Or this:

https://www.wptv.com/news/local-news...e-in-wisconsin

I never travel on the ice without getting out with my auger in one hand, 5' ice chisel and measuring stick in the other and test my entire intended path. I drove log truck for 10 winters crossing frozen rivers and lakes with loads weighing close to 250,000lbs and have a good understanding of what to look for in good ice vs poor ice and a consistent thickness of 12" of good clear black ice will support a pickup truck no problem but I still will not drive my truck to my fishing spots if there is less than 15". My truck does not see the ice until I see 15" along my entire path and though 4" will support a snowmobile or small ATV I wait for 8" for those.

Frank, is that a big Northern Pike you're holding, or a small Muskie?

We have neither down here, the closest kin being the Eastern Chain Pickerel, which rarely exceeds 4 or 5 pounds.

They are northern pike...my pb to date was a 40" that pulled the lip grip scale to 21lbs-7oz. I was alone, it was -29C and I did not want to freeze the fishes eyes etc. in order to set up my tripod and take pics so I grabbed one of it on my tailgate, a quickie of the scale and had a replica mount made. First two pics are my wife and I with a pair of 13.5 pounders caught about an hour apart. She caught hers jigging a Williams Whitefish 50/50 gold/silver spoon in 7.5ft of water and I caught mine in 19ft. of water on a quickstrike rig with a dead 10" herring under a polar tip-up...Same lake as the others in the pictures. It produces some nice fish though most seem to think there aren't any big ones in it to be had....:whistle:

Very nice! Thanks, Frank. Great pics.

You've got my blood all worked up. I'm going to target a big jackfish (ECP) this spring and summer, around here. The GA record is 9 lb. 6 oz.

Hope springs eternal!

Stan I have a neighbour down the road from me, single mother, she is deaf, mute and almost blind, raising two kids on her own. An 11 year old boy and 7 year old daughter. Two of the most polite and responsible kids I've ever met. As you can imagine their lives are a whole world different than most kids. The father lives about 90 minutes away and doesn't fish and the young boy is eager as can be to go and learn so I've been taking him fishing this past winter when he is available. His first day out for northern pike he already beat your state record! He caught this 35"/10lb-9oz beauty on an 8" dead herring on a quickstrike rig under a polar tip up set in 15 fow.

41" pike on a fly in Alaska. Guides wouldn't let the angler hold the fish. When one of the guides found this cove filled with pike, he told the camp owner, who said "Kill 'em all, they're going to eat our trout." Guide told him that the anglers would love the opportunity. It's true. Look at my smile

John, when I used to go on fly in fishing trips to Canada, they would tell me to "throw those slimy bastards on the bank"! I actually like eating pike, yes, they have a stronger flavor than walleye, and of course the Y-bones. I would beer batter/deep fry them or grill them. A 40" was my biggest and I brought it in using a Diawa mini-spin ultralight while fishing for walleye.

Here is a short video I put together of the young neighbour kid icing the 35"/10lb-9oz pike.

https://youtu.be/MynRczBV7bE?si=cNInd06q1ScRqZ5s

And here is a fairly lengthy video of our first fishing trip with the young fellow last August. It was his first time ever fishing.

https://youtu.be/Pxiu23Nn2qo?si=sdCVwlHT9CoazHYB