At New Wave Fishing Academy we believe that practicing catch and release as much as possible is an anglers duty to the sport! It is a group effort to ensure the health of our fisheries can be maintained for future generations to enjoy as much as we have. To promote practicing catch and release we are going to share some of our favourite stories of fish we have caught & released for someone else to catch one day and create memories like the ones we are sharing with you all. If you have a story you want to share please reach out to us and we will gladly share.
This weeks Throwback Thursday story comes from New Wave Fishing Academy founder and president Brandon and talks about the very first pike he caught over 20 Lbs. Despite what you might hear, hitting the 20 lb mark on a fish is incredibly rare. Sure, there are conversion charts online that will claim your fish is 20 lbs but I have found these to be extremely inaccurate. In my mind if you don't weigh your fish you can't claim it was a 20 lber. The reason I say this is because I've seen 42" pike weigh as little as 16 lbs up to 20 lbs while 45" fish barely crack 20 lbs all while looking healthy and filled out. A 20 lb fish is a true giant. If your fish is less than 42" I had to break it to you but there is just no way it can weigh 20 lbs without being extremely fat. A 37" fish weighing this much? Not a chance ever. So let's hear how this catch went down.
"As all good stories do, this one began with skipping school (sort of). After realizing the first few classes would be cancelled on Thursday & Friday due to it being a new summer semester with no tutorials to complete I took the chance to come home from the city and score some extra time hunting for big spring pike. On the first day the weather was cold and overcast without much reward to show for the effort put in; at least until the afternoon came along. The afternoon gave us sun and warmed up rather quickly which fired up the pike. In a few short hours my friend and I boated more than 30 Pike in the same spot that had us skunked in the morning with most over 5 lbs and multiple around the 10 lb mark. After such a good day i couldn't wait to get back out on the water. Being a Friday in early May I decided to take advantage of the lack of boats around to fish a typically highly pressured area known for producing numbers of big fish. Having the whole bay to myself, another warm morning, and confidence from the day before I crept along the shoreline with the trolling motor until I reached what I thought, at first, was a big log on bottom. With some chop on the water and glare from the sun I made a cast towards the shore side of the log and gave my jerkbait a few twitches when the log turned! A few more twitches and my line was racing out to deeper waters.
Fighting this fish I knew the small net on board was not going to be big enough and my sister in the boat with me would have a hard time trying to get it in if she tried. Just before trying to hand land the fish I notice another boat pull into the bay. As a last ditch attempt to secure my biggest fish ever I yelled out and asked if they had a big net. Sure enough, they did and came racing over to help. A quick scoop, measurement, picture, and this trophy was back in the water to be caught another day. While I was prepared to risk losing the fish with a hand landing the friendly boat sure saved the day. Immediately after getting home I realized how un-prepared I was to be targeting big fish & put an order in for a proper net."
While I will admit I weighed this fish from its jaw I have since learned the errors of my ways and how this can cause serious damage to the fish. Now I keep a large sports ball bag in the boat at all times to put a fish in and attach to the scale using the straps so that the fish is supported at all times. I try not to weigh many fish but if it is a new personal best I just have to know. I encourage you all to try and not weigh this bigger fish but if you do use the bag technique to ensure as little harm comes to the fish and it can grow into an even bigger trophy.
If you or someone you know is looking to get into fishing or you just want to become a more successful angler be sure to check out our "Zero To Hero Fishing Masterclass" for courses on everything fishing! The masterclass is built to help you learn how to find and catch fish like the pro's by providing all the information you need and a clear development path! Don't miss out check it out now at www.newwavefishingacademy.com/zero-to-hero
Have you ever wondered why lures don't come with instructions and wanted to know how to fish them? Look no further than our "How To Fish" series where you will learn what each bait is, how to use it, when and where it excels over other baits, our preferred setup to use it on, and the common mistakes anglers make when using it. www.newwavefishingacademy.com/how-to-fish