No strangers to the remote waters of Zig Zag Lake, Mike and his sons returned this year for another fantastic fishing adventure and a chance at spending some quality family time. By the end of their stay the Master Angler total climbed to six; 3 pike and 3 walleye. Dan caught a 26 1/2 inch walleye and Mike caught the rest. As he says, “I guess it’s better to be lucky than good”. Low water levels at Zig Zag meant that the big pike were all cruising and feeding on walleye and other small fish. The strikes were fast at furious.
Staying true to their motto of go big or don’t go at all, these boys hammered walleye and pike with Lindy rigged Cabela’s walleye-a-plug stacked with nightcrawlers and leeches. The plastic rattling body combined with 2 crawlers and multiple leeches squished onto each hook presents a big bait with enhanced scent that is quite deadly when dropped in 16 – 20 ft of water.
As with any fishing trip this one wouldn’t be complete without a tale or two of ‘the one that got away’. Noah lost a whopper of a walleye they estimated to be at least 30 inches and Mike too saw a monster pike slip from his grasp as Mike recounts: “We got a great look at this fish as Noah battled him for close to 10 minutes. He pulled the hook just next to the boat and Noah was heartbroken. I lost a giant Northern which I hooked at the rapids at 16 feet of water on a well baited jig and again 6 pound line. I fought her for 20-25 minutes and she kept going between 35 feet of water and then up to 3 feet along the rocky edge. We got a great look at this fish along side the boat, but were unable to position her for netting and she ended up cutting my line. I honest believe she was at least 47 inches or bigger. She had tremendous girth looking every bit like an alligator, I’m not really sure if it’s possible to land this fish on 6 pound line”.
As is the case with many master angler pike that are caught and released, anglers are often never prepared for the strike and often catch the big ones on rods rigged for walleye fishing–often while jigging for walleye. It was great to see the boys from Oklahoma again this year. We look forward to seeing what next year brings! Until next time!
