Small pond, big pike

[FreshwaterPhil]

Ice fished a small farm pond where I've caught some decent bass and smaller pike in the past. This big pike came as a huge surprise!



36 inches, 9.8 lbs. Thawed mackerel baited on a flag line did the trick, bass were crazy finicky, didn't manage anything jigging all day.

Read more at: https://www.montreal-fishing.com/

[SLAYERFISH]

Private don't count, Phil!

[Baetis62]

Nice fish Phil. Your season looks to be off to a good start!

[FreshwaterPhil]

Private don't count, Phil!

It's public, just very hard to access. Turned out to be worth the effort 

[FreshwaterPhil]

Nice fish Phil. Your season looks to be off to a good start!

Yes, despite safe ice taking forever to form, I managed to get out on some smaller waterways. The last couple both produced some bigger pike than expected.

[IceDog88]

Good start to the pike season

[JohnnyO19]

Nice fish Phil! It's great to get surprised like that, isn't it?? 

[chevy rotbox]

nice fish, did she go back , in ??

[FreshwaterPhil]

Nice fish Phil! It's great to get surprised like that, isn't it?? 

Amazing

[FreshwaterPhil]

nice fish, did she go back , in ??

I wish. The line she hit was the furthest away from me (was fishing 9 flag lines), by the time I got to it and set the hook, she had swallowed my quick strike rig. Both trebles deeply embedded in her gullet, couldn't free them despite using jaw spreaders, lip gripper and longnose pliers. Being alone didn't help.

I gave her to a friend of mine that doesn't fish, he got a free filleting lesson including y bone removal. Up until that point, he had never seen fish guts or organs in his life. LOL.

Not thrilled that I had to harvest it, but at least it didn't go to waste, and turned out to be the biggest pike I've ever cut up.

[Rusty Roger]

Beautiful pike!!

[FreshwaterPhil]

Beautiful pike!!

Thanks!

[WARRIOR_ON_ICE]

for the 1st time in my life, someone showed me a literal " big fish in a small pond " . Thanks for the picture Phil

[FreshwaterPhil]

for the 1st time in my life, someone showed me a literal " big fish in a small pond " . Thanks for the picture Phil

Magical place. I pulled out by biggest largie ever from the same pond a few winters ago.



Some decent carp in there as well.

[icefishman]

Nice!

[reddog11]

Nice.