I often find it helpful to break stories into two parts. This portion of my adventure revolves around my fishing experience in a remote Adirondack pond I choose to leave nameless. It’s a destination where I encounter few people and rarely other fishermen. I arrived at the pond and was happy to see it was totally calm. Rare as it’s usually tossed by wind driven waves. I noticed a pair of loons immediately and something seemed out of place with one of them. I paddled closer and realized there were two tiny chicks perched on the one loons back! The loon let me get close enough for pictures and I left the family to pursue their loon activities. The one without the babies moved closer despite my peaceful retreat to a respectable distance. It began to get very animated and uttered a series of calls. Fluttering and flapping as though injured it would rise up out of the water before crashing back down. A ruse to divert my attention and I played along. Eventually the loon settled now and came very close to me. The dogs seemed indifferent to its approach and watched with sleepy eyes throughout the performance. I spoke to the loon and tried to mimic its calls. It answered back and we had a small standoff with the loon the clear winner. My attempts to perfect its sounds may have amused it actually. It decided that I was no threat and swam off to rejoin its family. I wondered if snapping turtles were a threat to the babies. I know they reside in the pond as I see them surface occasionally. What I didn’t know then was that a far more dangerous threat also occupied the pond.
I baited my pole with a weedless sienko setup with light sinkers and began trying for largemouth bass in the deeper waters of the lake. The weeds were invisible below the surface but my rig would twitch and tug my rod tip as it raked over them. I prefer to fish with a 7 foot walleye pole equipped with a quick fire open faced reel. My line is a super strong synthetic that is very small in diameter but has incredible breaking strength. It’s my preferred choice for walleye and it great for all around fishing. I wasn’t using a steel leader as it messes with my slow trolling technique. My rubber bait was rigged wacky and why fish find that enticing is beyond me! It was finally underway! Afternoon fishing. Not the best time of day but with the dark sky I felt I had a good chance of getting something. It was more about the chase anyway and the peaceful mental checkout that fishing supplies.
I missed the first nibble and cursed my lack of attention! It wasn’t long though that another fish struck and I was able to set the hook. I brought the bass to the surface quickly and it danced on its tail for a moment. That moment when they often throw the hook. But it was solidly caught and dove back under with another surge of energy. I had it next to the canoe shortly after and was able to successfully net it. Not huge but looked like a keeper. Yup! The start of a fish fry I thought as I stuck it onto the stringer. No easy feat with it fighting me every step of the way. I worked my way around the pond for sometime after that with no action what so ever. I decided to try a section that I usually skip over and was rewarded with a second legal bass for the stringer. I decided to work the deep hole I had found further after my success. A slight breeze had picked up and I needed to steer occasionally to keep my position. I had thrown my bait over the side and let it sink while repositioning the canoe. Things were about to get wild!
The canoe was back in position and I picked my rod back up to begin my retrieve. There was a serious resistance on the line and I thought I was snagged. However I was able to lift the “snag” some so I figured good just a sunken branch. My sunken branch suddenly began to move and I tightened my line more. It’s a fish I suddenly realized! Seconds later my hooked and invisible adversary sped off into deeper water! My pole bent at a crazy angle and my drag screamed off line to accommodate the increased force. It’s a big one I thought! I gently kept pressing on the fish and managed to get some line in but it soon surged off once again. The power being exerted below the surface was incredible and I kept expecting my line to snap. But the drag worked flawlessly each time the fish sped off. Finally the fish began to tire or so it seemed. It sat below the left side of the canoe and I began to bring it up through the dark green waters of the pond. Suddenly I got a glimpse of my prey!Not a huge bass as I had hoped but a northern pike of mind numbing size! It was hooked in the outer portion of its toothy mouth so it hadn’t sheared the line despite my lack of a steel leader. My view of the pike was short lived however. It spotted the canoe and ran down towards the bottom with a fresh urgency. I don’t know exactly how many times the pike ran or how many times I brought it to the surface as seconds turned into minutes. It charged the surface once and surfaced out from the canoe about ten feet. It employed a typical pike fight response as it snaked back and forth on top of the water. Many will be lost to a fisherman when this occurs but a Native American guide had taught me to bury the end of my rod down into the water to force the fish down. It worked and the battle continued. The pike began to weaken further and I soon had it alongside the canoe. The dogs were somewhat alarmed as it splashed and made one final run. Netting it was damn near impossible by myself. It’s head was in the wrong direction so I attempted a tail first netting. Big mistake as it didn’t even come close to fitting! I heaved it up and into the canoe. I was amazed at its huge girth and length! On the floor of the canoe the pike was out of the net and with a huge flop went over the side! Snap! At first I thought my rod was broken but it was just the knot at the hook that I heard. I had failed despite my best attempts! My huge pike would never make it into a photo and never would I get to measure it! I was still pumped from the encounter and disappointment suddenly washed over me. But I quickly shrugged it off as one of those moments that so often occur while fishing.Man what a predator!!
I kept fishing after that on the pond with no further success. The dark clouds released a soaking downpour and I continued fishing huddled in my rain jacket. I kept replaying the battle with the fish and wondered if I had made any mistakes that I should avoid in the future. Yes there was one big mistake! Fishing alone! The same thing had happened to me fishing in my Alumacraft boat on Middle Saranac years ago. A monster pike and a monster battle that ended in a similar fashion. Without someone to help net the fish it’s much more challenging. Perhaps a larger net would have been beneficial. I am not worried about the pike. The hook will dissolve eventually and it’s not down in the gills or other vulnerable soft tissue. I was suddenly struck by a greater worry. The loon babies! My monster pike is big enough to easily swallow them! Nature will prevail I suppose but I hope the loons survive.The big pike will be rested and hungry after our battle. What does he eat in the pond? Pretty much whatever he wants! As for me I returned to the creek and tossed a surface plug above some of the deeper sections. I stopped at a place where a log jam blocks most of the creek. Shaded and deep where the current holds the floating logs. A bass fishing spot if ever there was one. I lodged the canoe on a snag and fired my plug next to the jam. I was rewarded with a large surface strike from a bass. Hooked well and soon brought into the canoe. I felt better after that. Lost in the moment of sights and smells. My small catch of three bass plenty for my fish fry to come with some to freeze for a second meal. The rain and wind picked up as I returned to the campsite. I reflected on the day and all that had happened. No one to witness anything or recount the memories themselves. It only lives here now and in my memories. MOONTABS my friends!✍️