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Posts: 1291
Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | Since my thread on BIG muskies seemed to go over well, at popular request I'll now post a few pics of "mostly" BIG pike, although there will be some not so big as well for good reason as you will see.
While going thru my files, I ran across my "Esox Oddities" folder as well. If this thread goes well, perhaps we'll do those next. In addition, I have several more oldies, not necessarily big fish, that we can consider too if there is interest.
I'm going to begin with Big Pike from North America...that of course will limit their size, since the real giants come from Europe. But we must begin somewhere.
First I'm posting a photo of Peter Dubec who caught lots of giant pike from Sacandaga Reservior in New York in the early 1940's and should likely be the North American record holder. The Pike Mr. Dubec is shown with is NOT his largest by far. My next photo will show you why he doesn't hold the record.
Correction: Mr. Dubec IS the N. American record holder...
Edited by Larry Ramsell 3/10/2014 12:15 PM
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 Peter Dubec 001.jpg (285KB - 521 downloads)
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Posts: 1291
Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | This photo is the supposed North American record Pike. All who believe that, join the Spray bunch.
It was supposedly caught by John V. Schanken in Basswood Lake, Minnesota in May of 1929, and "reportedly" weighed 45-pounds, 12-ounces!
(Basswood 2 crop 001.jpg)
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Basswood 2 crop 001.jpg (296KB - 518 downloads)
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Posts: 1291
Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | Next a couple of large pike from Tip Top Lodge in Atikokan, Ontario. Size not listed.
(Atikokan, Ontario Pike 001.jpg)
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Atikokan, Ontario Pike 001.jpg (159KB - 545 downloads)
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Posts: 1291
Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | Ok, let's get GIANT! This next picture is of a supposed (and it looks like it) 50-pound pike from Cass Lake in 1945. Obviously it is winter and the fish speared. Nevertheless, probably one of the largest N. American Pike ever taken by any means.
(Cass Lake 50 pounder 1945 001.jpg)
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Cass Lake 50 pounder 1945 001.jpg (95KB - 531 downloads)
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Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I love big Pike... |
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Posts: 1291
Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | Going back into the historical archives of The Minnesota Historical Society, we see perhaps the reason that BIG pike there are a thing of the past. This photo was taken in Crow Wing County and is estimated to be from the 1920's.
Edited by Larry Ramsell 3/10/2014 10:33 AM
(Historical Minnesota Pike 001.jpg)
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Historical Minnesota Pike 001.jpg (182KB - 655 downloads)
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Posts: 1291
Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | This next photo is merely a photocopy, provided to me back when I worked in a local sports shop. I doubt the donor wants his name included, so I will merely tell you that this is a photo from Huron Bay of Lake Superior in the 1950's. Some GIANT pike indeed! Click on the photo to see it all.
Edited by Larry Ramsell 3/10/2014 10:42 AM
(Lake Superior Pike 001.jpg)
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Lake Superior Pike 001.jpg (227KB - 544 downloads)
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Posts: 1291
Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | We'll end this edition of the N. American Pike with a couple of exaggeration shots...not "really" giant pike, but fun nonetheless.
The first is captioned "A MINNOW, Green Lake, Wis.". The second is captioned "Johnnie's Resort Wabicon & Riley Lakes - Crandon, WIs."
Johnnie, Johnnie, Johnnie, what gives? LOL
That's it for this morning guys. More this afternoon or tomorrow morning...Larry
(Exaggeration Pike 001.jpg)
(Johnnie's Resort exaggeration 001.jpg)
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Exaggeration Pike 001.jpg (206KB - 497 downloads)
Johnnie's Resort exaggeration 001.jpg (171KB - 530 downloads)
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Posts: 353
Location: Western U.P. | Great pics and stories. Thank you for sharing. Really enjoy fishing for big Pike. After this thread has run it course, please continue with the "Oddities". Should be a good read. |
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well for the pike people there is a picture on the web of a family from manitoba that caught and ate a pike i believe from cedar lake that was estimated at 70 inches. it was caught around the yeasr 2000 i think. what do you know about this
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Posts: 32
Location: Tower, Lake Vermilion | Hey Larry my old friend, thanks for the photos. I am very fortunate to live on one of the lakes in Minnesota that still have giant Pike. I am sure that one day very soon someone will catch a 50" Pike out of Vermilion. Muskie Tom's wife boated a 47" a few years go and I have caught a number of them in the mid 40's with my largest coming in at 46. I have seen a few larger than that 46 of mine. Most are taken by Muskie fishermen these days but there are some of us old timers that target them. I know of a 35lb Pike that was found dead in the Pike river at the Walleye hatchery water inlet about 20 years ago. It was a real monster and it must have looked awsome when it was alive.
"Ace" |
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This is a great start. Thank you Larry
Saw that pic of the family with the "70 incher" a few years ago with the same basic story attached. If I remember correctly I think I was in Winnipeg getting ready for a trip to Gangler's or Nueltin perhaps and saw a newspaper clipping in a sporting goods store with the story. A Manitoba Fishing website or blog had the story on www.fishlakemanitobanarrows.com Fish Lake Manitoba Narrows.
The below is from that blog. No idea who the Dr. Todd author is. Talmooner
Manitoba Record Northern Pike
Tuesday, 20. May 2008
It was probably the biggest northern pike ever caught in Manitoba.
And they ate the evidence.
The estimated 70-inch fish was caught in Cedar Lake by a resident of Easterville, a small aboriginal community about 100 kilometers southeast of The Pas.
News of the catch surfaced when a photo was dropped off at the office of Doug Leroux, Natural Resources regional fisheries manager in The Pas.
"This is the biggest pike I've ever seen," Leroux said. "Anything over 40 inches is a good size. The current Manitoba record is 59 inches. This surpasses that by a good 10 inches."
He estimated the length of the fish by computer scanning the image and using a 2x4 foot brace on a bookshelf in the photo's background for comparison.
The size was later verified by co-workers who digitally enhanced the picture.
The impressive catch has led fishing enthusiasts from U.S. sports magazines and as far away as England to contact Leroux's office.
"They just want to know if the story is true. We've seen the picture and we believe it to be true."
But there's not much of a fish story to tell, at this point. Leroux has tried in vain to contact the fisherman for details of the capture. He doesn't even know if it was caught the past winter or the year before.
From what Leroux understands, the fisherman was simply out to stock the family fridge when he made the catch.
"He was fishing for food for his family and from what I understand, gave it to his grandmother. It would definitely feed a family for a while."
Landing a record setter can command thousands of dollars from fishing lodges wanting it for their walls.
The Manitoba record for northern pike is 42.42 pounds, set in 1977. The Cedar Lake catch is estimated to have weighed more than 50 pounds.
-- Dr. Todd
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Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | HANS79: I didn't post that pic since it was already on my other thread. I seriously doubt it was anywhere near 70-inches, but it is indeed a real monster and maybe the largest ever taken in N. America.
Ace: Good to hear from you ol' friend. I am well aware that there are some giant pike in Vermilion. Fishing with Ed Tausk a few years back, he managed to lose one around 47-inches trying to horse it into the back of the boat! I too won't be surprised if a 50-inch pike comes out of there soon. Thanks for your other contribution...Larry |
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Location: Minnesota: where it's tough to be a sportsfan! | I have seen some pictures of numerous large pike that came out of the South Dakota Dam project for the Oahe reservoir. The folks were working on the dam project and in the down time fished. Mentally then was keep it to eat and give some away so all the fish were harvested. But one picture looked like fish in the 20-25 lb class laying on a grass bank, there were about 15 or 20 of them all lined up. |
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Location: Northern Illinois | I have now done a ton of musky fishing and have even like to catch a pike every now and again. One year on LOTW we caught around 250 over 35" but the largest was only 41". We only caught 3 musky on the trip. The largest Pike I've ever seen was on Basswood Lake which Larry listed. My Dad, Uncle and me all saw the fish and have all fished for a long time. The fish was easily a 50" fish but snapped my line as we were only looking for enough for shore lunch. That was a fish that I really regret not using proper gear but we each only brought 1 rod and the one I brought was a medium-light spinning combo. What a huge mistake! |
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Location: Smith Creek | Any pics of Wisconsin's state record? Call me cynical on this one, but I won't believe it till I see a pic. |
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Location: Eagan, MN | This website might be of interest to you big pike nuts. Contains all of the state record pike, some with photos.
https://www.landbigfish.com/staterecords/fishrecords.cfm?ID=16
As a young boy who was transplanted from Michigan to Oklahoma for a time, I knew of esox and often marveled at the immense size of the state record pike from the Oklahoma panhandle of all places...36.5 lbs. As a more knowledgeable adult, and now having now seen the photo and the length measurement, I realize that the size of the Oklahoma record was either a mis-print or intentionally over-blown by probably 10lbs. or more. Some of these old 'records' are ridiculous and are only records of a successful hoax.
Brian |
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Posts: 2015
| here is a my biggest, 5 days after ice out, she was still dumping eggs... bottomed out a 30Lb scale (48").
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Location: Bloomer, Wi | I remember reading about that so called 70" pike that it was closer to 50". First off the dudes arms are completely straight and he's holding it out. And how can you compare a board which could be 4-5ft behind the fish to get to estimate its size. Hold a replica of a mid 50" musky as close to your body as you can and it still would look bigger than this pike. You cant hide huge. Just my 2 cents
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Location: Aurora | IAJustin - 3/10/2014 6:23 PM
here is a my biggest, 5 days after ice out, she was still dumping eggs... bottomed out a 30Lb scale (48").
Gator!
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Location: NE PA | Love me some monster pike! Thanks got both of these threads Larry |
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Location: Dixon, IL | I am not sure Great Sacanduga (Spelling ?) in New York is one of the best big pike in USA. I was in college in Rochester, NY in early 1980's. Large pike over 30 lbs every year in early spring there but I don't know about today! I know one over 40 lbs but that's many years ago!
Bond Falls Flowage in upper Michigan's record pike is 38 lbs. Few large pike years ago but today so many small pike and few over 40 inch! Wisconsin's record pike came from shallow Puckaway Lake and I see that lot of carp, shad, suckers, panfish and shallow everywhere that pike eat to grow big. |
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Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | Before I get to the European Pike later today, I wanted to add this photo I just received in yesterday's mail. It is a 1924 post card from Pine River, Minnesota. Click on the photo to see it all.
Edited by Larry Ramsell 3/11/2014 7:10 AM
(Pine River, MN Pike 1924 001.jpg)
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Pine River, MN Pike 1924 001.jpg (220KB - 604 downloads)
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Location: Ontario, Canada | Once again, great stuff Larry! I'm looking forward to the euro giants. They have some incredible specimens. |
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Location: Latitude 41.3016 Longitude 88.6160 | This one was caught on Rainy Lake
LOOK at the Head !!!!!!!!!!!
40lbers for sure
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Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | Actually that fish was caught in Holland, not Rainy Lake. If memory serves me correctly, it weighed 44-pounds.
Now it is finally time for more Euro Pike giants, but first some data on the North American Pike: From 1925 thru 1976 there were only 49 documented pike over 35 pounds and only 9 of those were over 40-pounds. Conversely, there are so many giant European Pike that I necessarily must start with those weighing 44-pounds or more!
The vast majority of the photos come from my good friend Jan Eggers, The Pike Ferret from Holland (who also provided the info on the fish above. A few photos from my German friend Andreas Mangold and I believe one from an Italian writer. It will take a bit to load them all, so hang in there.
First, a shot of some jokesters from Austria, dubbed "The Longest of Them All!"
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Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | Next is a "Toad" that I don't have information on, but I believe it was caught in Germany. Thought you would enjoy the "gut"!
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Posts: 1291
Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | This next one is a 44.22-pound Pike caught in the brackish water of the Baltic Sea by Jochen Bottcher January 4, 2007.
We will than have to pause a bit as the site has told me to pause...
Edited by Larry Ramsell 3/11/2014 12:14 PM
(44.52 Baltic Sea 001.jpg)
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44.52 Baltic Sea 001.jpg (61KB - 522 downloads)
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Posts: 1291
Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | Off we go again. This next one weighed 44.35-pounds and was caught by Roland Sumber in Austria.
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44.35 Austria 001.jpg (97KB - 470 downloads)
44.35 Austria 001.jpg (97KB - 489 downloads)
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Posts: 1291
Location: Hayward, Wisconsin | A 47.3 beauty was caught also from Austria by Richard Rappold.
(47.3 from Austria 001.jpg)
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47.3 from Austria 001.jpg (74KB - 506 downloads)
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