everyones big fish experience

[Cody Gruchow]

I wanted to know everyones big fish tale...either the big one that got away or you acually caught it. my big fish experience happened on the ice just on saturday night on lake mille lacs. one of our rattle reels went off so i went to set the hook and upon setting the hook the fish took off so fast and hard that the line cut my finger open and no matter what i did i could not get the fish to stop so it stripped all the line off of the rattle reel. i dont know what kind of fish it was my guess it was a big muskie my buddys think it was a big northern but i guess we will never know. we had seen a big tale on the camera about 15 minutes before that but not good enough to make out what kind of fish. so im curious about everyone else's big fish storys.

[Outdoors Junkie]

It was labor day weekend 2005.  My dad, my two boys, a friend and I were trolling the Tamarack river heading out to the mouth of URL.  I hooked a big northern.  I struggled with this big brute for 15-20 minutes.  I finally landed it and it was 37 inches and was 18 lbs.  It was the biggest fish I had ever caught in my life.  In fact, it was the biggest fish any of us had ever caught.  We kept trolling making our way to the mouth and would catch a walleye here and there (having to throw them all back because the lake was closed to walleyes back then). 

We got out to the mouth and it was pretty rough water (a few white caps).  So we decided to pull the boat up along shore by the public access.  We started casting our dare devils.  My oldest boy (Jacob) cast his line and the dare devil lands two feet from a bobber of another guy fishing in the area.  I start chewing him out, when he says I think I got something.  I say "It's probaly a snag".  He keeps reeling and it doesn't look like anything is fighting the line.  Then all of a sudden, this big fish surfaces and dives back down.  I yell to my dad "grab the landing net".  I start climbing down the bank to get close to the water.  Jacob just keeps reeling and my dad passes down the net.  I scoop it up.  It was another huge pike.  It took him maybe three minutes to reel it in.  We measure it and it is 39 inches and weigh in at 20 lbs.  It took me 32 years to catch my family record fish, then my 9 year old son passes me up 25 minutes later.  It still is the biggest fish anyone in our family has ever caught.  My son will never stop giving me a hard time about it.

Enjoy the picture.


Forum maintenance

[Cody Gruchow]

congrats those are some huge fish. thanks for the pic

[lazer224]

This is not my biggest fish, but certainly my oddest. We were fishing out on Leech last year catching bluegills non-stop. After pulling up and starting to unhook one, I glanced down my  to see this pike  half way up my hole, obviously chasing my last bluegill.. Seeing as she couldn't go in reverse and couldn't turn around, I grabbed her. After a quick picture, we sent her back down the hole. So I guess I really didn't "catch" her, but I did "grab" her. 
Bill

[Cody Gruchow]

  yeah that counts that is odd but the fishes misfortune gets you a great pic and a great memory congrat