weird catch this weekend
 

I went to get a bit of work done on my car after work on Friday. Conveniently, my mechanic's shop is in the same parking lot I use to access one of my spots on the CT River. So, I grab my gear and headed down for about an hour, threw on a canal special, and tried my luck for a striper. At the end of one of my casts I get wacked. A decent sized splash, but an odd feeling fight. As I get the fish close to shore. I here a guy say " That's the biggest pickerel I've ever seen!". Anyway, it was a7# toothy pike. Unforunately, hooked in the gills and bleeding pretty bad. After I dislodeged the hook, A guy asked me how they taste, as I was stating there was no way it was going to make it. I told him pretty good, just tough to fillet. He asked me for the fish and I obliged. Made a few more casts and buttoned into a 29" striper that was fat and my guess full of roe. Released successfully. I snapped a pic of the pike but couldn't get it off of my phone to my computer. I'll try again later. All and all a fun way to spend an hour. Got a few more decent stripers over the weekend. I love this time of year.

You ccan bump into some oddball stuff on the river during the striper run. I landed a 9# catfish on a redfin a few years ago and know a guy that took a 6# smallie on 10" fin s fish at the enfield dam. Also a few small pike during the early season on swimmers from time to time. Getting one on a pp is really cool though!
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When there is food on the water, everything will feed, and you can and will catch everything.....eventually!
It's not that those unusual species are not always there, but rather that they are not always seen!

Not a bad outing.

Keep an eye out for that million dollar fish in the CT river.

What million dollar fish??

I caught a nice 20lb range carp on a bucktail couple of springs ago. Fought like 40 lb skate.

from what it said in the paper, they are looking for this large pike for a study. reward is something like $15,000. You just have to look for a small knick on the tail that they used to identify it. said it should be 6-7# by now...

Very good you gave the pike to some one for food rather than release it and let it die a slow, nasty death........:)

way ta go Mike :btu:

Fishing Report - Cabelas Contest To Stock Fish Worth More than 2 Million Dollars in Prizes | GoFISHn on GoFISHn

Applicable places (for most of us, at least) to catch one of them:

CT
Highland Lake
Connecticut River
Mashapaug Lake

ME
Cobbosseecontee Lake
Long Lake

Fishing Report - Cabelas Releases List of Waters that could Make you a Millionare | GoFISHn on GoFISHn

way to go mike been hanging with the skunk lately

I fish the Ct as well this time of the year and have had my share of other types. Especially the mutant fish with legs! lol

Sounds like a mud guppy