Once you see this, you will understand one thing. You have been fishing all wrong! Maybe ice fishing is not your thing. For me, I much prefer surfing a lake that is as smooth as glass in my bass boat. Either that, or deep-sea fishing. Or fishing from the bank. Okay, I guess I like just about any kind of fishing.
Give me a rod and reel, and I am a happy guy. However, seeing this fellow pull up on a snowmobile and fish around for a few minutes in this icy hole has made me question a few things. Things like my fishing method in particular. I’m thinking of packing my bags and moving to Minnesota, or taking a trip to Siberia once a year. I mention the latter because the language spoken here is obviously Russian.
However, some things translate universally. Pulling up a massive fish through an icy hole is one of them.
Look at the Size of This Fish!
Yep, you heard me right. This guy pulls a fish out of that hole that is almost as long as he is. In case you aren’t familiar with his catch, I will give you a hint. (more…)
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It looks, acts and sounds like a pike. Therefore, I would say it’s a pike. And what a massive pike it is! This fish is the stuff of fishing lore. It would grace the cover of any
It looks, acts and sounds like a pike. Therefore, I would say it’s a pike. And what a massive pike it is! This fish is the stuff of fishing lore. It would grace the cover of any fishing magazine. Check out the spotting and the beautiful bright red gills. It is as healthy as anything you would want to catch from a lake, and it seems to please this guy. He has a grin on his face that is wider than the state of Montana, and proudly holds his catch up for the world to see. That’s what it’s all about anyway. Most of us want to have a story to tell our friends later. We just need photographic evidence to back it up. Otherwise, we are just one of those salty dogs down by the dock who constantly talk about the ones that got away. Our friend was prepared though. He made sure to get evidence of his glory day in the hot sun… er, I mean, cold snowy wonderland. Whatever, you get the point.
The Fishing Rig Is The Most Unbelievable Part
So what does it take to pull off something like this? Well, evidently you just need a very simple rig and a lot of patience. In fact, I was struck by just how simple the rig is. It appears to be nothing more than a stick laid crosswise over a hole with line dangling from the other end. How rudimentary! Even here in the states, our ice fishing rigs are a little bit more intricate than that. This is especially true if we are trying to catch something of any size. If you told me this guy was going to pull a 4 1/2 foot long pike out of a hole by using a twig and some twine, I would have laughed you out of town. The only person laughing here, though, is him.
When you pull off something like this, it makes all of those bad days of fishing seem absolutely nonexistent. It’s like they all just wither up and shrink away like ghosts and goblins after Halloween. We live for days like that. Sure, there are plenty of times we get frustrated with our fishing line that ends up looking like a bad bird’s nest on our reel, or those wayward casts that end up scaring birds out of trees. That’s why we have moments like this to live for.
They prove that there are massive fish in the water. Something big lurks beneath the surface. All of our cursing, potted meat lunches and days coming up empty-handed have a limit. Grant it, we might not know what that limit is, but this proves that there is one. It gives us a gentle head nod to let us know that every now and then the gods of fishing are on our side; and from time to time they reward us with the bounty that surprises even the most seasoned of professional/amateur/recreational fishermen. It’s what makes us go home and answer “Yes” to questions like, “Honey will you do the dishes for me this evening?” When you catch a pike the size of a small canoe, you would do just about anything for the other people in your life who are special. Well, anything except watch chick flicks and drink wine. Even the most patient man has his limits. We do have a reputation to maintain after all.
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