Pike seams ......

Well - this trip ended up moreso the 'gotta learn more' than an outing ....... however ............ I'm still smiling.

It all started with the wife kicking me out to go fishing (I was on holidays last week). I hummed and hawed as there were things I wanted to get done about the home - but she noted a big YEAH RIGHT - rolled her eyes and said my stuff is always ready and I could have my stuff in the van in 3 minutes. In all - it took me 2 minutes 20 seconds. Cats and drum - look-out, here I come ! ! !

Dropped the wee guys off at daycare and her off to catch a bus and away I went - 8am = fly on the water. In short order, I rolled a junior kitty. Shortly thereafter I had sauger toying with me with their rock-type nipping. Then nada ......... nada ............. muis nada. I worked my way down to the city's floodway outlet - and figgured I'd head back the jaunt, pick up the van and work the area from there. I'll just work this small pool here first - BINGO ! ! ! about a 20+ inch pike ....... not shabby (not a snot rocket anyhow). Well, no camera - lets go for the van. I just set up again (camera with me now) and figgured to work the area properly - the seams from stained river water to clearer floodway water. Pike will lurk in the shadows of the dirty seam to snag their food. Moreso by automation I was casting and retrieving - but was paying more attention to the seagull tormenting the cormorant (or was it the other way - I can't recall). Anyhow - my rod is tugged and it took a bit to wake me up - like the pike rolling on the surface of the water - what a beast. ugghhh - duhhhhhhhhh ok, pay attention. Once bitten .... give her a rest and get her in a couple. So I worked the rivers main body. Some out of province people drove down - and were setting up for cats and carp. Time to work the pool seam again, in 3 casts - BINGO - not sleeping this time, I set the hook, get a head shake, a roll and SNAP ....... bing - gone - bit off. Cursing my knot I looked at the tippet (20lb mono) - nope - clean cut ........... This beast had a belly wider than my hand is tall - and was full of p & vinegar and all else toothy looking. From the people moving in - a few choice words that included 'What a huge fish". Yes ... it was ...... hmmms, third time a charm ......... cast, cast, cast ...... nope ......... nope ................. time for lunch (Teen, rings and root beer - retaurant right there). After lunch caught up with another FF'er spending time until he had other chores to tend to. He managed a small pike before calling it a day. I worked the other pools, and seams - nada. Back to where she was. Ok - lets give it a try ....... bingo - along the south shore - nope - a smaller one than before.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...0/ed9c7029.jpg
The green goo is covering a rusted rig set-up with heavy spider wire.
Pic time and away he went - quite happily. Not even 5 minutes later, she was back in her spot - WHAMMO shake, rattle and roll - gone. ............................... I smiled and figgured, well, you got 2 of my best flies (well ... kinda obtained ;) from a bud up here) in your snout - I don't like that - but I'll be back to remove them.

I used to hunt pike a lot back in my spinning / jigging days - now I remember why. I'm off next week, and on the agenda is learning to tie wire leaders ....................... then ............ ;) back to find her .................. or retrieve my flies.

Tickets of the day
1st fly - a tan marabou tail, brown diamond loop dubbed body, bead chain eyes, red hackle gill, black hackle nose.
2nd fly - brown diamond loop dubbed body, with black zonker strip extending past for leech / tailing material, bead chain eyes.
Partly cloudy, SW wind at about 10-12 mph, water temp 70 deg.
9ft 9wt with a WF floating line and 7ft 20lb mono leader (3ft butt, looped to a 4 ft tippet).

Dependant on what goes on ......... I just might be able to post her pic next time :) I'll let you know.

As for the cats - they can wait. I was in the right areas, wrong depth. I was working the bottom instead of where they were. Well, who knows - maybe next time I'll grab one of them too :P


darrell,

Sounds like fun. I have a question or two for you (or anyone). I am helping stock a fish take at the local US Fish and Wildlife Discovery Center. We want to put in some Pike and I am curious if you know the temperatures they like and if they can inhabit the same take as a Large Mouth Bass of similar size.

We had a Bass and Pike in the same tank and one day there was no Bass. No signs, nothing. I don't know if it did a Houdini magic trick or if the Pike did a quick lunch.

jed

Jed - pike will inhabit the same waters as LMB - no problem at all. They're quite tolerant of higher water temps, but as most fish - higher temps = fish lower in the water column. The thing with pike is - they can still be found in the shallows of mid-day 80's air temps. Pike slow down their metabolism extremely over winter in frozen lakes - you can hang a chicken gizzard in front of their snout and they won't take it. They spawn when water temps reach 45-50 deg F (although LMB spawn around 65-70 deg). This may lead to spawning LMB - but no (to very little) new stock LMB's as the pike will find them and have an appetizer.

And yes - likely the pike did have din-din on the LMB in the tank (or someone was pulling your leg real good).

To stock a lake of LMB and pike - I'd hazzard a guess to have the pike on the smaller side. LMB will eat junior / smaller pike - however, the pike are no dummies. Some pike will be ate by LMB, but some will survive and turn the tables to become the predator. Given this head start - in a decent lake, the 2 will co-exist.

I'm by no means a fisheries biologist - but do keep up on the fish I pursue.


darrell,

Darrell,
I had similar thoughts. Our tank is at 60 degrees which is a little too cold for the LMB and I wonder if the pike took advantage of the situation. They were of similar size so I'm just not sure.
jed

You could put muskie in as well, they tolerate a little higher temperature water I think.

jsalkas,

I can't find one to put in... There are alot of cool fish I wish I could get but time and availability are issues not to mention that we are focusing on fish in the Ct. River watershed and there is not a major muskie population here.

jed

Yeah, I thought you might be doing a "Fish Of..." type of display. The local bass pro shops up here has a tank that contains a huge variety of fish, but they might be subscribers to an "acceptable loss" philosophy.