Should I have kept it?

[Dave Bailey]

Boss sent me on a run to Huntsville yesterday, so I got my first fishing of the year (multitude of reasons as to why it takes me this long). Stopped at a few places along the way back, only success was at Goodwin Park in Brunel, just south of Huntsville. Pike, a little over 2ft, no pics as it was threatening rain and I didn't want to chance getting the camera wet.

 

Getting the hook out of it's mouth was a little confusing, as I couldn't figure out how my spinner came off the wire leader and was still attached to my line... Wait, I wasn't using a leader, just 20lb test braided! Okay, it tore off somebody's terminal tackle before I got it, and man, was it ever swallowed. The leader disappeared right down into the belly, and it looked recent. I doubt that someone would be using a wire leader for something as simple as a worm, so there's a good chance that the poor guy has a large and undigestible chunk of something down there.

 

I put it back, but thought later that it may not survive, was thinking of keeping it at the time but had no way of transporting it without stinking up the whole car. I know we've all heard how the stuff will break down rapidly inside a fish, but I believe there's some evidence that a lot of that may be bunk. Not sure I did the right thing. Perhaps I should have walked it across the road to the nearest house and asked if they wanted it for supper.

 

Stopped at the narrows at Dalrymple later, and the ancient Luhr Jensen spinner that caught the pike got irretrievably snagged on something in the middle of the channel; goodbye old friend. Tried a monster size Chug Bug, but on a couple of successive casts it looked like only OOS bass whacking at it (I thought it would have been too big for them), switched to a large Zara Spook but no joy so I moved on.

[Rich]

It was still eating.. i'd say it will survive. Pike are one of the hardiest fish that swim. I've caught two this year that only had one gill.

 

Looks like you had a great time shore fishing though.

 

Chug bug too big for bass? Maybe if it's 25" long.

[paul_614]

I remember watching an uncle clean a pike, and he jokingly put it back in the lake. Damned if the thing didn't swim away. Somewhere in my collection of 8mm film is the footage.

[Rich]

My buddy caught one once, dropped it on a rock and either dislocated or broke it's spine. It was in a complete paralyzed 45 degree angle just behind it's head. He didn't know what to do, so he smacked the pike on the angle and it went back into shape. He put it back, and ill be dammed, it swam away.. we fished 4 more hours on that rock pier and never saw the thing again!