Ever Have A Northern Too Large For The Hole?

[Prairiegoat]

Quote from: esox slayer on Today at 08:40 AM
I want to come out to Colorado and latch onto one of those pike some members from Colorado claim are too big girth wise to come through a 10 inch hole, never seen a pike get stuck coming through a hole that big....Esox

Did some quick calculations concerning girth and hole size cause that seemed quite a statement to me too!

10" is the largest legal hole you can drill in the ice in Colorado.

Girth is the actual circumference of the hole.

6" hole: 40" length X 18.85" girth = 15.8 lbs.
8" hole: 44" length X 25.13" girth = 30.8 lbs. Colorado record northern is 30 lbs. 11 oz.
10" hole: 48" length X 31.42" girth = 52.65 lbs.

Looks to me like there is a world record northern lurking in Colorado waters! That would be a little hard for me to believe, but I guess anything is possible! We do have Tiger Muskies with the state record a shade over 40 lbs; so there could be a monster one lurking out there.

[dabluz]

I've caught 40 lb cod and had little problem getting them through an 8 inch hole.  I had more problems with 10 or 12 lb Greenland halibut.

If I ever catch a pike too big for my 8 inch hole, I'm sure that at least the head of the pike will fit in the 8 inch hole and come up close enough to the surface so that I can put a big hook on the end of a rope and hold it there, then cut another hole about a foot away.    Then I would enlarge the hole with my ice chisel, let the fish back out of the first hole then grab the line with a piece of wire on the end of the ice chisel then pull the pike through the new hole.

[HomerJay]

I've caught 40 lb cod and had little problem getting them through an 8 inch hole.  I had more problems with 10 or 12 lb Greenland halibut.

If I ever catch a pike too big for my 8 inch hole, I'm sure that at least the head of the pike will fit in the 8 inch hole and come up close enough to the surface so that I can put a big hook on the end of a rope and hold it there, then cut another hole about a foot away.    Then I would enlarge the hole with my ice chisel, let the fish back out of the first hole then grab the line with a piece of wire on the end of the ice chisel then pull the pike through the new hole.

Dont forget about the part where you get his head through the hole you bash his head w/the spud. B/c if he is that big i would not want to give him any chance to get away!!!

[littleoldlady]

My husband and I use an 8"auger....last week, I lost a laker cause it wouldn't fit up the hole...he is now thinking
about getting a 10" auger..

[GrnDay33]

Caught a  22" Large mouth bass that I had to "SQUEEZE" through a 6" hold..Huge HEAD!!! but somehow had a tiny body..Funny looking sucker, But Fun to catch and even more fun to release.

[bigfish_1556]

I have a feeling that you wouldn't want to bash in the head of any pike that wouldn't fit through a 10" hole, unless, of course, you're looking for a reproduction mount At least try and squeeze it through....

[dabluz]

My husband and I use an 8"auger....last week, I lost a laker cause it wouldn't fit up the hole...he is now thinking
about getting a 10" auger..

wow....that was a monster lake trout.

If someone is thinking of buying a gas powered auger, I recommend at least a 10 inch auger.  When it's cold, the 10 inch hole takes more time to freeze up.  I have an 8 inch manual auger....too poor to buy a gax powered one.  Even if I had a gas powered auger, there would often be times when I couldn't use it because some of the places I go, I have to walk a good distance.  I sharpen the blades on my manual auger myself.  I get them sharp enough to shave the hairs on my fore arm.  Cutting holes is not much of a problem.  The ice is often over 3 feet thick by the end of the winter in my area.  I sometimes have to remove ice from around the hole with a hatchet so I can continue to turn the auger.  I always carry a spare set of blades.

[walleyechaser]

Yes.  I lost a real nice northern once because of this.  What I do know for tip ups is drill my standard 8" hole and bevel it with my spud.  Haven't lost another one due to hole size again.

Also for jigging I auger 2 holes very close together then chip away the middle part with my spud.  Creating an elliptical shaped hole.  So much easier to land big fish.

[Bluefinforme]

I've caught 40 lb cod and had little problem getting them through an 8 inch hole. 

that is great!!!!!!!!!!!! 

[RLWagner]

Have a Pike cruising a lake in White Lake Michigan that we have nicknamed Pegasus.
The first time to the hole we realized that we would have to enlarge the hole, while doing so he shook his mamouth head and snapped a 20# seven strand steel leader! (My cousin is a city boy without a lot of experience and held on too tight!)
Then the wife and I were gonna spear Pegasus, but even with a 30 by 18 hole, we did not have the confidence that we could get him up through it while keeping him on the spear, so we let him cruise by as we stood Pike-fevered! He has to be over 4" long!
We caught 19 legal Pike in that canal in three weeks, and all but two had teeth marks 1/2 way up their bodies! A 33"er was bit sideways and the bitemarks were 8.5" wide!
There are many more confrontations with pegasus but I will not bore you any longer with them.
I now save 15-18" suckers from the spring runs to fish on 60# quick strike muskie rigs when chasing Pegasus! The hunt continues!

[edfalc]

WOW!!!!!!now theres a story to tell the grandkids

[Prairiegoat]

Yes.  I lost a real nice northern once because of this.  What I do know for tip ups is drill my standard 8" hole and bevel it with my spud.  Haven't lost another one due to hole size again.

Also for jigging I auger 2 holes very close together then chip away the middle part with my spud.  Creating an elliptical shaped hole.  So much easier to land big fish.

I think that's the trick, bevel the hole.

[outdoorman18]

ive heard of the pike not getting through but it would have be quite big...never seen it though

[walleyechaser]

I think that's the trick, bevel the hole.

try it.  It really works.  Ya get their head started grab a hold and the rest will come.

[RLWagner]

try it.  It really works.  Ya get their head started grab a hold and the rest will come.

I never chop a tip-up hole without beveling it. This has saved many a sub-category-Pegasus Pikes.
This is a great suggestion from WC!

[pikemaster789]

I had a hole freeze over night, reopened it the next morn slightly smaller, and not been able to fit a pike through

[crappieslayer22]

i had a pickeral's head not beable to fit threw a 6 inch hole im not even kidding then he bit threw the 40lb test tip up line