Author Topic: Montana Ice Fishing Pics. (Read 642295 times)

PyroZuki · « **Reply #300 on:** Jan 05, 2011, 03:02 PM »

Quote from: smokeybear on Jan 05, 2011, 02:20 PM

Weighed her 4 times on a digital...got from 19 to 21lbs... Seems these kind of pics/claims always get disputed. I don't want to argue or fight about it. Believe what you want. I'm over 6'2" tall if that's any reference for you. She was just under 40", fat as a pig, w/ a full belly...

Nice work! No worries if anyone flicks you crap about the "actual" weight. Everyone on this site has been known to stretch somethin at least once!!! Thanks for sharin! Great catch, some NICE fillets on that beast!!!

Welcome,

Pyro

Cornbread · « **Reply #301 on:** Jan 05, 2011, 04:03 PM »

LOL That one my son caught that was 10lbs, I showed him the scale and he said it was right about 10lbs but when he was going to call his Grandparents he said he would call it 14lbs

He's already a fisherman.

Average weight for a pike that is 40" would be 16.4lbs (see the fisheries formula in my signature) for it to have an extra 3.5lbs on it would be well within normal variations for that length of pike. No matter what the weight and who believes or doesn't believe it you caught a great fish. I hope it ate great. I know for us a 10lb pike usually serves a full meal to four of us. A 20lb pike would feed my kids and my step kids all in one sitting. Sure hope I catch one like that this winter. Biggest pike I have caught so far was between 16 and 18lbs. Congrats on your fish!

smokeybear · « **Reply #302 on:** Jan 05, 2011, 04:14 PM »

Thanks Cornbread. I'm suprised that formula doesn't allow for girth. Seems that it would make it more accurate.
I know different folks feel different ways, but I ended up taking her home. I love fishing, and 99% of my fish go back in the water. This fish was the biggest yet for me, and was such a different catch story, so she came home. Ya, I felt bad when I was filleting her and the eggs spilled out. Didn't feel that bad when I was enjoying her at the table that night though..

She was doing well for herself. Lobes of fat everywhere, and a nice sized fish already digesting in her guts. I'll try to post some pics of her on the fillet table tonight that show just how "pudgy" she was.

Fishbowl · « **Reply #303 on:** Jan 05, 2011, 08:07 PM »

these pics are great

Stevedave · « **Reply #304 on:** Jan 05, 2011, 08:09 PM »

Sweet Pike. Even Sweeter story.
I think you may have caught one big enough to make a few people jealous.

Congrats Smokey !

Zorros shack · « **Reply #305 on:** Jan 05, 2011, 08:12 PM »

Nice fishing pics.

smokeybear · « **Reply #306 on:** Jan 05, 2011, 10:19 PM »

The perch fishing was pretty slow, but they were all good sized. Got a two-fer-one deal w/ the pike though, and she had already skinned this one for me..

smokeybear · « **Reply #307 on:** Jan 05, 2011, 10:23 PM »

Forgot to show the most important thing...my automatic ice hole scooper. Turning out to be a little costly, but definately worth it

.

My buddy picked this one up a couple days before on the same res.

fish to live · « **Reply #308 on:** Jan 05, 2011, 11:30 PM »

Quote from: Zoo Angler on Jan 05, 2011, 02:46 PM

I hope you put that one back to make more pike that size. Too many ppl keep them just to kill them. Nice fish tho

hope u ate it

have u ever ate pickled pike try that with the big ones, they all grow up. they were all minnows once

cjflorence88 · « **Reply #309 on:** Jan 06, 2011, 01:52 PM »

looks like thoes pike are nice and healthy. not the snakey ones you see in some of the waters. must be some kind of really good fatty bait fish in there.

smokeybear · « **Reply #310 on:** Jan 06, 2011, 03:59 PM »

There's a little bit of everything in Noxon Res for them to eat. I'm sure a lot of their diet is perch, as they are abundant, but there's also a lot of sunfish, suckers, pike minnows, whitefish, and bass. I'm sure to a lesser extent they get some trout as well. Starting to see some pretty heavy lake trout coming out in the coolers during the summer months.

vicster · « **Reply #311 on:** Jan 08, 2011, 06:22 AM »

Great fish, heading up this morning to try Noxon myself. Do you guys keep all your bigger pike? I usually keep a few in the 2-5lb range, but after that they all go back unless they are going on the wall. Those big spawners are important in the health of the fishery, and it's tough to grow 20 lb + fish if you kill them when they are 12lbs. I see the same thing with trout, Browns lake turns out tons of nice trout, but could produce numbers of fish in the 10lb class if some of the mid class fish were put back (lots in the 4-6 lb range). Nothing against harvest, I love to eat fish and try go bring home some meat every time I go out, but thin we could turn out a few more BIG fish with selective harvest. Maybe a idea for a new thred. Good luck and tight lines.

smokeybear · « **Reply #312 on:** Jan 11, 2011, 12:16 AM »

Quote from: vicster on Jan 08, 2011, 06:22 AM

Great fish, heading up this morning to try Noxon myself. Do you guys keep all your bigger pike? I usually keep a few in the 2-5lb range, but after that they all go back unless they are going on the wall. Those big spawners are important in the health of the fishery, and it's tough to grow 20 lb + fish if you kill them when they are 12lbs. I see the same thing with trout, Browns lake turns out tons of nice trout, but could produce numbers of fish in the 10lb class if some of the mid class fish were put back (lots in the 4-6 lb range). Nothing against harvest, I love to eat fish and try go bring home some meat every time I go out, but thin we could turn out a few more BIG fish with selective harvest. Maybe a idea for a new thred. Good luck and tight lines.

Honestly, most fish I catch go back. I fish a TON for large/smallmouth bass in the summer, and I haven't (to my knowledge) killed one yet. I don't do a lot of pike fishing, but I catch a few, and the big ones normally get a free pass back to the water. This one was a special case for me, and I did feel a little bad about it, but she sure tasted DAMN good. Fed my family plus company one night last week. In fact, it was so good, it convinced my buddy that ate w/ me that he's now going pike fishing w/ me...(= See.....she didn't die in vain.

Fishbowl · « **Reply #313 on:** Jan 11, 2011, 12:57 AM »

Quote from: smokeybear on Jan 05, 2011, 10:19 PM

The perch fishing was pretty slow, but they were all good sized. Got a two-fer-one deal w/ the pike though, and she had already skinned this one for me..
(Image removed from quote.)

haha thats funny i just pulled one out of a lake trout exactly like that!! haha

vicster · « **Reply #314 on:** Jan 11, 2011, 12:36 PM »

Quote from: smokeybear on Jan 11, 2011, 12:16 AM

Honestly, most fish I catch go back. I fish a TON for large/smallmouth bass in the summer, and I haven't (to my knowledge) killed one yet. I don't do a lot of pike fishing, but I catch a few, and the big ones normally get a free pass back to the water. This one was a special case for me, and I did feel a little bad about it, but she sure tasted DAMN good. Fed my family plus company one night last week. In fact, it was so good, it convinced my buddy that ate w/ me that he's now going pike fishing w/ me...(= See.....she didn't die in vain.
[/quote
Sounds like we are on the same page. I bonk a couple of big fish a year (hooked deep or if they really stand out in some way) and feel a little bad about it. Your still harvesting selectively and putting back more mature fish than your taking. I've just seen pics of stringers of pike in the teens out of that lake and wonder how big they would get if more of those fish went back, ya know:).

smokeybear · « **Reply #315 on:** Jan 11, 2011, 10:16 PM »

[/quote
Sounds like we are on the same page. I bonk a couple of big fish a year (hooked deep or if they really stand out in some way) and feel a little bad about it. Your still harvesting selectively and putting back more mature fish than your taking. I've just seen pics of stringers of pike in the teens out of that lake and wonder how big they would get if more of those fish went back, ya know:).
[/quote]

For me, it comes down to the fact that I LOVE to catch quality fish. I know if I take everything that I get to the boat, and everyone else does the same, that opportunity will soon be lost. Besides that, I'm not that interested in boosting my heavy metal levels by constantly eating dominant predatory fish.
My real love is w/ the smallmouth bass. I have a couple places that I can take anyone to and pull out numerous fish in the 3lb plus range during the summer. We have a couple old guys that like to fish it, and EVERY friging night they take home a stringer of nice bass. I cringe every time I see them walking up the dock w/ those fish. I don't begrude their legal taking of fish, but I wish they would limit it a little more and let some of those "trophy" class fish swim.
If you didn't already know it, we have a good population of locals that think "any means of taking" is acceptable. There's a couple spots where the big pike come to spawn in spring that locals snag. I've been responsible for the prosecution of more than one. Nothing like getting a guy on video snagging a bringing in a 15lb pike....sure makes the warden happy.

missoulafish · « **Reply #316 on:** Jan 12, 2011, 10:33 AM »

Fantastic post Smokey. You are SPOT ON! If everyone even keeps one big one that adds up fast and then that opportunity is gone. The only reason to keep a big fish is for a mount and even that is not necessary any more so I guess there is really no reason to kill a big fish. Thus my belief that those big fish are so much more valuable under the ice then above it. Keep up the good work.

NONYA · « **Reply #317 on:** Jan 12, 2011, 11:36 AM »

keep putting those big ones back,ill thank you every time I eat 1!

Neptune · « **Reply #318 on:** Jan 12, 2011, 11:49 AM »

Quote from: Gamedog on Jan 12, 2011, 08:54 AM

+1

+1

PyroZuki · « **Reply #319 on:** Jan 12, 2011, 01:46 PM »

I agree with the two previous replies!!!

Pyro

griz247 · « **Reply #320 on:** Jan 12, 2011, 03:06 PM »

I do put back a lot of fish...often times the catch is what it is all about. But, don't try to make me feel bad for the ones I do keep.

FishN4Eyes · « **Reply #321 on:** Jan 12, 2011, 05:23 PM »

Quote from: Neptune on Jan 12, 2011, 11:49 AM

+1

What Gamedog and Neptune said, this is the PICTURE THREAD!

Firetrap · « **Reply #322 on:** Jan 13, 2011, 09:59 AM »

A Nelson Res. Perch from last January. Headed back up there in a couple of weeks.

iceandwiskey · « **Reply #323 on:** Jan 13, 2011, 04:50 PM »

again...

FishN4Eyes · « **Reply #324 on:** Jan 13, 2011, 04:55 PM »

Sweet! Actual pictures in the picture thread!

Nice pike Iceandwhiskey!

iceandwiskey · « **Reply #325 on:** Jan 13, 2011, 05:06 PM »

MrMarty51 · « **Reply #326 on:** Jan 15, 2011, 02:16 AM »

Quote from: Gamedog on Jan 12, 2011, 08:54 AM

+1

+2

J_Edwards · « **Reply #327 on:** Jan 16, 2011, 12:30 AM »

Iceandwhiskey nice catch and freakin' sweet ride man, love the SE Grizz!

4cator · « **Reply #328 on:** Jan 16, 2011, 06:35 AM »

Nice pike, thanks for sharing, planning on being there next month.

iceandwiskey · « **Reply #329 on:** Jan 19, 2011, 12:39 AM »

Thanks guys, Ya the grizz has been everything I was hoping it would be. I am hoping to get back to Peck a few more times before ice out.

News:

Author Topic: Montana Ice Fishing Pics. (Read 642295 times)

iceandwiskey

iceandwiskey

iceandwiskey