Plan was, get Bren into her first "real" pike on the ice.
Landing on the lake with all the recent snowfall I had no exact idea of where we had set-up in March. We wandered a little, but the snow was tiresome so thinking we were close we set-up. I drilled two holes for eyes and four for pike, and so with Bren exercising a little Right, dropped 3 deadbait set-ups and one lure for the pikeys, and the 2 of us took to jiggin' in the eye holes.
Wind slowly built through the day as the sun eventually dipped behind the clouds for good. Temps were warm out of the gusts around zero, but the wind sure had a wee chill. The holes were filling with about 4-6 inches of slush every 15 minutes, and I got tired of making the long treks through the deep stuff to clear them, so I made it work suited for about every 45 minutes.
Bren had been jiggin the one hole she just wouldn't leave and was really putting the hurt on the walleye population. I was happy to see she was being respectful to the fishery and releasing many fish without me having to remind her that, the family for now has enough back home for a number of meals.
It was around noon when she hooked into a little drag peeler of a fish. Her eyes lit up with excitement. The drag on the little Mitchell ultralight sang a few short sweet tunes as the fish tugged away on the 10lb test Power Pro. Before long, she iced her new personal best pike, a 31 inch rocketus. Score 1 - 0
It was but only 10 minutes or so afterwards while jiggin eyes that I hooked into a tester of my own. Short battle over and a 35 incher came to hand. Score 1 - 1.
Things went a little weird after this. While off tending to the pike lines Bren ices a 35 inch pike of her own while jiggin eyes. PB #2. She affectionatley calls it a teenager, as her 31 was the baby. She made no measurement but said it was the same as my fish.
Upon returning to her, she nails another one. I'm watching my woman in awe. She's never caught a fish through the ice much bigger than a 3 pound walleye, now, she's playing what is another big fish like a champ. Only coaching I gave was brief, when I just said, pull up with the rod then reel down on the fish when it's not taking line. Be careful and slow when you think it's close to the hole, and, don't reel against the drag. She listened well, but in all honesty didn't really have too. She's seen bigger fish played before. After a good long stuggle, she manages to pull this 36 incher up a 36 inch deep hole, and, it's barely pegged on her favorite little Pixie spoon.
See what I mean. She's a champ. Up comes PB #3.
After a quick second lesson of the hold. Grip tight, don't let go if it tries to jerk free, watch the gills... yada yada... a little tentative Bren get's right in there.
After this biggun she wasn't even close to done. Same hole, back to jiggin, Bren ices her new personal best walleye; PB #4. A testy 22.5 incher.....
....only, to minutes later lock into battle with another big pike on her jiggin rod. The pike tussles but Bren over muscles, and stone to forehead a Goliath falls. Bren ices another new personal best (PB #5) a healthy looking 37 incher. Which, doesn't get photo time here as camera mode was wrong and all shots were a blur.
By this time I'm racking my brain trying to understand it all. It's about 3pm and all the pike set-ups haven't even had a nudge. Bren's been pounding them from a hole only 20 feet from mine, and her numbers on both the pike and eyes are sky rocketting. I took a walk to try and figure out where the heck we were set-up. The shades of the snow now much different from mornings, reveal the telling signs of where feet once walked below. I found our old tracks and pathways below the foot of cover and retraced.
As it turned out, we were too far north from my previous visits. In fact, my most southern pike set-up was about 30 feet off from my most northern set-up on the previous visits. We were also a little too shallow, with the exception of our eye holes and our southern most pike set-up. The way things were now I was able to imagine how the channel ran through that kilometer stretch. I wished I had brought the GPS.
While I had been gone Bren iced another "teenage" 35 inch pike. I settled to cook some chowdah on the camp stove when again, the woman pegs another line tugger. But this time, it's an eye. And a good one.
Personal best #6 (#2 for eyes) for the day, Bren decides she's letting this 24.5 inch healthy gold bar go after a pic with her other biggun from earlier. I'm tickled proud of her now.
After lunch, I take a seat in the chair and pick up a few eyes and one snot rocket of my own. Bren is doubling me from her hole. I catch myself often just watching her technique. A technique that isn't even really a technique. Drop it down, hold the rod, jiggle once, then let the wind push you slightly and often off balance so the tip moves by accident, and "POP" another fish. For the life of me, I couldn't duplicate it's simplicity and effectiveness.
Finally, 4pm and Bren's southern pike rig drops the rod tip. She says "you go, you haven't caught many."
And so off running I get to the set-up, peg a fish... or so I thought, little reel peel a few times, and it's gone. Put the set-up back, action again, leave it a good while to take the bait, pick up the rod... it's gone. Nothing after that.
Over on PikeSlayerinator#1 about 20 minutes later, after just cleaning out the hole and resetting the meat, I get some play. Wait.... wait.... hit.... play, play, nibble, nibble.... good solid tug at the meat by the fish.... tip holds down.... grab the line.... DRIVE IT.... reel peel.... gone.
Defeated I return to Bren. Racking my brain again... cursing the proven lousy hook percentage of quick-strikes and wishing I had gone old school. To add salt to the wound, Bren's into another solid chunky monkey.
No questions, good long fight with some big runs and a couple worrisome headshakes, Bren then at the hole turns it up with ease.
Personal best #7. A chunky, really battle scarred, big momma 38 incher at 18lbs is in my baby's arms. Bren says, "I like catching the big ones....."
.... And so, exasperated, awestruck and happy as a pig in poop, to show me that the previous 5 personal best pike weren't flukes, Bren about half an hour later locks into another Kesagami giant.
Battle details aside, the seasoned pro plays another fish perfectly.
Again, like all others before it, it's barely hooked. She has no leader. All fish were taken on a 1 1/2 inch Pixie on the tried, tested and true 10lb Power Pro. Unfrickinbelievable, Bren is 9 for 9 on pike for the day.
Personal best for my girl (PB#6 for pike, #8 for the day) a 39 incher weighing 17 and change.
Did she need my help, I guess not. Really strange to see all her fish come in succession like that.
Nearing time to go home off on Bren's southern pike rod set-up the tip drops like an anvil from the sky. Bren gives the nod and I'm gone.
At the hole the reels screaming. Pick it up once it stops, feel some weight, tighten the drag and hammer it home. One fish pee'd off it heads for the hills with a lightening fast first run, but after that, puts on it's boxing gloves for a good few rounds of drunken boxing. I knew it was a good fish, not my best, and I told Bren that when she arrived to me and dug at my side for the camera. Finally, up "he" came.
We completed the run in inches from 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, and then the topper, my good shouldered, big headed, yet anorexicly tapered 40.
What a day.
That put the end to 2007 ice fishing. Was amazing what Bren pulled off in the final hour, going 9 for 9 on the pike and getting 25 walleye as well. Results for me were dismal in comparison with 12 walleye and 3 for 8 on the pike. Way to go Bren. Enjoy "your' report ya spoil sport.
Totals on the pike for 2007 went like this....
RJ - 44" - 22lb to take top honors this year.
me - 42.5" - 20.5lb
me - 42"
me - 40.25"
me - 40"
me - 39"
Bren- 39"
Bren- 38"
RJ - 38"
Jaz - 38"
me - 38"
me - 38"
me - 37"
Bren- 37"
Bren- 36"
me - 35"
me - 35"
Bren - 35"
Bren - 35"
Jaz - 35"
Jaz - 35"
Total pike = 31 caught. 2 kept.
Largest walleye = 28" @ 8.5lbs.
Get's better every year.
Looking forward to seeing you both this June. 