Archery Elk 2024

I started the 2024 archery elk season with high aspirations. I decided I would try hunting out of a treestand on a wallow. Wallows are small, muddy watering holes on the mountainside that elk frequent. As the rut approaches and the testosterone in bull elk increases, they like to roll and "wallow" in these spots, covering themselves in mud. Bulls use these frequently at the beginning of September, so sitting on one can be productive to a hunter. 

I had located a few wallows the previous season, so when summer of 2024 rolled around, I began scouting these wallows. I hung trail cameras and scouted the trees around the wallows for treestand options. By August, I had located my target wallow and hung my treestand. A quick last minute scout to check the camera revealed a few tantalizing bulls. The season couldn't get here soon enough!

Opening morning of the archery season found me sitting in my stand, anxiously awaiting a mature bull. The first morning produced no elk sightings, and neither did the evening sit. The following morning I saw a few deer, a cow elk and a spike. Later that evening, I saw a sow black bear and her 2 cubs.

The bears came straight in and plopped down into the cool waters. It was pretty special to be so close to these bears, but also a bit nerve wracking. The cubs splashed around and played while mom relaxed in the water. They eventually took off down a trail never to be seen again.   

The following morning I arrived at the stand to find that a bull had wallowed early that morning in the dark. Maybe things were about to happen? I sat all morning only to find a pine marten and lots of chattering squirrels. 

My hunting buddy Ryan was in the area and wanted to hunt with me that afternoon. After 2 1/2 days of sitting and no bull elk encounters, I decided a hike and hunt approach for that evening might do me some good. Ryan and I walked an old road and found some elky spots, but no elk encounters. We walked into a spot with some cell service and a notification came through on my phone. 

"Crap. Look at this bull!" I said, showing Ryan the trail camera photo of a big bull, currently on my wallow. 

"Dang, I guess you should have sat tonight," Ryan chuckled.

"Ugggghh."

The following day I had to head home. I packed up all of camp except an empty tent, anxious to return in a few days with Bryce, Ryan, Seth and Luke. We would all hunt for at least a week. 

A wildfire broke out in the area while I was at work. In short order this fire grew substantially and closed most of the area to all access. My tent likely burned and so did my cameras and the area I had been hunting. It was back to the drawing board! We were now forced to explore new areas in our unit and try to make the most of the season. 

Bryce and I had 2 different spots we wanted to try. We spent the first 2 days hunting these, and both places gave us encounters with bull elk. For one reason or another, no arrows were flung, but our optimism was high. 

On the afternoon of the second day, Bryce and I planned to meet Ryan, Seth and Luke over on another mountain where we would spend a few days. The afternoon was hot and windy and we began to see a large column of forest fire smoke building. Our fire was getting everything it needed that day and was absolutely exploding! We tried one route to get to the mountain and were met by the forest service, who were closing all the roads in the area. The fire was spreading in all directions and the closure area had now tripled in size. The mountain we all planned to meet on was still open, however, and just out of the closure area. We backtracked out of the forest and went the long way around, arriving on the mountain and finding the camp of our friends by late afternoon. The guys were out hunting nearby, but luckily had cell service. 

"Hey guys, Bryce and I made it." I sent in the group text message. "Holy fire. That thing is really exploding!"

"Is it getting worse?" Replied someone.

"Oh yeah, Bryce and I are up here on top watching it."

 

Bryce and I stood on top of the mountain, looking toward the fire. Between gusts of wind you could hear a low roar in the distance.

"I think that roar is the fire." Bryce said with concern.

"I think you're right. This is not good. That thing is headed this way and its angry!" I said, as a blast of hot air hit my face. "I don't feel comfortable sleeping here tonight."

Just then, a tree torched off below us, a little over a mile away.

"Yep, time to leave." I said, pulling out my phone to tell the group.

Bryce and I ran back to the vehicles and started packing everyone's stuff up so we could leave as soon as possible. Luckily, the guys hadn't gotten too far from the truck and within 20 minute they were mobbing down the bumpy dirt road back to us. We all got in our trucks and took off down the road, getting the hell out of the forest! Half way down the mountain we met a forest service truck who was coming up to evacuate anyone on the mountain. We eventually made it out and found ourselves in the "safety" of a town and paved highway.

We all met at a gas station and talked about our options. We all had several days to hunt so we weren't about to head home because of the fire. We decided to try a nearby mountain that none of us had much experience on. We knew it had elk and best of all, it was probably the safest option in terms of the fire. The fire would have to make some crazy progress to put us at risk there. Bryce made a phone call to a coworker who he knew had hunted there, and soon we had a game plan.

The next couple of days we hunted around in some new country. One evening we found a couple of spikes just before dark. The following morning we crept down a trail into the area the spikes had been. We stumbled upon a man-made water trough the elk had clearly been using. The area was really dry, so this water source was likely a huge draw to the nearby animals.

"Someone needs to sit on this thing tonight." I said, looking around for an adequate place to hide. 

"I will." Ryan replied, recognizing the potential of this place. "I bet those spikes last night had just used this water."

We found a large hawthorn bush that created a perfect blind. A little branch trimming and 2 guys could sit inside the bush in the darkness of its canopy. 

That evening, Bryce, Seth and I hiked a new area, while Ryan and Luke sat on the water trough. 

Just before dark we got a text message from Ryan. "Spike down!" 

We hurried back to camp and down to the water trough. Ryan and Luke were anxiously waiting so we could all follow the blood trail together and recover his elk.     

Ryan was giddy with excitement, retelling the story of the shot. 

"We heard them come running down the trail from up there by the road. When they got down here they were chasing each other, almost playing. The spike came to the water first. It's amazing how loud it is when they drink! He stood right here broadside, drinking. It was a 20 yard shot. Look, the arrow went straight through him and impaled in the wood post on the other side of the trough!"

Ryan walked us around the trough and showed us the bloody arrow stuck in the wood post. 

"I had my bow drawn too. Ryan just beat me to the shot." Luke added, shaking his head. 

"As soon as I shot, he jumped over the trough entirely and took off up the hill where we lost sight of him. I think we heard a crash just over there but we couldn't be too sure. Then it got dark."

Ryan and Luke wanted to make sure the elk had time to pass, so they sat around until we had all gotten down there. A smart, conservative move since "bumping" a wounded elk can cause them to run miles. 

We all got on the heavy blood trail and took off up the hill. It was obvious this elk was hit well because there was plenty of blood. The trail veered to the left and then Luke said, "Is that him down there?"

We all turned our headlamps down the hill where Luke pointed. Sure enough, there he was! We all celebrated and began to grab a few photos.

The elk hadn't gone very far at all. In fact, I was surprised they didn't see him laying dead from the blind!

We all got to work, and in short order we had loaded packs, ready to head up the hill. We drug the carcass down the hill and away from the water trough so we could try to hunt there again. One elk down!

We spent the next few days exploring and attempting to get on more elk. We had a few encounters but before we knew it, it was time for everyone to head home. Luckily, most of us had budgeted a few days at the end of the month to try to get it done. 

I freed up even more days at the end of the month, feeling the pressure of the closing season. Katie and I were nearly out of meat, so killing an elk this year was paramount. I still didn't want to shoot a cow elk but spikes were more than fair game at this point. Luke and I planned to hunt together for a couple days and then Bryce would come up for a few more. 

Luke and I hunted a couple days in the same area that Ryan had shot his elk. We had a great time with a few decent encounters with elk and more bugling than we expected. Unfortunately the area had also filled with lots of hunters; too many. Luke had to leave and I decided to meet Bryce at one of the other areas he and I had scouted earlier in the season with elk encounters. 

With 4 days left in the season, Bryce and I found ourselves hiking down into some steep, nasty country we hoped would produce. I took the lead down a well used elk trail, hoping a stealthy approach would put us into some early morning elk. Creeping quietly through the woods this season had produced more elk encounters than any other technique. 

Our optimism was high as we descended down the trail and further into good elk country. The trail flattened out as it followed alongside a small knob and next to a spring. An object the color of an elk caught my eye near the top of the knob. Elk! I stopped dead in my tracks and pointed up the hill for Bryce to see. The elk was just over 100 yards away and didn't appear as though it saw us. We froze on the trail, hoping to remain undetected. Then we heard movement in the bushes just up ahead near the spring we were next to. More elk! Elk started to emerge on the hillside directly next to us. First came a calf and then a cow, then more behind them. Bryce and I were frozen on the trail with little cover to hide us. The elk were slowly feeding as they walked across the hillside toward us. 

(A recreation of the shot scenario)

My bow was ready as I scanned the small herd of elk. I slowly ranged an object on the hillside next to the elk: 30 yards. This might be our only shot. The front calf and cow were directly adjacent to us. Then the calf stopped and stared directly at us. It knew something wasn't right. The calf jumped and spooked up the hill a little bit, then the cow behind it spooked. No, no! The rest of the elk just froze, looking around for what was causing this disturbance. I slowly drew my bow, not even sure what elk was my target, I just knew this was the time to draw. A couple more elk spooked. I scanned the group slowly at full draw looking for anything with antlers. There! A spike elk stood quartering away at what I guessed was about 40 yards. Anticipating that the entire hillside was seconds from erupting, I knew this was my only shot. A couple sticks came down from a low hanging branch, but the vitals of the elk were exposed. I was strangely calm as I took a deep breath, aimed and released. THWACK! The shot sounded and felt good. The bull hunched slightly and then took off. The hillside exploded as elk crashed through brush and snapped sticks as they ran away. All the elk hooked around the knob in seconds and the woods quieted. I had done it! Three years of chasing elk with a bow and this was the first time drawing my bow and releasing an arrow on an elk. Bryce came over and gave me a celebratory fist bump. 

"Shot felt good, but I really don't know exactly where it hit." I said, shaking my head.

"I think you probably did just fine." Bryce added as a nearby elk let out a bugle. 

We both turned our heads in the opposite direction the group of elk had run. Behind us there was now an elk bugling.

"While we're waiting for my elk, let's go after that one!" I said, as the bull let out another bugle.

"Okay!" Bryce added with a smile.

We crept toward the bugling bull. It turned out to be a herd bull and a couple satellites on their way to their daytime bedding area. We followed until the wind switched and our ability to sneak in on them became too difficult. It was time to head back and find my elk.

An hour had passed since the shot and it was now 9 am. We walked over to where the elk had been standing when it was hit. No blood or arrow. We started walking down the trail he took off on and a short distance later we found the first sign he was hit; a small drop of blood.

 

We continued down the main trail only to find small drops of blood like this one, here and there. After 40 yards, the blood stopped. We continued down the main trail and came to a spot that smelled like elk. The smell lasted for about 15 yards of trail and then faded. That's sorta strange. I wonder if one of the elk peed here? We continued down the main trail for a few hundred yards without finding another drop of blood. We went back to the blood trail and searched above and below to see if we could pick up more blood. There were fresh elk tracks everywhere going both up and down the hill. Still no blood. We decided that since the wind was pushing uphill, maybe the elk smell was coming from down below us. We checked a ways below us for a while, only to find nothing. I began to doubt my shot was lethal. Maybe it hit it in the leg or something? There was just so little blood. We had now been looking for about 2 hours. It was so strange that the blood trail just vanished. What were we missing?

We continued down the main trail after we heard an elk bugle in that direction. We followed a long ridge through lots of good elk country and saw plenty of fresh sign. Still no blood or sign of my elk. We did a little calling in a spot, hoping to pull in something for Bryce. Eventually it was lunch time so we sat and ate. I sat there wondering what had happened. If I knew I had wounded the elk and lost it I would feel sick to my stomach, but I wasn't. I was calm but confused. I just knew we were missing something. 

We returned to the main trail and near the last blood. Once again on the trail there was a brief section of elk smell. Strange it would still smell like elk. That elk has to be dead around here. Since the wind was blowing uphill, he had to be below us in the thick bushes. We decided to grid search the tall brush below us. We scoured the steep, thick hillside below for a long time only to find nothing. It was now 2 pm and the risk of spoilage on my elk, if dead, was high. The only direction we hadn't really tried was higher above us. 

I got onto some elk tracks and followed them a ways up the hill. Sure enough, I found a small drop of blood. Crap, he HAD gone uphill. A short distance later, another drop. I continued on his trail finding very little blood, but at least I was on his trail. I came to a spot where I could smell elk again. I looked down the hill and could see the main trail and recognized the spot where I had been smelling elk before. He's got to be up here somewhere... I took a couple more steps and heard a strange buzzing sound. I wonder what that noise is? Then I realized what it was: flies! I took 2 more steps and there he was, laying dead behind a stump and tree. My elk! 

"Bryce, Bryce! I found him! He's right here!" 

Instant relief came over me, followed by panic. My elk was covered in flies and was stiff with rigor. I hope the meat is okay! Why hadn't I trusted my nose! That smell was above me, not below me! I felt like an idiot for not searching better around that area that smelled like elk. It was 2:30 now and my elk had been laying here since around 8 am. It was probably 75 degrees too. I knew if we were going to salvage this meat we had to act quickly.

Bryce took a couple photos and they very accurately captured the relief I was feeling. We quickly went to work getting the hide off and opening up the belly to relieve as much heat as possible. There was no foul smell or any indication the meat had begun to spoil. When we had gotten one half of the elk removed and bagged, I hiked it down to the creek where I placed the game bags in a trash bag and submerged them in the creek. This cold shock really helped cool the meat. I then hung the quarters in the shade and went back for the rest of the meat. I repeated the same process with the remainder of the meat and within a few hours we had the whole elk cut up, cooled and hung. We then took the extra time to cut down to the bone on the quarters, exposing the thickest parts of the meat that would take the longest to cool. The meat was cooling nicely and my fear of spoilage was now gone. 

After sending a picture of the elk to the group, Ryan and Luke decided to head up and help us pack the meat out. Bryce and I secured the first load to head up the hill back to camp. We each took a hind quarter.

Ryan and Luke were at camp when we arrived. Thank God for great friends! With a couple hours of daylight left, we all headed back down to retrieve the last of the meat. 

We got all the meat on ice and in the morning I left for home to get the meat in the fridge. 

I returned to the mountain for the last few days of the season, hoping to help my friends harvest an elk. We tried our hardest, but the elk eluded us. It had been a rollercoaster of a season; from the treestand to  running from fire, to new country. We lucked out by harvesting 2 bulls out of the group. Not too shabby for a bunch of fire displaced, mediocre elk hunters! 

 

Crappie Season!

Spring 2024

May equals crappie season. Every spring, crappie slowly make their way more and more shallow as the water warms. The male crappie move in first and make the spawning bed, then the females come in and spawn. The spawn usually occurs when the water hits 68 degrees. The males also guard the nest until the fry hatch. All this activity occurs in 2 to 8 feet of water, during about a 3 week time period; usually in May. This makes the fish extremely easy to catch on a fly rod! Katie and I know we have this short window of time to fill the freezer with crappie, so we try to maximize the number of trips we make in May.

We made our annual pike trip up north and this is usually where we harvest our first batch of crappie. This year was different though, and we came home empty handed.

CJ Strike

Last year at Strike, I lucked into the best day of crappie fishing I've ever had for numbers AND size, bringing home 59 crappie at 12-15 inches. Hoping to replicate that in 2024, Katie, her dad and I picked the least windy day we could and hit CJ for one day.

All day we had dozens of 7-9 inch fish tugging on our line. Eventually we decided 9 inches would make the cut and we began to slowly fill the live well. 

Random bass alway get the hopes up that you have a large crappie.

After numerous spots and at least 100 crappie to hand, we knew this year's fish were just smaller than last year. 

Towards the end of the day, we hit a spot where the average was just a touch larger and where Katie grabbed the first and only big crappie of the day; 14 inches.

We finished the day with probably 150 crappie to hand, but only 26 keepers at 9-10 inches for the freezer. A good start to the season but more would surely be needed. 

Owyhee Reservoir

Known for its numbers and not size, Owyhee is usually where we rely on filling our freezer. 

The Clarks join us every year for this trip; Katie, Bryce and their daughter Josie take their camp trailer over and enjoy several days of fun fishing. This year was different, though. In 25 years of fishing Owyhee, the largest crappie we've ever caught was 11 inches with the average at 8-10 inches. This year they were huge, with the average being 11-13 inches!

The water level at the reservoir was completely full, and as a result we had poor clarity. The fish were not plentiful like they normally were either. We would pick up 1 or 2 here and there with a couple spots holding small groups of fish.

Katie lucked into a large rainbow trout; a rarity here.

The scenery is always spectacular at Owyhee. Katie Clark found a Western Ground Snake swimming near the shore; a neat little colorful snake that made Josie's day.

My dad even came over for a day to take advantage of the larger than normal size this year.

In a couple days, Katie and I kept 40 large crappie. This brought our season total to 10 meals in the freezer. 

Greed and hunger took hold, and with a couple spare days left in May, we planned another trip to Owyhee; this time with my Dad. On the second day, Bryce and his dad, Perry, also joined in the fun.

Fishing was still not red-hot, but we managed to get several here and there, with a couple of spots producing most of the crappie. 

By the end of the second day, we had fillets from 80 large crappie. Now we definitely had the freezer stocked up. Crappie season for us was now about over and we had enough meals to get us through to next year.

As the days grow longer and hotter and the water temperature pushes past 70 degrees, the crappie finish their spawn and start to move deeper. This makes them much harder to target, especially on a fly rod. June's arrival wraps up our crappie season and other fish make themselves available. Time for the next season!

Pike 2024 - "Dialed In"

"You guys have that pike fishing really dialed in don't you?" John Wolters asked, matter of factly while Katie was cutting John's hair one day.

"Uh, I don't know about that. I sure enjoy catching those crazy gators, though!" Katie said excitedly, in anticipation of our annual pike trip up north. 

Over the years we've learned a lot on targeting Northern Pike in Idaho on the fly rod. "Dialed in" would be grossly exaggerating our current expertise. Each year we learn more and more though, hoping to one day be, "dialed in". 

We've learned that timing and water temperature play the largest role in finding fish. We now know where the pike like to be. Timing when those pike will be there is the key. Last year we were too late; the water temperature was too warm, pushing most of the fish deeper. The weed beds were mature, and places we'd found fish in the past were nearly void of pike. This year we hoped to time things just right when the big pike were still shallow and the water warming, but not too warm. We decided on early May and crossed our fingers for some pleasant weather.

We would start in the Coeur d'Alene area. Katie and I arrived, set up camp and decided the evening would be perfect for a turtle ride! We loaded the bikes in the boat and crossed the river to the bike path. 

Turtles bring Katie and I joy, so we always try to get our fix in when we're up north. 

The next morning I woke early and hit the hills in search of turkeys. The morning was pleasant and the woods alive; deer, elk, moose, songbirds and waterfowl, but no turkeys were found. 

By 11 am, we were on the water in search of pike. We headed right to a small bay where we've done well in the past. The water was a touch cold at 53 degrees. The cabbage weed beds were just starting to poke up through the depths. It didn't take Katie long to connect with the first pike. 

Shortly after, I found one myself. The sun was shining, the waters calm and the pike were where they were suppose to be. Life was good!

We landed 3 or 4 pike and one big crappie before moving on to another lake. 

Keeping the crappie theme going, we started with bobbers and balanced minnows on the rock walls. The first spot produced some quality bass.

"That is a horse and a half!" I said, in a mid-west/canadian accent when one of Katie's bass made its first appearance. If you grew up watching In-Fisherman like I did, you know what I'm talking about. 

We sent the 19 inch fish back to the depths and moved onto some pike water. We casted along a rocky shoreline that gradually shallowed into a weedy cove. We came upon a large downed tree, extending 40 feet into the lake. I chose to cast toward the tip where the deeper branches were, leaving more of the base of the tree for Katie. Nothing showed itself for me, but on Katie's well placed cast, a large shadow charged out of the depths, coming up behind Katie's fly with bad intentions. 

"Ohhhh..." Katie muttered as she continued her retrieve near the boat. The big fish charged her fly, inhaling the entire 9'' fly instantly. Katie set the hook and giggled in pure delight. I quickly powered the trolling motor away from the tree and all the possible snags that could ruin this perfect moment. Katie was obviously less concerned as she continued to laugh and allow the fish to casually go where it pleased. I was panicked as the fish shot for the depths and likely for the branches.

"Honey! Keep it away from that tree!" I said, kicking up the speed of the motor. I did not want to lose this great fish. 

It was obvious that Katie had already enjoyed the greatest part of pike fishing; the exhilarating take. Despite my panic, everything worked out and soon we had the 35" fish in the net. This day was getting better and better!

We continued along the same shoreline, approaching a shallow, cattail lined cove. BOOOM! A large pike suddenly charged my fly on the second strip. I set the hook and the fight was on! My new 9 weight handled the fish wonderfully, and soon I was holding one of my largest North Idaho pike. 

We sent the 33 inch pike away to the depths. This day was awesome! We slowly drifted into the 2 foot deep cove. There! I saw a large pike-shaped shadow slowly move. I positioned the boat to make a cast. The cast was fair, and I hoped the aggressive nature of the fish would make up for the less than perfect cast. The shadowed turned and slowly headed toward the fly. Yes! Suddenly a gust of wind came out of nowhere and sent the boat surging toward the fish. No, no, no! In a matter of seconds, the boat was 5 feet from the fish. The gig was up. Only instead of one spooked pike, there were three. They all shot past the boat, headed for deeper water. They were all nearly 40 inches and two were super fat females, likely in the shallows to spawn. Rats!

We trolled over to the other side of the bay, where there was more great pike habitat. I shot a cast over to a half submerged bush. The surface exploded as quickly as the fly landed. Another great pike had been under the sticks, eager to eat. I set the hook and the fish took off, pulling even harder than the last fish. Katie scooped the fish into the net after one of the best pike battles I've had.

This gator was even larger than the last! We sent the 34" fish off and decided to try for crappie along the upcoming rock wall. The crappie eluded us, but we did find one more pike that we lost at the boat. We headed back to camp to eat dinner, hoping to hit the water again for an evening session. We had to capitalize on this day because a large cold front was coming in the day after tomorrow.

After dinner we set off for another lake downstream. We fished the last hour of the evening and had a couple hookups. When we went to take off for camp, the motor decided not to cooperate. It would start and idle at high rpm but when I'd throw it in gear, it would die. A fuel issue no doubt, and likely a small obstruction in a carburetor. I used the trolling motor to exit the lake and take us to the nearest ramp and road. It was now dark and camp was nearly 4 miles away. Luckily there were some folks fishing from shore nearby. Katie and I took a chance and asked for a ride back to camp. We met a pleasant local named Dan who was celebrating his sons 21st birthday. Dan gave us a ride back to camp, saving us from a long walk in the dark.

The next day we called around to see if a boat shop could look at and repair our issue. Unfortunately every shop was booked out and no amount of begging could get us in. We'd have to settle for a self fix at this point. A couple shops gave us some tricks to try though. We used the rest of the day to go for a bike ride and try fishing a small lake with just the trolling motor. No pike came to hand but it was a great day anyway.

We awoke the next day to rain and cold. It was time to pack up camp and head north to our next location, Hayden, where we would fish Hayden Lake. We packed up camp in the rain and drove north. We decided to stop and fish a smaller lake we'd never tried before: Fernan Lake. We trolled around for a couple hours in the cold and had a couple bass, a trout, and one pike encounter before moving on.

 

That evening we fished Hayden Lake. Without the big motor working, we were restricted to close proximity to the boat ramp. That didn't stop Katie from catching a pike in short order, though.

We found a few nice bluegill too.

The next day we continued north to meet my aunt and uncle at their cabin. My other uncle, Dave, who had flown in from Kansas and driven up with my dad, would also be there. It would be like a family reunion!

We arrived at the cabin, where everyone was eager to try to get the boat motor working. Not having a working motor was going to seriously limit our fishing abilities in this area. We tinkered with different things and possibly made some improvements. Time would tell.

It was wonderful to catch up with family. We explored some neat locations while the weather was still cool. The next few days, however, were predicted to improve and give us some sun.

With 2 full days left of the trip and nice weather in the forecast, it was time to hit the water again and put some pike in the boat. We launched at one of our favorite spots, hoping the motor would cooperate. Joining Katie and I this day would be my dad and Uncle Jeff. I fired up the motor and gave it time to warm up. Then I clicked it into gear and we took off. I looked around at everyone with a suspicious expression and crossed my fingers. So far so good! We headed upstream to some sloughs. At least the current could take us downstream if the motor died from there. 

The motor took us to the upper slough. As I idled down the motor started sputtering and died. The problem was still not fixed but at least it was running at some capacity now. We fished the slough and saw several small to medium sized pike in the shallow clear water. Some would follow the fly but they weren't as aggressive as we hoped. The water in the main river was around 50 degrees and in the sloughs it warmed up into the mid 50's. Between the low clear water and the temperature, todays fishing could be tough. 

We exited the slough and fished around a shallow reef on our way downstream to the next slough. My uncle threw a cast to the bank and connected with a small pike.

A baby no doubt, but maybe things were turning around. We fished along until Katie made her signature pike shriek.

"OHHH, BIG!" She shrieked and pointed in front of the boat. 

I looked into the water to see one of the largest pike I've ever seen. Easily into the mid 40 inches and 6" across the back, this fish appeared to be sizing up the boat to determine if it was food or foe. Along side it were two more smaller pike. Katie tried a cast but these fish weren't going to strike with the boat so close. 

"That was cool!" I said, as we prospected the area for a while before moving on. 

A couple hundred yards downstream we had a second encounter with a massive pike. This time, simply a moving shadow along the bottom. The shadow stopped and Katie let her fly fall to the bottom near the fish's face. The fish turned and headed toward her fly. When the fish got close my uncle couldn't contain himself. He let out an "OHHHH!" Then quickly covered his mouth. Unfortunately this was enough for the fish to hear and the giant shadow turned and swam off. 

We fished the next slough, encountering only a couple finicky pike. We did however find a whole school of yellow perch willing to play. After catching about 20, 5-8 inch perch we moved onto a new area. We slowly trolled into a shallow reef with several coves. The bottom darkened with vegetation and the water temperature immediately increased a couple degrees. The water just felt "pikey". 

"Eeekkk!" Katie shrieked. I looked just in time to see a pike flat out miss her fly. Katie popped the fly a couple more times but the fish turned and swam off. The next couple hours were filled with dozens of pike sightings, chases and close encounters. Unfortunately, Katie only landed one fish.

"I think I know where we should go tomorrow," I said as we loaded up the boat at the end of the day. "You don't leave fish to find fish!" I added, hoping another warm day would trigger these fish to be more aggressive. 

The next day we found ourselves on the same water with nearly the same game plan. This time, my Aunt Connie joined us in the boat. 

The first slough held the same results, only my uncle had one eat on his fly that he missed. We then moved onto the water in-between the sloughs where we saw the big pike the day before. In nearly the same spot, Katie hooked up on a decent pike. We sent this fish on its way and continued to prospect this area, knowing big pike could be lurking anywhere. The shoreline and bottom was generally rocky, sloping from shallow, weedless and all rocks to 8 feet of dark, weedy bottom. Katie was casting to the clear transition from no weeds to weeds. As soon as her fly got into the deep water, she would slow its retrieve and add longer falls to the retrieve. It was on one of these falls that I saw her fly disappear and her line make a distinct jolt. Katie set the hook hard and the pike on the end of her line turned, showing us it's side and tail as it charged off.

"OHHHHH, it's a big one!" I shouted, quickly scrambling for the net.

Just then Katie's line went slack and her fly came back as if nothing had ever happened. I nearly collapsed in the boat, knowing it was a 40 plus inch fish. Katie and I turned to each other, holding the same face scrunching frown. 

"Oh well, at least I got to see it. The encounter is the best part." Katie said, inspecting her fly.

I still wasn't happy. That was the largest fish we've ever had eat and in a class of it's own. 

Katie continued casting and so did I. I had a great fish follow and almost eat before moving on. We finished the day at the shallow, dark waters from yesterday where we saw dozens of fish. Another boat had been in here when we drove by earlier in the day. We trolled along and saw only a fraction of the number of pike that we saw the previous day. However, one was an absolute monster. It swam past the boat, giving us a show. The fish was likely 45 inches long and 6" across the back. No doubt this fish was nearly 30 pounds. Katie ended up landing one medium-sized pike before the day was all said and done. 

That night we saw the Northern Lights; a truly spectacular natural occurrence.  

Unfortunately our pike trip was now over. Another year of fun fishing and learning more and more about the gators up north. We caught and saw more big pike this year than ever before. We still weren't "dialed in", but maybe next year we will be. And maybe, just maybe, put our hands on one of those giant 40 plus inch fish.