Last year while fishing lake massabesic in New hampshire I caught this 17" brown trout... as you can see, it took a hit from a large predator... after it happend I posted the picture on another site...I got all kinds of wild suggestion on what the damage was from..every thing from propeller and osprey ( as you can see the wounds are very fresh) to otter..seeing as there was 18" of ice at the time.. it kind of ruled out propellers and osprey..

personaly, I think a large Pike.. as massabesic has been an eploratory stocking lake for New hampshire, and at one time or another has been stocked with every species... otter is a possibility, but I find it hard to believe ANYTHING could escape the vise like grip of a fish eating machine like an otter... not that dont travel, this fish was taken in 20' of water at the edge of the drop off..kind of the same principle we would fish for tuna or cod...

Ouch! Talk about leaving a mark. :err:

It wouldn't have escaped an otter. I say a pike that had eyes bigger than his stomach.
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It wouldn't have escaped an otter. I say a pike that had eyes bigger than his stomach.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I aggree! I trapped for 30 years.. 15 years of it fedral damage control officer... I caught lots of otter... more than once .. I barely got away.. and only with the help of a well placed 22 mag holow point..

Pike is my guess. I brought in largemouth on a local pond around 15 inches and behind it was a very big pike checking out the struggling fish. It didn't hit it but I wouldn't have been too surprised if it did. Maybe it even hit it as you were bringing it in. Feel anything like that?

:point: Maybe it even hit it as you were bringing it in. Feel anything like that?

That's my guess, were there bite marks on both sides?

Seals... they'ze everywhere!

yes matching set of bite marks.. nope wasn't hit on the way in... My guess is, that the "attacker" was laying along the edge of the drop in the weed line as the water went from 6' to 20 in a 10' span.. a very steep drop that has yielded many a brown trout and a host of other fish...

nice fish joe
what was the bait?

nice fish joe
what was the bait?

3" pond shiner fished 2' above the bottom..

Beautiful fish though isn't it.

Beautiful fish though isn't it.

they are.. to me.. the holy grail.. I love catching Browns... i released it hopefully being winter it might have a better chance of surviving... I've caught them there as big as 7 lbs.. talk about beautifull...

they are.. to me.. the holy grail.. I love catching Browns... i released it hopefully being winter it might have a better chance of surviving... I've caught them there as big as 7 lbs.. talk about beautifull...

yeah i concur ...they are special