|  Author | Topic: Big Champlain Pike Reports and Pictures (Read 355 times) |
champlainangler
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|  | Big Champlain Pike Reports and Pictures
« Thread Started on Sept 14, 2009, 8:05am » | |
I’m just catching up on a few recent charter reports and the news is good for the lake’s warm water fishery! We’re still pounding the pike, pickerel and largemouth bass. These fish appear to be real healthy, and they are certainly powerful and robust! The numbers are really hard to believe…
On September 5th I hosted the Lees, a family of four from Florida and NY City. Over an eight hour day we boated more than 50 northern pike, pickerel and largemouth bass. There were a number of large pike brought to the net over the course of the day including this fish caught by Stephanie…
http://www.angelfire.com/home/lake/images/pikesteph9509.jpg
Bert caught a couple of dandy largemouth including one massive fish that slipped out of my hands while rinsing off a little blood prior to the photo op. We did get a picture of the monster bass as it was being unhooked and that will be added to this report when I get it back from the family. Here’s the smaller bass that Bert caught just before the bigger one was landed…
http://www.angelfire.com/home/lake/images/bassbert9509.jpg
On the following day I fished with return client Jeff G, from Jersey. The same six spots just keep producing fish! Jeff and I put over 30 pike in the boat in just four hours including this beauty…
http://www.angelfire.com/home/lake/images/pikejeff9609.jpg
I spent another week in Maine getting another Coast Guard endorsement (Survival Craft/Lifeboatman) for my portfolio, so I didn’t book any charters over the week. I did refer one inquiry (Laura) to the Birch’s guide service on the south end of the lake. I hit the lake again with a family from Vermont on Saturday the 12th and we caught good numbers again! We boated over 20 pike, pickerel and bass on the four-hour trip. Here are a few shots of some of the bigger fish from that outing…
John’s chunky pickerel…
http://www.angelfire.com/home/lake/images/pickereljohn91209.jpg
The ladies, Mary and Cindy, and more big pike…
http://www.angelfire.com/home/lake/images/pikemary91209a.jpg
http://www.angelfire.com/home/lake/images/pikecindy91209.jpg
Finally, on September 13th I hosted a couple of experienced anglers, Pete from Colchester, VT, and John from Seneca Lake, NY. I fished along with them and we brought just under 70 bass of both species, pickerel and pike to the boat in only seven hours. Both men had grand slams for the day. Here are a few photos of their better fish including this double…
http://www.angelfire.com/home/lake/images/pikepetejohn91309.jpg
A couple more nice fish caught by Pete…
http://www.angelfire.com/home/lake/images/pikepete91309.jpg
http://www.angelfire.com/home/lake/images/basspete91309.jpg
It’s a great time to be fishing warm water species. Get out there!
Captain Mick
www.LakeChamplainAngler.com
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salmoneye
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| | Re: Big Champlain Pike Reports and Pictures
« Reply #1 on Sept 14, 2009, 11:18am » | |
A pleasure to look at your pics, as always...
Thanks,
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fishinmachine
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| | Re: Big Champlain Pike Reports and Pictures
« Reply #2 on Sept 14, 2009, 11:54am » | |
neeto..coool,, I may have to give that a try myself
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vtbass
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| | Re: Big Champlain Pike Reports and Pictures
« Reply #3 on Sept 14, 2009, 5:52pm » | |
Capt. Mick ... some great fishing and really nice catch rates. But, personally, I just don't think that pike under 10 pounds like what you posted are "big". Where are the 15's, the 20's, the 25's?? Why isn't Champlain producing trophy-class pike? Sure, some people are happy going out and catching 30 pike in a day. It's definitely fun. But with all the numbers of pike people catch throughout the whole year on the big lake, why isn't there a 20-pounder ever reported? This lake should be rivaling Quebec or Manitoba for producing trophy pike. It's got everything it needs - space, depth, cover, and lots and lots of food. But right now, it's not even rivaling NJ, or CT for size.
I just don't get it.
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mab555
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| | Re: Big Champlain Pike Reports and Pictures
« Reply #4 on Sept 14, 2009, 11:04pm » | |
I often wondered the same thing. The only reasons I could ever come up with were tip up fishing, where large numbers of fat ones are caught and kept, and the first class bass fishery we have. The bass fishing causes a great deal of pressure on Champlain, even though it is a big lake. It also means a large number of baitfish are being eaten by bass. Also in champlain, we have so many different predatory species that sometimes I wonder if they are competing for too little foed for them all. I also feel species such as Bowfin seem to be more plentiful now and more larger ones as well. Maybe this has something to do with it and maybe none of it does. Thats why I would also like to hear the opinion of a professional guide. When we start thinking a 7 lb. northern is a "big" pike, we may have a problem.
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Razzle Dazzle
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| | Re: Big Champlain Pike Reports and Pictures
« Reply #5 on Sept 15, 2009, 4:53am » | |
Nice job Capt.
Always a pleasure to read your stuff!
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~Gerry~
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bluelund
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| | Re: Big Champlain Pike Reports and Pictures
« Reply #6 on Sept 15, 2009, 6:59am » | |
All this pike talk makes me wonder if I should try for some pike when I come up on Thursday. I would be more than pleased with a 30 fish day of pike, whether they were 5 or 10 pounds. Within close proximity of button bay is my best bet to fish the bays of little Otter and Otter creek this time of year to look for some pike?
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champlainangler
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| | Re: Big Champlain Pike Reports and Pictures
« Reply #7 on Sept 15, 2009, 8:27am » | |
Hey Guys,
In my book, on Lake Champlain, any pike over 10 pounds is a trophy. It's all relative. To some who have never fished pike or caught them, a five pounder would be a fish to brag about. 20 pounds on Lake Champlain would be exceptional. If you check the LCI stats, the top 10 pike weights are usually in the 12 and up range, with few over 15 and there are a few thousand anglers fishing warm water each year. We have caught many fish this season over 8 and up to 12 pounds. My feeling is that the pike fishing has improved and like the lakers we were catching in April, May and June, we should see bigger fish in the next few years. More thorough lamprey control helps and now the Poultney and other VT rivers are finally being treated more aggressively, with proper lethal limits, and in a timely four year cycle. Things should improve even more. I used to see many more pike with lamprey hits, and I'm seeing fewer these days. We're catching more fish for a days efforts too. I'm not a qualified biologist like Shawn Good is, so perhaps he is the one to ask about why bigger fish ( 15-20 pounders) are not the norm on Champlain. I know my clients are enjoying the good pike fishing and that is key to my business. If I were fishing Atlantic salmon, I would be catching fish mostly in the 1 - 3 pound range and very few over 5 pounds. The Champlain record salmon is 12 pounds plus. How often do you hear of one even close to that being caught these days? On Ontario they get much bigger. There must be a good explanation. Smallmouth bass on Lake Erie get a lot larger than they do here. Why? Largemouth on southern lakes get huge, partly due to the warmer climate I'm sure, but here a largemouth of 7 pounds is exceptional. Having said all this, I am grateful for the improved sizes we are seeing these days. Let's see if Shawn chimes in on this thread. In the mean time my clients and I are having a ball, and are indeed worn out, after a day catching and releasing loads of "good sized" pike, pickerel and bass in July, August and September.
Here are the reports in case you missed them...
http://www.angelfire.com/home/lake/reports.html
Captain Mick
www.LakeChamplainAngler.com
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fishinmachine
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| | Re: Big Champlain Pike Reports and Pictures
« Reply #8 on Sept 15, 2009, 2:55pm » | |
when are we gong to stop shooting northerns?
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vtbass
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| | Re: Big Champlain Pike Reports and Pictures
« Reply #9 on Sept 16, 2009, 8:28am » | |
champlainangler -- I agree that what constitutes a trophy to individual anglers will vary widely, with experience. All I'm saying is that over the course of a year, with a guide like yourself and all the clients you have and all the pike they catch, you'd think that eventually someone would luck into a truly giant northern pike. But, as you said, 10-12 pounds is about where your clients max out. It's a mystery why even in the LCI, the winning pike tend to be under 15 pounds. Champlain should be growing bigger pike, in my opinion. Maybe lamprey control will help, but there's gotta be more to it than that. When pike over 20 pounds are caught in waters only a couple hundred acres in size, but Champlain doesn't produce them, something doesn't seem right.
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voyager
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| | Re: Big Champlain Pike Reports and Pictures
« Reply #10 on Sept 16, 2009, 7:06pm » | |
Capt. Mick - Thanks for sharing another great report. You have some very happy clients there. Keep up the good work. And congratulations on your new certifications.
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Capt Tony
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| | Re: Big Champlain Pike Reports and Pictures
« Reply #11 on Sept 16, 2009, 7:45pm » | |
Capt. Mick, I am with you on this one. Those fish you posted are very good size. I also agree that having a happy client at the end of the day is a reward that is hard to forget. We also have been doing better on Pike the past couple years then in years past. 4,6,8,10 pounds. Sure or largest so far this season landed was just over 12 pounds but going out and nailing fish consistently throughout the day on light tackle is great. I personally would be happy with and outing such as the ones you reported on. Many people who charter us may have never even caught a fish before. I totally agree that someone who has never experienced a pike on light tackle before is in for a treat with a 4-6 pounder.
To VTBASS, you bring up an interesting question I also am a charter captain on lake Champlain and experience the same thing as Captain Mick. I also am not a biologist and cant explain why we do not see more larger Pike. I can say that myself as well as my clients along with Captain Mick and his clients are having a blast and staying on the fish.
Capt. Tony
www.anbradoncharters.com
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