A true trophy pike 2024
Dwight Hottle reply :
I just got back from our annual fishing trip to Lake Athabasca in northern Saskatchewan. My previous personal best pike was 26lbs and my buddy and I have chased the elusive 30 lber for about 15 years. This year on the first morning in camp I got lucky. We had to break ice to get to one of our favorite bays but it paid off. I caught this 32 lber on a lc pointer 100 saltwater series. She measured 49 inches long by 21.75 inch girth. She only had one hook point of the rear treble in her upper lip so I was very nervous until we finally got her in the cradle. I love chasing big smallies but this fish really made my year. 
Grey Wolf reply :
What a beauty !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
S I G M A reply :
That is a beast!
esoxangler reply :
Congrats on a your personal best!
RoLo reply :
OOHHH BABY!!
Congratulations Dwight, you are one of the very fortunate few (I believe Al Lindner is still seeking his first 30 lb pike)
I almost missed this post, you need to post this gator on "My Fishing Outing", that's a "World-Class" pike!
I'm planning a trip to Lac Seul, Ontario this September (working on the passport now),
but maybe I should switch my game plan to Lake Athabasca, SK
Roger
mrlitetackle reply :
two words......
simply amazing 
Uncle Leo reply :
Wow great northern. Sounds like it is still pretty chilly up there.
moby bass reply :
One beautiful fish. Congratulations. What was the rest of the tackle you were using to get her?
shaw24 reply :
Wow very nice...I've never been fishing for Pike but what if that fish decided he wanted to shake or flop while your holding him like that???
fishinfiend reply :
That thing is awesome!!! Very beautiful :-*
roadwarrior reply :
CONGRATULATIONS!
Dwight Hottle reply :
Here is an other photo with Ian Besse our guide for the week. I'm 61 & she was plenty to handle for a photo. I caught her on a St Croix 6'6" legend elite bait caster rated 1/4 oz to 3/4 oz coupled with a Shimano calis spooled with 20lb braid. Thanks for sharing your congrats. I really know how special it is to get a pike this size to the boat. Very lucky indeed.
Gone_Phishin reply :
Awesome. That truly is 'Slime Time' Congrats!
What kind of leader were you using?
Dwight Hottle reply :
120lb florocarbon leader.
Gone_Phishin reply :
Quote120lb florocarbon leader.
Atta boy. Fluoro leaders are really starting to catch on in pike and ski circles...and for good reason.
Bernie Mac reply :
Congrats...what a beut she is
LCpointerKILLA reply :
thats one nice fish
sambrochill reply :
wow! thats a gorgoues fish!
congratulations!
farmpond1 reply :
Holy Schneike!!!! That's one big pike. I'm lucky if I catch a 40" pike. I have a friend who uses oversized musky baits for that elusive big pike. He's done well but not nearly this well. Great job!
Tin reply :
Congrats!
They are rare there but on occasions in the fall at Great Sacandaga Lake in New York I have seen pike well over 4.5 feet long follow my spinnerbaits to the boat and their heads atleast 10". It is the home of the 46 pound world record and the next will be taken out of there.
During pre-fishing there late last September I witnessed my buddy have a pike on a spinnerbait that was easily 30 pounds (no disrespect to Mr. Hottle). Needless to say that War Eagle snapped in about 30 seconds but it was just enough to see her torpedo out. And we saw another 4-5 follow our baits to the boat in that same size class. By far the largest freshwater fish I have ever seen.
If you were looking into a trip to break 30 pounds that is the place to go Rolo.
Iowa Matt reply :
If thats the case, why would you ever fish for bass in that lake? If there are 30+ lb pike all over, break out the big baits and catch them.........way more fun when available than any bass that ever lived IMHO.
Matt
J Francho reply :
Trophy Northern water usually = trophy bass water.
****************************
Excellent catch, Dwight. Gotta love those German Shepherds with fins
Tin reply :
QuoteIf thats the case, why would you ever fish for bass in that lake? If there are 30+ lb pike all over, break out the big baits and catch them.........way more fun when available than any bass that ever lived IMHO.Matt
I have only seen them in the fall and the only times I have been up there are for tournaments or prefishing for them. Plus it is one of the better smallmouth fisheries around and I just don't have much interest in pike, they are just like pickeral to me. And I have only seen 4 or 5 of them so it's not like they are all over the place.
My dad is the pike hunter.
wisturkeyhunter reply :
You've seen 4-5 30+lb pike and you don't fish for em?
p.s. the world record ain't from north america
Don B reply :
What a monster of a pike!
Tin reply :
QuoteYou've seen 4-5 30+lb pike and you don't fish for em?p.s. the world record ain't from north america
Yea sorry, North American record. Germany and Scotland supposedly have the 50+ pound fish.
No, we would just pull up on a grass flats looking for smallies, throw the spinnerbaits or spooks, and a couple of the flats had those monsters. Never saw a small one, only those giants. We were fishing in just 3-4 feet and the water was down 6-8 feet. I was up there for two days and only saw those few. The boater I pulled the second day was a guide up there and he said they are definitely in there but they are non-existent until fall. Don't know where they go. :-?
Folshen reply :
That definitely makes for a great fish story, congrats!
SuperNewbie reply :
dang man that thing is a haaasss!!!!!
Lynx reply :
NICE!
jaystraw reply :
Nice work!!! That's a beauty.
Rebel Angler reply :
WOOOH thats a nice fish
congrats man!
The one that got away reply :
That is one nice northern.
I had one on a white 1/2 ounce Terminator spinnerbait on Lake Champlain in VT in early Sept this year. Got it to about 15-20ft from the boat and lost him. It was a good 48"+ in length (a pretty good estimate, because I landed several in the 30" range that same day), but mine didn't have quite the girth that your monster does.
Great job on landing a GREAT fish. Congrats.
RoLo reply :
As many times as I see that photo, I get excited all over (luv them Gators).
Dwight is the Al Lindner of the Northeast, he has boated record-class pike,
lake trout, smallmouth bass and walleyes....a remarkable angler!
Roger
Paul Roberts reply :
Gotta ask:
Why a FC leader? Why not...hard mono, or any of the wires available? What does FC offer?
Dwight Hottle reply :
Paul,
We started using fc leaders about three years ago. We used to use store bought steel leaders, then titanium but had nunerous componet failures. We then started making our own with quality snaps & swivels & mostly seven strand wire which we tied rather than crimped. Eventually they all kink & need replaced. Then we tried fc leaders not so much for the stealth aspect but the durability. I often use one fc leader for 3-4 days or the whole week on a pike trip. Minimum of 8 hours per day, mostly all casting. The fc leaders are the most cost effective considering the durability aspect. They are hand tied & then crimped to keep the tag end from fouling weeds. I often replace the duo-loc snap after a few days & continue using the leader. I'm pretty anal about quality componets & retying all knots.
A-Jay reply :
Way to go DH - you're proving once again that traveling & fishing where the Trophy fish live Really improves ones chances of catching one.
btw
QuoteI'm pretty anal about quality components & retying all knots.
X2
I'm right there with ya ~ But instead anal - those of us also afflicted prefer the term
"attention to detail"
A-Jay
Dwight Hottle reply :
A-Jay your attention to detail comment reminds me of a quote from a fishing buddy "when attention to detail meets opportunity its not luck" ;)
basser89 reply :
QuotePaul,We started using fc leaders about three years ago. We used to use store bought steel leaders, then titanium but had nunerous componet failures. We then started making our own with quality snaps & swivels & mostly seven strand wire which we tied rather than crimped. Eventually they all kink & need replaced. Then we tried fc leaders not so much for the stealth aspect but the durability. I often use one fc leader for 3-4 days or the whole week on a pike trip. Minimum of 8 hours per day, mostly all casting. The fc leaders are the most cost effective considering the durability aspect. They are hand tied & then crimped to keep the tag end from fouling weeds. I often replace the duo-loc snap after a few days & continue using the leader. I'm pretty anal about quality componets & retying all knots.
Hey Dwight,
I was just curious. What pound test FC leaders are you using? I'm using 65# test for these Potomac beasts.
Dwight Hottle reply :
basser89-We have been using 120lb fc leaders. I started using 80lb but had some biteoffs. Pike often miss a lure but hit the leader in front of the bait if your retrieving fast and or erratically especially with a side to side walk the dog type bait.
24ergast reply :
I started using fc leaders for pike this year, so far no problem.
What length do you use? mine are up to 2 ' long as I had problems with pike biting over a foot long leader...
Dwight Hottle reply :
24ergast-We use 12" leaders for casting & 36" for trolling. Anything longer than 15" for casting can become a problem in a crowded boat.
24ergast reply :
thx, i had that problem myself, i use it manly for trolling. the lake i 'm fishing is a bit difficult to read, you never know were the big ones are lurking...
basser89 reply :
Quotebasser89-We have been using 120lb fc leaders. I started using 80lb but had some biteoffs. Pike often miss a lure but hit the leader in front of the bait if your retrieving fast and or erratically especially with a side to side walk the dog type bait.
Wow! Thanks for the feedback Dwight! Like you, one of my good friends ties ours. Neither of us have had an issue with the 65lb fluro leaders, but I'll definitely pass that info onto him as well. He and I have both landed mid to upper 40" class muskies with the ones we use. Better safe than sorry! Speaking of length of the leaders, my friend uses 12" and I prefer 18". I've had a couple larger muskies go into a death roll and cut me off on the 12" size when I used them. Since I upgraded the length, I haven't had an issue.
b.Lee reply :
That is my dream to be able to do some Nor Pike fishing
Tokyo Tony reply :
Beautiful, beautiful fish there Dwight. Congratulations. All of the fish you post are very impressive, especially this one.
Eternal Angler reply :
One word wow, that pice is a beaut! You just catch monster fish don't you? Jealous, lol. I can't belive the size of that smallmouth in your pic, it looks bigger than D.L. Hayes smallmouth bass.
hawgchaser reply :
What a trophy!!!! Congrats on beautiful fish!!!
tennwalkinghorse reply :
Wow what a fish, nice job landing that pike on one hook
NewKidInTown reply :
QuoteI just got back from our annual fishing trip to Lake Athabasca in northern Saskatchewan. My previous personal best pike was 26lbs and my buddy and I have chased the elusive 30 lber for about 15 years. This year on the first morning in camp I got lucky. We had to break ice to get to one of our favorite bays but it paid off. I caught this 32 lber on a lc pointer 100 saltwater series. She measured 49 inches long by 21.75 inch girth. She only had one hook point of the rear treble in her upper lip so I was very nervous until we finally got her in the cradle. I love chasing big smallies but this fish really made my year.
Awesome fish,,but that Smallie in the avatar excites me even more! I gotta ask,,what did that beast weight?
Dwight Hottle reply :
The smallie weighed 7lbs-6oz.
24ergast reply :
Hi guys,
What brand of fc are you using for leaders(for toothy critters), i 'm looking for larger spools (more than 5m) and a wider range of diameters...
Dwight Hottle reply :
Try seguar fc.
24ergast reply :
Thanks Dwight, I 'll do that:-)
CBRNguy reply :
VERY VERY NICE
wounded minnow reply :
That thing is a BEAST!
bassman31783 reply :
I know I'm months late but WOW what a fish. Big congrats Dwight. What a beautiful beautiful fish.
rgbaseball reply :
great fish my friend looks like a real hand full!!!
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