With anglers across the country eager to get out on October 1st—the official start of pike season—most were just hoping to feel a bend in the rod. However, predator fanatic Joe Grier had what he described as the "fish of a lifetime" with his very first bite.
Joe was targeting a large pit where he had found success at the end of last season, and believing there were even bigger fish in the venue, he spent the summer planning how to target them. This proved to be one of the best decisions he may make all year, possibly in his angling life, as he landed a monster pike weighing 36lb 4oz, smashing his previous personal best.
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"October is an exciting month for all of us pikers, and it also happens to be my birthday on the 2nd. With the 1st marking the start of the deadbait campaign, it gave me the perfect excuse to spend a few days on the bank," Joe explained to us.
"I started in a swim where I had left off at the end of last season after landing a big fish. I figured this area would be the best place to target first."
A couple of hours passed without so much as a beep on Joe's Delkims, despite being the in prime bite period on the water he was fishing. The lack of action spurred Joe into taking action, deciding to pack up and move a few hundred yards to his left, were the water got slightly deeper.
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"After moving, I cast out a 6-inch smelt pumped with king crab oil, and it didn’t take long before the back lead hit the bank stick, and I heard a couple of beeps on the Delks—then silence," he recalled.
"As I walked towards my rod, thinking it might have been a trout, I watched my braid start to slowly peel off, a foot or so at a time."
"With my rod in hand and my heart racing, I knew I had the first pike of the season picking up my bait."
"After a heart-pounding fight and a bicep-pumping battle, she was finally landed safely in the net."
"The scales read 36lb 4oz—a new personal best for me! It was an early birthday present, and the only bite I had over my two days on the bank," Joe concluded.
PIKE REQUIRE LOTS OF CARE WHEN ON THE BANK, READ HOW BEST TO HANDLE THEM IN OUR EXPERT GUIDE.
