there were quite a few.

On a more sombre note… Burt met his fate when I bounced him off a reef on Lake Vermilion, Minnesota. He split in two at the seam and had to be retired.

Sniff! Sniff!

Use your instincts. If a spot looks good, fish it! If a lure works right in the water, use it! Then get out there and make great Esox stories happen for you.

Wishing you a great ESOXHUNT this season. And that’s no blarney!

(Reporting for ESOXHUNT Magazine. March 2012.)

A Few Words On Cohabitation: Dinner Is Served!

One fine summer day on the Canadian Shield, my fishing partner and I were resting comfortably in our cabin, whistwe let the July heat, sunshine, and

Bob's dad enjoying some dock walleye fishing before breakfast. You can't buy memories like this!

bluebird sky pass into the late afternoon hours and on into evening. Dog days are long and sometimes hot on The Shield.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door…

(Knock! Knock! Knock! Add dramatic music for affect… dum duh dah!)

Now keep in mind that the cabin I am talking about is roughly an hour away from the nearest neighboring camp – by boat. It is another thirty-minutes from the neighboring camp to the next small town by car. And when I say small, I mean if you blink, you’ll miss it. The next “big” city (“big” meaning more than six people, twelve dogs, sixteen cats, a plough horse, and a medic – if you’re lucky) is two hours from the small town. But on the plus side, it always has a vacancy at the hotel.

Here you can see why we love The Shield.

Some folks have been known to take a float plane to this Xanadu, but that’s a long and bumpy ride just to come and visit us.

So, with that in mind, my fishing partner and I looked at one another with bewilderment, as we jumped out of our respective bunks and made our way to the door.

Could it be the lodge owner? Nah! He left for the US border yesterday and said he wouldn’t return to Canada for a few days – even a week.

Maybe it was a curious camp neighbor hoping to pick our brains and pry us for information about this Esox treasure trove somewhere in Northwestern Ontario?

…And don’t think I’m gonna spill the beans about which lake either – it’s a secret. Well, for now it is…

Maybe it was Publisher’s Clearinghouse at our door come to tell us we won a million bucks?

No such luck!

“Gasp! Oh [expletive] it’s…!”

Pat Elza showing you his "good side" and enjoying the view.

We opened the door to a guy who has been a nemesis of sorts, a constant source of angst, and at times a real pain in the keester. To be fair he did help us out of a jam a few years back, when our boat broke down and we needed a tow. But we have to keep reminding ourselves about that in order to keep it civil, because he goes above-and-beyond the call when it comes to pesky.

Oh, get this, he stood on our doorstep, which was a rickety old broken-down wooden splinter factory surrounded by a thousand square miles of wilderness, wearing a pirate shirt. You read that right, a pirate shirt. Think The Pirates of Penzance and you’ll get the picture. It was puffy and had a dazzling array of colors blended into a silky stitch suitable for swashbuckling, but certainly not fishing.

Jack Sparrow had boarded our vessel and was now performing pirouettes around the cabin. Nice! Who dresses like that in the middle of a forest?

Well, let me tell you…

Bob Chochola with dad (Glenn) at the launch.

He immediately launched into an accusatory diatribe aimed at my partner. Ahab insisted that the one-hundred-and-five muskies my bud recorded the previous year (that he won all sorts of awards for), were faked. “Lies!” Like we made it all up to win a few accolades in a fishing club.

See what I mean about his being pestiferous?

We could have made all those fish up, but we didn’t. And being told we did got my partner’s blood pressure up to a fever pitch pretty quick. But me, being the usual bridge over troubled water that I am, couldn’t wait to inform the pirate how far behind in the fish-catching department he was already, as we had boated a few lunkers before he’d even dropped anchor… uh… I mean, got to camp.

One evening we were all just sitting around over a few cold brews chewing the fat, when Captain Hook let out with a peculiar observation. He claimed that the Esox in this lake (said: muskies and pike) didn’t eat the smallmouth bass. He said they “cohabit” and that was the final word on it.

Hmmm? Really?

We were drifting a weed bed just the day before when a 50-incher decided to

We're Sunset Country Supermen!

cohabit with about a five-pound smallie.

“You want fries with that?!”

He started talking about one spot in particular, I’ll call it the Milk Bottle Motel (MBM) for our purposes here – to protect the innocent.

This is a great spot!

To begin with, MBM is a long rock reef that sticks-out from the mainland like a big finger. There’s deep water around the point, which gradually slopes into the abyss from the fifty yard long shallow rock bar that stands out of the water in a few places, creating several very nice saddle areas with down timber and coon tail weeds.

Like I said, there’s deep water almost all the way around, but on the back side the bottom comes up and forms a huge weed/rock combo flat that continues into a spring spawning bay, with a sand bottom, big logs and stumps, and cabbage weeds.

Doesn’t that sound inviting?

Truth be told, MBM had been a regular daylight stop from day one. We’d go there and toss rattle baits, tiny surface lures, and small bass spinners for smallmouth bass and little “hammer handle” pike just to pass the time away. But we never looked at MBM as a big Esox haunt.

Why not?

Well, it was because of this guy, the pirate, who had convinced some of our friends way in the beginning when they first started coming to the lake that this was not a place to see big fish. He told them about the whole cohabit thing and ran them off a really good spot.

We were new at the game and fell for the mythology of Esox ourselves for a while – more about that later – hook, line, and sinker. Newbie is, as newbie

A rare sight indeed: "What do you mean another boat?"

does, and we were green.

One day I got to thinking about it. We had been catching bait-size fish all afternoon and one of our buddies even boated a nice pike. I took a long cast from the point straight out to deep water and had what I thought could be a 50-inch class fish follow my inline spinner all the way to the boat.

Cohabit my Aunt Fannie!

I decided to come back later. And with that same bait, an hour before sunset, in a foot of water out in front of the reef facing deep water, I had a 52-inch muskie cohabit with my smallmouth bass color spinner. An hour after dark we came back again and my partner bagged a mid-forties pike on the back side of the reef.

Since then, we have taken a vast number of Esox trying to cohabit with the food… uh… I mean, other species. We like to fish for the food too though, so it all evens out.

What’s troubling is all the mythology that goes into this sport. And the other thing that really gets to me is how we all fall for it.

My group was handed some line (pardon the expression) about fish all dancing around MBM fin-in-fin singing Kum Ba Ya and not one of us thought to stop at the spot to see what was cookin’ during prime feeding time. Not until… well… you know.

MBM is an all you can eat buffet with 50-inch class fish dining there regularly. Like it, or not, pirate boy, you gave-up a pretty good spot, once we figured it out.

MBM has all the right stuff: rocks, weeds, wood, and access to deep water. It has a steep drop on one side and a weed flat that gradually falls-off on the other. And wind always whips across this place – one way or the other. No matter what time of day, there’s activity on the point. There are waterfowl, bald eagles, and you’ll never-ever go away empty-handed.

I recall a photo I saw maybe a decade ago of two pike (I think they were both pike?) and one had made a gallant attempt to swallow the other. The head-first attack was cold and swift, but there was one small problem. The fish doing the attacking was about 45-inches. The fish it tried to eat was roughly 38-inches.

Can you imagine what happened? Dinner got stuck. The smaller pike became lodged in the jaw of the pike that tried to eat it and both fish died just like that – together forever, like ebony and… oh, never mind!

Cohabitation. Right!

I guess the point of all this is to not get you swindled by the assumptions of others. Especially if those assumptions are done with the intent to put you off of a great spot. What Blackbeard never realized is that by the time he’d paid us that visit in the woods, we had him all figured out. And he wasn’t about to chase us away from MBM again.

Look for the signs. Find structure. And for goodness sake, if you should see fish the size of the lures in your tackle box forming a conga line around all of that structure, think “big fish spot” not cohabitation.

Keep your eyes open for conditions that energize the food chain. Ah, now there’s a term I can hang my hat on! Wind across a rocky point and/or weedy flat almost always spells b-u-f-f-e-t.

Food in the area?

Dinner is served! Argh!!

(Reporting for ESOXHUNT Magazine. January 2012.)

Confessions of a Closet Pike Hunter

Author Bob Chochola with a nice Canadian pike. Write him at esoxhunter@bobzilla.tv.

A few years ago, on the road to the promised land of Esox, destination way north of the Canadian border, kicking-off another typical hype-heavy muskie hunt somewhere in Ontario, a pit stop was made in a little town called Virginia, for gas, food, beverages, and, well, certain other necessities of life.

Don’t know about you, but I like to read when I’m – indisposed. So there I was, without a good book, opting to peruse some quips on the walls of this roadside oasis’ bathroom, thoughtfully left behind by traveling angler-prophets-past, in order to accommodate said desire. Scribbled in assorted marker colors just high enough and just coherent enough so that they could be enjoyed without straining too much, I found myself indulging in some rest stop prose whilst I took care of business.

One very clever author seemed a little troubled and took a condescending jab at the quality of fishery that one might experience in the region, while in the same breath fIred a snarky remark aimed at the state’s fishing motto:

“Minnesota… Land of 10-thousand lakes… 10-million boats… 10-billion fishermen… 10-trillion mosquitos… and only ONE walleye!”

Pat Elza with a huge Canadian pike.

Ouch! That had to hurt?

You know, had I been a Minnesotan, which I am not, and had I more time at the time, which I did not, and maybe even if I’d have had a marker color of my own, I may have defended her honor – Minnesota I mean. But my crew was in a hurry, so I had to leave it by the side of the road – as it were. We were on a muskie hunt, and had no time to even think about those “other” species.

This brings up another good point and great motto:

“Muskie – the fish of ten-thousand casts.”

I have no way to confirm it statistically, but the folks who write these mottos have all got to be math teachers, accountants, statisticians, or something along those lines of work. How else do you explain all the numbers and counting and stuff like that? It just makes sense.

Nice one, Spanky Joe!

I have done extensive research on the subject of how many casts it actually does take to catch a muskie and it is quite clear that these data collectors may have over-estimated the figure a bit. On one trip I calculated number of casts per minute, times minutes on the water, times four guys in two boats, and it came out to about six-thousand casts before we boated our first muskie. Of course, that number went down quite a bit when we boated four more muskies in the next few hours. But I will leave the braggin’ alone – for now.

Either way, let’s just agree that it takes “a lot” of casts to bag a muskie. Okay?

What’s any of this got to do with northern pike?

Well, I’m about to tell you a little secret – my little secret – and it may not bode too well with some folks in the elite northern pike in-crowd.

You see, there are more than a few “out there” who will try to convince you that catching a northern pike is as difficult, maybe even more difficult, than catching an elusive muskie, or a stubborn old walleye. I read an online article a few days ago that claimed northern pike to be “one of the most difficult species on Earth“ to catch. Really?

I don’t think so!

Daddio gets in on the action.

And here’s why I don’t think so…

If you were to ask, “What’s the best time of year to fish for northern pike?” I would tell you that spring, summer, fall, and winter are all “best times” to fish for them.

If you then asked, “What water temperature is most conducive to pike eating activity?” I would respond to let you know that you can catch a northern pike through a hole drilled in a foot of ice. And you can catch a northern pike when the water is so warm even the fish are sweating. And you can catch them at every temperature in between. It’s all good!

Ask me about bait. Go ahead! “What bait would you use?”

I have caught northern pike on live bait: minnows, golden roaches, blue gills, suckers, night crawlers, red worms, wax worms, leeches, and crawfish. I have used most of these in a post-mortem condition and it didn’t seem to matter too much. I have used bait like spawn and salmon eggs. A buddy of mine caught a 40-inch northern pike on corn (while fishing for carp). Go figure!

Wait! There’s more…

Always catch & release.

Artificial lures are a no-brainier where pike are concerned. You got spoons in the box, use them. You got X-raps, go forth and fish. You got beetle spins, spinners, tube jigs, top water, rattle baits, crank baits – you name it. Just size your lures to the pike in the lake and remember, they will try to eat a meal up to half their own size.

I have boated 34-36 inch pike on 14-inch crank baits. I had a 40-inch pike swallow a one-pound plastic bait that was about 16-inches long counting the big flutter tail. Gone! I mean completely down its throat wire leader and all, bitten-off and swallowed. (We actually retrieved that bait from deep inside the pike’s mouth, when a guy in the next boat caught the same fish a few dozen casts later and noticed the swivel end of a wire leader and a couple of inches of line dangling out from between its teeth.)

What about color choice? Are you kidding me?

I have not found a color yet that a northern pike won’t eat. I personally stick with pink if I am targeting pike, but you just try to keep them off your black and gold spinner bait, or that natural shad jerk bait. I have had to pull those away to keep from releasing pike number twenty-five, while searching for a single interested muskie.

Yeah! Color makes a difference – to you. The pike don’t care what color you use.

So, why don’t northern pike have a slogan? They are fun to catch. They fight like there’s no tomorrow. I can honestly say that I have been fooled many times, by big pike that I thought were big muskies, until I got them to the boat, or they jumped to reveal my mistake.

Way to go, Bob!

Well, excuse me! I thought you were a…

And don’t even go there if you are one of those sassy walleye fishermen laughing at me for thinking my pike was a muskie. That time you were drifting the deep channel with a leech, hooked-up with a nice chubby walleye, then got bit-off. What do you think did that? It wasn’t Nessie, because you weren’t fishing in Scotland. It was a toothy critter – probably a pike.

I have a friend who brings his dad north from time-to-time. Daddio really gets into the whole muskie versus walleye rivalry thing.

Although what all the fuss is about I certainly cannot say for sure. Everyone knows that…

“MUSKIE: other fish are just BAIT!”

(Pause for applause and boo’s.)

Anyway, my friend’s dad has also picked up on the fact that northern pike don’t exactly get the respect they deserve. He joins in the chorus every chance he gets – calls them “Slimers!” and accompanies the less than flattering term with a nasty screech voice that you might imagine would go with such a term.

“Slimers!” Hmmm?

I am from the school that enjoys a good battle, even if it comes at the hands (or shall I say “fins”) of a fish that I wasn’t expecting – that I wasn’t specifically targeting. Hey, I was carp fishing long before carp fishing was cool. So, there you go! Slimer, or not, I dig the fight and northern pike certainly bring it when the time comes.

That’s why you’ll not see me pack for a trip north without including some sort of pike rig. I do use lighter tackle to increase the challenge, but that’s because I know I can count on this toothy critter, when the other toothy critters come down with a case of lock-jaw, or play hide and go seek for four days.

I’m all for coming up with a catchy pike slogan though. In fact, send me your suggestions. I will share with you down the road, if I get any worth bragging about, that is.

Until then, sharpen all your hooks, because we’re gonna dive deeper into some of the specifics of the Esox Hunt. Yeah… Yeah… I know. I said it was easy, right? No, I said you can count on a pike when all other species fail you. But there’s still much to learn. There are still “preferred” strategies that will turn a good trip into an “Oh, my God! I can’t believe we…” kind of trip.

I’ll leave you with this story about my great-grandfather.

My mom’s side of the family is from Estonia. Now most folks don’t even know where Estonia is, but I will say that it borders Russia and is a port to the Baltic Sea.

Among the many stories my grandmother told me about life in the “old country” were tales about her father going fishing and bringing home these huge 4-5 foot long fish that were “very scary looking” because they had big teeth “just like an alligator” and big black eyes.

Yup! Sounds like northern pike to me too. In fact, they were pike. Big pike. Big European pike. And my ancestors depended upon this species for survival during many years in war-torn Europe.

So, while they may be “Slimers!” to some, they are a part of family history to me. And I am very proud to be a part of ESOXHUNT for just that reason.

Fish On!

(Reporting for ESOXHUNT Magazine. January 2012.)

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