Don't have a picture of the brute but a tail....
Was about 4 years back, spending the last week of August (and my only vacation after sweatin at a summer job) before school started up again camping at Halfway Lake PP with my cuz, his fiancee and myself. We didn't have a boat so we rented canoes and motor boats everyday we were there$$$$. The fishing SUCKED....I beleive this was the only fish we caught all week.
Thursday of that week me and the cuz set out to utilize the day motor boat rental I traded for an arm. It was raining, looked light a vicious storm, but we toughed it out. Marking nothing on the fishfinder we trolled to a stop by an island in about 60 FOW with no structure. We sat, complained about the waste of time and $, ate lunch and had a smoke. The clouds broke nicely and a ray of sunshine hit our cold, wet clothes as we watched the storm majestically depart on each side of us.
BEEP
I glance at the screen to see a biggun' suspending. Without a word to each other we pick up our rods and start casting away. I was using a perch colored wallydiver and, knowing we were in deep with nothing to snag, third cast in, a big THUMP. I'm excited as hell as line is screaming of my reel without my cusz shoutin' "STOP MESSIN' AROUND, I WANNA SEE WHAT IT IS". So I bring her to the surface.
Mr.pike slowly emerged, this thing had SHOULDERS. No net, so it took my cuz three attempts to compose himself and lift her in the boat. When that 40" and about 25lbs of pike came in we were the only loons screamin over the serene lake. That was the only fish the entire week, but a memorable one.
Hope you enjoyed the story,
reefruneer