Diane's first BIG pike

Brought my girlfriend Diane to do a little pike fishing in the Escanaba harbor on the evening of Sept. 11th, (September has always been the best month of the year to catch big pike on Little Bay de Noc.) I set her up with a 1 ounce spinnerbait on a heavy spinning rod that I use for salmon fishing in the rivers. I told her that I've caught kings pushing 30 pounds on that set-up, and that it should be plenty strong enough for any pike we might cross paths with. I also told her to hold on with both hands, since trolling at 3 to 4 mph, even small fish hit like a ton of bricks!

Well, we started our troll and didn't even go 100 yards before a fish hit Diane's bait so hard, it nearly jerked her out of the seat! She fought the fish well, and after a great battle, the fish was in the net. Turned out to be her biggest fish ever - a beautiful 44 inch northern! About this time is when I realized I forgot to bring the camera, (never fails - the one time you forget it, is when you catch a pig!) Luckily we live close by, so I put the fish in the livewell, and motored back to the dock. Ran to the house to grab the camera and call my folks to have them meet us at the dock. After a quick photo session, she was released.

Way to go Diane!