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Posts: 3913
| Listen to the story then guess the species for me....
FactoidsFirst...
* Been warm and flat for days. But today the wind comes up from the south, steady 10 with some 15 gusts. First waves in a week.
* Turnover ended a few days ago.
* Lake has a couple nice shallow flats (5') that drop at about 15' to deep water at 25'.
* Deep thick weeds start at 14' on the drop.
* I have 12# Spiderwire with a Spro swivel, 2' of 8# flouro to a ?# Spro snap. Medium-lite action Falcon spinning rod and a newer Shimano reel.
First I troll Deep Diving Husky Jerks at about 15-18' along the drops facing the new wind. Nothing.
Then I switch to regular Husky Jerks and troll those at the weedtops at about 14'. Lures are running about 10' down and I'm playing quick-pull-and-stall thru the weed tops. First pass and I get bit.
The fish is pretty big, I can tell. Line is peeling off the spool but no real "thumping". Hit slow reverse and begin reeling with the rodtip high. But I'm just following the fish. (Might be a real big turtle?)
Fish turns and heads to deep water and stops when it is at the deepest level of the nearest basin, about 22-25'. Motor in reverse I chased the fish until I was above it then use the wind to position myself to one side and away from being rite on top. Motor is in slowest reverse against the wind and I start the pull hard, less off, then pull hard, then lessen pressure, etc, technique to lift a big fish off the bottom.
Fish finally moves and swims around the bottom for a few moments then heads back to the shallow water where it was in the beginning. Motor goes in neutral and I dift with the wind behind and to the left of the fish. Fish make the first run, spool sings and stops dead, I can't feel the fish anymore, just weight. Keep line tight.
I drift past see that the fish stopped at the base of the drop-off. Seems the fish swam straight into the weedy drop-off. Back into the wind behind the fish and start the pulse pull technique again.
The fish backs out of the weeds(?) and turns to swim to my right, parallel to the bottom of the drop off. All of a sudden the fish really books, I have to lower the rod tip straight toward the fish and the reel is peeling out then NOTHING.
Reel it back in and the Spro snap has been pulled apart.
The large fish known in this lake are bass, walleye, dogfish
and a very few old pike.
What sort of fish do you think I hooked?
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Posts: 2068
| any chance you snagged a fish?, fight sounds like a big carp, catfish or sturgeon to me..any of those present? I think any size bass,walleye or dogfish would be whipped fairly easy with with 12# spiderwire?
Edited by IAJustin 10/11/2011 6:30 PM
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Posts: 2894
Location: Yahara River Chain | IAJustin - 10/11/2011 6:23 PM
any chance you snagged a fish?, fight sounds like a big carp, catfish or sturgeon
Agreed. I would bet sturgeon of those that you snagged. |
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Posts: 3913
| Snap failed, not the lines or knots. I was after big walleye first, bass second. Carp and cats are ruled out. A sturgeon is very, very unlikely, but possible. But I doubt that my gear could turn a big sturgeon. |
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| Nessiteras rhombopteryx
Honestly I'd guess carp, but wouldn't rule out a snagged salmon or sturgeon either if those are possible. |
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Posts: 2894
Location: Yahara River Chain | Ranger - 10/11/2011 6:36 PM
A sturgeon is very, very unlikely, but possible.
Why would it be unlikely? I know several guys that have hooked (snagged) a sturgeon on lakes that don't have many.
Here's one taken earlier this year on the Mad Chain by Greg Voss
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 gregssturgeon1.JPG (30KB - 134 downloads)
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Posts: 618
Location: Michigan | Ranger - 10/11/2011 7:36 PM
Carp and cats are ruled out.
How are they ruled out? I've caught carp while fishing for bass and have caught big cats fishing for bass and pike. |
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Posts: 720
| I think you hooked into a big old Pike. Here's why. First you're fishing weeds or edge of weeds Pike country. Close to big and deep water. Another reason for thinking this is a big Pike. The very fact that you're fishing for walleye and bass in the area dictates the food source for a big pike. So these factors put a big pike in the area if their in that water.
Now, the fight. I can close my eyes and picture a pike fighting just the way you described. Starting shallow in weeds and running out for deep water. Stopping for a breather only to bust you hard with another run. Bulldogging you with its head the whole time. Great story.
My guess would be Big Pike. |
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Posts: 2894
Location: Yahara River Chain | Hunter4 - 10/11/2011 8:09 PM
Bulldogging you with its head the whole time.
No mention in the story about "bulldogging" that would indicate a fish shaking its head from being hooked in the mouth. I say he snagged something big.
I agree with Hunter4, Great story!!! |
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Posts: 32934
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | My vote is big pike. Or an alien. |
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Posts: 3913
| No, the fish did do some "bulldogging", i.e., "thump, thump thump" each of which pulled not just the line but the rod tip down, too. That's when the fish was realizining it was hooked. When it ran I could feel the flutter. Otherwise I would have suspected a snagged fish, too. Maybe was still snagged but sure didn't feel like it.
There are no flathead, blue or channel cats in this lake. Just bullheads. There are a few carp, but what would one be doing hanging out high at the top of wind-blown weedy drop-off.
No one has seen a sturgeon in this lake for many, many years. But they were here; an old farmer friend told me he saw a couple one early spring from a small plane. Said they were on a shallow sandbar and "looked like railroad ties". But he saw that like 40 yeras ago.
Couldn't have been an alien. I would have got a phone call.
There are some really big dogfish in this lake. Scary big.
There are a few tanker pike left in this lake, no doubt, and I suspect that's what I hooked. |
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Posts: 2361
| Sounds like a catfish.
And carp suspend. But they usually don't sit. |
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Posts: 279
| I have snagged a huge freshwater drum before and they swim hard and fast then just sit on the bottom. It was about 15lbs or so.
Edited by ttrap 10/11/2011 10:30 PM
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Posts: 366
| Was this after the acid drop and before the bonfire crashing, by any chance?
With bulldogging, and the rest of the fight depiction it sounds like a big northern to me.
Ryan
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Posts: 3913
| No, no, I was almost straight, I swear. Alice D. is not a friend I hook up with much these years. Already learned my lessons, as have many others who frequent this site. Still, chewing up a strip of Wrigly's best is an excellent way to prepare to play on the water and reconnect with the All.
No drum in this lake.
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| carp |
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Posts: 556
| I have snagged large Carp before while trolling for Musky--they act very similar to what you have described---I would say it was a snagged fish of some kind--and all this is speculation anyway and no one will ever know. Move on--get back out there and see what you catch. |
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| No dogfish is THAT big..
You hooked one of those sturgeon from 40 years ago more than likely is my first guess.. Second is a big snapper! Third would be a big pike, but I've caught some big pike and never had one fight the way you're telling the story.. I'd go with sturgeon or giant snapper.. |
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Posts: 193
Location: Mayer, MN | nessy  |
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| sounds like you hooked a trophy pike to me.
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Location: Hartford Wi | I just think you need better snaps thats all! |
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Posts: 2894
Location: Yahara River Chain | Esox2hart - 10/12/2011 11:40 AM
I just think you need better snaps thats all!
Yes, I don't use snaps as they are too bulky and ruin the action of small baits. i do use Norman Speed Clips and they work great. |
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Posts: 3913
| The most interesting part of the experience was when the fish came back up from the 20"+ deep flat and went straight into a bunch of weeds up in the 14' drop. Do you suppose a fish could understand how to hang up a lure in heavy weeds in order to shake a hook? |
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| If it has worked for that fish in the past, I do suppose it could be a learned response.
As much as anything else, I would guess its a fish's instinctive reaction to try to hide when its being attacked, or whatever they think is going on. |
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Posts: 1530
| foul hooked carp or sturgeon.
or jimmy hoffa |
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Posts: 2754
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | Ranger- Assuming you were'nt foul hooked, it had to be a big dogfish. I had another friend who hooked one here in WI and it towed his 12' flat bottom boat around for ~45 minutes before he finally decided to cut the line - he had the fish up multiple times. They are pretty tough critter's.
Have fun!
Al |
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Posts: 78
| There isn't any way that the fish knew it was hooked and purposely ran into the weeds.. It was probably just looking for a source of cover as most fish do when they are hooked around weeds.
Doubt it was a dogfish.. considering if you were still in MI, that the record dogfish is only like 35 inches. I doubt you had a record dogfish on your hands. Id bet you snagged a carp or hooked one even.. Ive caught a carp on a beetle spin before, so it's not like they don't ever attack normal baits. Most big pike even with light tackle are easy to bring up to at least see the fish. If it was digging that hard it was probably a carp or something bigger like a sturgeon |
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Posts: 1224
Location: Okoboji | probally just a great lakes manatee that got in the river. |
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Posts: 3913
| We do sometimes fish for carp, but not in this lake. Hmm...
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rachelcarp(2).jpg (152KB - 133 downloads)
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Posts: 3913
| Another daughter's carp. |
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