Species: Northern Pike
Size: 19″
Lure used: bubble gum super fluke
Date: 7/23/2009
Time: 8:00-10:00pm
Body of water: Poplar Lake
Location: Gunflint Trail
Weather Conditions: overcast, no breeze
George had gone home earlier in the morning, so it was just Ken and I for the rest of the week. We decided it was time to go after the bass I missed the day before.
Before getting into THE spot, we cast along the North shore. We had just passed a short dock and I cast behind us toward a fallen log. I got a hit, but missed it. I cast back and hooked it this time. It was a 19″ Northern. A few casts later on the other side of the dock, Ken caught a smaller Northern about 15-16″. Both were on white pearl super flukes.
We then went after the big bass. I tried a bubble gum fluke, white pearl fluke, and 6″ watermelon lizard. Nothing. Ken wasn’t having any luck either. We started to leave the area and fished the South shore, Ken heard some splashes come from the big bass area. But we didn’t see any ripples in the calm water. We went back and I tried buzz frog and Rebel crayfish, but still nothing.
We started to notice our heads were being swarmed by fish flies, so we took off and went to the South side of kloek island at 9:30. It was already getting pretty dark. I used bubble gum fluke and Ken trolled with a Rapala, but neither of us got anything more.
[Editor’s note: In case you’re wondering why I don’t have a picture of this guy, it’s because it escaped–or got eaten. This was Thursday night. The next day, I saw it in the live well, but on Saturday night when we went to put more fish in the cage, the fish was gone. We checked with everyone and no one let it go. A small part of the cage was bent up like an animal pried it up, but the gap appeared too small for any animal to get in, or to pull out a 19″ Northern. The Poplar Lake monster strikes again.]
