Sunday, August 16, 2015

Pike Comeback!

This past month has been one of the best times for pike fishing on the Looking Glass river in DeWitt in the last three years.  My friends and I have had amazing success lately, including one special day when I caught a 20 and a 26-incher, and my friends hooked several pike in the mid 30s.  I have to admit I was a little jealous that my friends were catching all these big pike, so I decided I needed to catch a monster of my own, and soon!  My dad and I headed out to our regular pike spot in the DeWitt Riverfront Park where my friend and I had seen a huge pike just days earlier.  The action started within five minutes of our arrival, as I cast a six-inch sucker under a bobber towards a pool. Soon after, the bobber start to move around, and I wondered if the pike was playing with it.  I gave the rod a few quick pulls to see if the bait was making my rod move, or a pike.  Then I saw a huge flash and I knew a pike was on and I set the hook!  As soon as I set the hook, the pike immediately got tangled up in a brush pile.  I let out more line, handed the pole to my dad and waded in.  I got the pike untangled and was able to land him.



I can't claim total credit for landing this pike, since my dad was holding the pole while I was untangling my line.  It was a team effort!  The pike that we landed together measured 37 inches and was my personal best for 2015.

That day, I caught several other pike, one just over 30 and one just under 30. I caught both using the same tactic and the same bait.






Catching all these pike is fun, but it's also a sign that the pike population is increasing, and maybe a sign that other fish populations, like the smallmouth bass, are also increasing in the Glass.  I look forward to more Looking Glass river pike fishing this summer!