NPike

This is soo true and after having read responses maybe I should upgrade my bump board which is just piece of aluminum with marking up to 42".It'sonly about 2 ` 3" wide. I rarely weight fish but when I do I weight the fish and wet net together then just subtract out the net. I still see folks with that scale hooks jammed thru an exox jaw, terrible.

This is true but many abuse this methods squeezing the crap out of the esox, a good approach with lots of caution on the amount of pressure applied while squeezing the fish. I still think grapping the jawbone is best, but a big green esox is a hand-full and is best in the net for the most part. I just bought a new scale that has a tare function to zero out the net when weighing fish.

The troubles these were all caught fishing alone. Very on top of being green :no barbs, no Trible trebles (always remove middle hook, rubber net. All unhooking done in water and in net (its also much easier unhooking large pike in the net which is in the water). To get a 15 to 25 pound pike to calm down on my 42"bump boards in the second I release it to take a picture, the fish usually does not want to stayed lined-up on the bump board. Big pike have a mind of there own and they can be very feisty and hard to keep still when alone. If I have company issue is resolved. Attached is a rare pic when the pike 42" actually cooperated. 40+"ers aren't easy to come buy on Conesus and when I get one I Iike a pic, if I haven't forgot my phone. My methods are light years ahead of how I see others handle esox. Good reminders muskiedreams.

your right sir, get back in ASAP. I do unhooking in my big Clam rubberized musky landing net while the fish is still in the water. I really try and whip that camera out quickly and hope it sits still for just a moment. Can't have those esox whacking the boat bottom w their tail. The other thing is that to many people hold the fish vertically and that's a lot of weight on that jaw. Never pock it with a scale, Weight, instead with the fish in the landing net and get a scale with a tare feature. Occasionally a fatality cant be prevented hook hard in gill rakers or down too deep it's inevitable. Don't blame your selve with these crazy critters its inevitable.

Some real winners here Grandmas and Phantoms should sell

I simple find the in/out hole and late at night I hold a flame (on a stick or board) right outside the hole in nest (they're not always at the bottom. As they become alarmed and try to fly out the flame singes there wings and they drop helplessly to the gnd. Go in nxt day and finish it off very few (hornets, yellow jackets, wasp, etc.

This is critical and I loose no fish because of the lack of a barb. Also on most 5" to 7" crank-twitch baits I remove the center treble and replace the front hook w a long shank and go up1 size. Lot less hooks to remove and the hooks are separated buy enough distance to prevent them from getting all jammed-cramped up inside thee fishes mouth simultaneously." Its a lot east to remove a single treble than 2 or 3, especially w/o a barb.. And again I've yet to lose fish w/o the middle treble.

Me too, but 40"s are rare, 3rd bass was 6.4 lb,, I fish alone normally so reason fish are on boat floor for a quick shot. I don't let the fish jump-bang around. Just a quick shot and back in only some like the last pike wouldn't cooperate. Congratulations on the fish . BTW best to hold esox horizontal less stress on fish. o

Big fat old girl got on Conesus last week

Screws on bottom of my Lund are 10" apart. I was alone and was trying to get it to set still for a sec while I took pic. The pike had other ideas and went crazy, so I snapped these real quick and back in she went.

Cool Pond, I wonder how a few pike would do

Nice size 22" to 27" and stuffed like footballs, some of the best walleye fishing to date. We couldn't catch 15" to 18",, only one all week. The small ones were 3 pounds to 6+ for the 27". I try to remeber this nxt time I get skunked. Lost one that was easy 30".

got lucky one day this summer

Now that's a mouth full 20" LMB

The 1st jumbo fish opened up a bit and flung my spreaders in the lake along with my cutters. This was unbelievable with the Grandmas. I just got a couple in and forgot to pinch down the barbs. Usually all hooks in my boat are barbless and I have stated using many single hooked baits, swimbaits, Rapalas, Dept Raiders, ect. If the fish doesn't get slack while fighting I see no reason for the barb.

3/0 VMC I beleive

defiantly agreed, I defiantly prefer a successful release the grandmas have 3 big trebles and it's like darn could they swallow it any deeper, darn. Thanks Jim

Caught several big Conesus pike a 41.5 and a 40.25. The fish both got Grandmas deep inside, so I wasn't gonna throw back mortally wounded fish. The fall bites been great nice walleye and jumbo pike, the fish god been good to me this fall.