PB laker, Muskoka Sunday morning

Where to start. 1st time out this year. Lake has a bunch of herring. I usually try to jig them and get a dozen or so in the freezer for bait for the season. Also, once I get one, I usually put it down dead on a quick strike rig, suspended horizontally or laying on bottom on a barely slack line. I keep an eye on my switch (dead line) as I jig with my rod in a second hole. I’ve found this is the best way to catch lake trout on this lake, as herring is their main food source. Match the hatch so to speak. I’ve caught them between 2.5-6 lbs over the last few years using a full 11” herring for bait. Took me a while to get onto that.

A couple seasons ago, I had a dead herring laying on bottom and it got picked up by a trout. Fought it hand-lining for 5 minutes or so before a clean break off- its teeth cutting through my heavy mono (20-30 lb?). Exciting, I knew it was a good size fish. So bummed. Tie on a wire leader, (normally reserved for pike, I know) fashioning my own quick strike rig, and put another herring down. Within the next 15 min or so, bait gets picked up again, and the battle is on again. It’s a doozie. Has to be the same fish hanging around. Up, down, peeling line through my hands, back and forth. I get it up at the hole OH MY ! Oh my! I keep saying to myself, as I keep seeing the fish go by the hole, it’s girth filling the entire view down my 8” hole, trying to get its head visible to get it started upward. Around and around the hole, flashing of trout, a giant tail, common….. and then, stuck! One of my treble hooks stuck on the bottom corner of the hole - and bye bye fish. Wow. I always figured there were big fish in here but man! 12 lb? 15? More? Beat myself up over that one for a few days.

Anyway, fast forward to today, caught a few herring, and again, have my herring quick strike rig down, laying on bottom. Some marks near it, checking it out but nothing moving or nudging it yet. So I’m jigging nearby with my 36” rod, cause it keeps the herring pinned well, haven’t changed my two year old 6lb mono on my reel because I’m only fishing herring, using the smallest jigging rap you can get. I drop down to some marks on bottom expecting the slight lift and tap of a herring, and when I set the hook I just know it. This is big! It’s got power and strength I can’t really stop, but it’s not thrashing around wild like a 4 or 5 pounder. Like it just goes without effort, wherever and whenever it wants. 55 feet below me, zzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Loosen the drag. This is where I start second guessing the old line I have on. Gotta play this slow. I wait. I wait. Rod warped right over, steady pressure. Is it too much pressure. It feels like a lot. Loosen drag a bit. My hands are frozen. It’s windy, and snowing sideways. Tighten drag a bit. Fish pulls. I let the rod dip into the hole because I’m afraid to torque on it too much. The reels frozen too. Drag never works as smooth or as loose as if it was inside a heated hut. Neither one of us is gaining. I’m just on my knees - waiting for my turn. 5 minutes goes by with not much gained either way. I can feel the fish pulsing, trying some, but not really giving it a good go. My hands are frozen. Can’t exactly tell how much pressure to put on the fish. Would be very easy to overdo it. It seems to tire a bit, I tighten up the drag and start gaining , it’s coming my way 5, 10, 15 feet…. Nope ….. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Wait. Wait wait… rod still bent over. Wrist tiring. Line squeeking through the eyes. Why? Eyelets frozen. Last two are fully iced up. Sh!+. Put my mouth around the second eye, breathing on it, fish pulling, melt the ice off. Now the first eyelet, same….fish still tugging, rod bent over, my mouth around the eye melting the ice, until it’s cleared. Musta looked pretty special down on my knees had there been anybody around. Ok good, pull some line out by hand, drag seems good - my turn. Start gaining again, fish is tiring, comes up easier this time a good half way before putting the brakes on. Down it goes again. Back and forth a couple more times - another 5 minutes goes by. now it’s up by the ice. Goes by the hole on its side OH MY. This again. Now to get its head up. Not easy. Several times around and around, line pinging off the bottom edge of the ice - I’m thinking this is where my line breaks. Common, just show me your head. Here’s my barrel swivel - and finally, head up and a big mouth coming at me. Reach my frozen hand down in the water and grab the biggest laker I’ve ever pulled through an ice hole! 10:30 AM. May as well go home now, not going to beat that today.

Online calculator was right on with my analog scale

Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em they say
next time maybe I’ll try for pike with my fresh new baits

Nice fish ,way to go

I was stressed out reading that recap- congratulations on a very special fish, glad you were able to get it top side! May be a while before you top that one.

Congrats on the PB and landing that beast eventually!
Great story.

Very nice laker....exciting re-tell of the story.

This is what I recovered from the bottom of the ice a couple years back when I lost the fish at the hole - my two trebels, wrapped up with someone else’s small spoon and stinger that had been broken off by the same fish. Chances are slim this was the same fish I lost twice, but it’s been in my head that this one’s still down there, it was kind of a personal battle to find it the last couple years

What a beast. Now you need to try a different lake for his cousin. Herring are the key to massive lakers they say. I was also fishing amongst the herring and landed a nice one, not as nice as this one though! You can retire from that lake now and move onto new horizons haha. Fantastic. The relish is good. When you clean I’m curious if the meat colour. Gonna smoke it?

Just the tail hook on a the smallest jigging rap

Drag was the key to this success! Those end hooks aren’t the hardest. It’s funny, I got my PB 36” in September fishing for herring. Same deal, 6lb line and the smallest vibrato. You gotta think that 6lb line would snap before it bends the hook… luckily I changed out all my hooks to new hooks before that trip. Bet that lines a little twisty now!

The fulfillment of pursuing your nemesis and nailing it. Priceless.

Great post and story. That was stressful to read let alone experience! Congrats.
Thats an epic fish.

Nice PB. Keep going back there if you are looking to get an even bigger PB. They grow bigger every year in my walleye PB spot.

Great story thanks for sharing! I felt like I was right there with you reading that. Congrats on the PB.