# Central ohio pike



## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Just thought id share a pic of a small pike i caught a couple weeks back. 
It hit a clown vibe an fought really well.. 
Out of the hundreds of pike ive caught up north i stil get super excited to hit one so close to home(closer then many think.)


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## Mark Copley (May 10, 2017)

Where did you catch it?


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Mark Copley said:


> Where did you catch it?


Central ohio river


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## Gottagofishn (Nov 18, 2009)

Imagine if that was 43"....


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## Mark Copley (May 10, 2017)

Nice fish and good to know they are around and it is nice to imagine that being a 43inch monster.
Curious which river if you don't mind.


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## JEC956 (Mar 1, 2016)

Scioto?


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## 1basshunter (Mar 27, 2011)

Bobby, nice little Pike I have yet to get one this year. But I have got a few River musky


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## Earthworms (Dec 15, 2014)

I have caught pike within 5 mile radius from hoover.


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## T-180 (Oct 18, 2005)

Come on saugeye, gps coordinates (note sarcasm)


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## odell daniel (Nov 5, 2015)

river pike have a different look than lakers, I fish the sciota and have never got one over 30", not saying their not there.


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Nice catch, SF. Getting a kick out of the scavenger hunt you just started. District 1 has what, seven rivers within its territory - Scioto, Olentangy, Licking, Kokosing, Hocking, Mad, and technically the headwaters of the GMR (feel free to correct me if I'm missing one). Comments like "closer than many think" lays it on pretty thick suggesting you can eliminate the peripheral waterways from that list. Next you've got another poster confirming they've caught pike in one river off the list. Look at the background. It's a well trafficked area. My guess is a lot of folks reading this thread have wet a line in the same hole.


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## cpete2056 (Sep 12, 2017)

I caught this guy in the creek behind me, no more than 3 feet deep the big ones are here if you can find them


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## steelshep (Feb 16, 2011)

Cpete2056,
That's a really nice Ohio Pike. What did you catch him on and did you get a measurement?


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## Draggin along (Nov 8, 2012)

Congratulations on the catch. Had to be a real thrill seeing a northern on the line. Nice to see one caught in the local water.


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## cpete2056 (Sep 12, 2017)

Thanks @steelshep 
I caught a bunch of smaller guys on flukes and jerkbaits but I always take a rod with a bobber and a shiner or chub on the end of it and that’s what the big one bit


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## cpete2056 (Sep 12, 2017)

didn't get a measurement but if I had to guess it was at least 33 inches? I could be wrong...


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

cpete2056 said:


> Thanks @steelshep
> I caught a bunch of smaller guys on flukes and jerkbaits but I always take a rod with a bobber and a shiner or chub on the end of it and that’s what the big one bit


Dear god whatever you do don't giveaway that location to anyone. Apparent easy access, limited obstruction, it'll be poached devoid of fish in a matter of weeks if you publicly disclose where that is at.


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## MIGHTY (Sep 21, 2013)

Buddy of mine caught a big muskie a week or two ago (we/I never specifically target them and I doubt I ever will) and after seeing this post I have a question for you guys that know more about these fish than I do. I know how muskies need to be handled very delicately to keep them alive, does the same go for these pike or are they a little less fragile? Just a question out of sheer curiosity because they seem very similar to me but I’m just a catfisherman. Nice catches to everyone in this thread too.


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## OHMC 1st VP (Apr 18, 2008)

Both Muskie and Pike, when they are large and heavy, do not have the skeletal structure to support that weight vertically. They live horizontally in their "weightless" environment... so when someone catches a LARGE member of the Esox family of fishes, then holds it vertically by the gill flap for their picture, and returns it to the water, there is a good chance that fish may not survive. The spine could be separated in multiple places, lots of connective tissue and muscle tissue runs the risk of being torn, etc. So, for the inexperienced, unprepared angler who catches a nice Pike or Muskie on light tackle (ie. crappie/bass gear) and exhausts the fish to land it, then mishandles the fish before releasing it, pretty much results in a floater. Might as well take it home and eat it or have the taxidermist put it on the wall. Hope that helps Mighty, and not trying to hijack the thread


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## the_waterwolf (Feb 8, 2013)

cpete2056 said:


> I caught this guy in the creek behind me, no more than 3 feet deep the big ones are here if you can find them
> View attachment 248283


I fished for pike in Ohio almost exclusively from 2010 - 2016. That is a fine specimen that you have there! I would say that fish went 40" on the nose. When I was fishing for them multiple days per week we'd have a shot at 4 or 5 fish a year of that size, mostly in the spring or late fall around Thanksgiving time. It got to the point that unless it would go over 35" we didn't get too excited about it, but they are always still fun to catch.

Our pike populations are a fraction of what they once were, so always practice catch and release. On the one river that I fish there are only 4 known areas where they successfully reproduce, which can fluctuate wildly from year to year. Only one ditch, about 100 yards long, consistently pumped out fingerlings every year. I am not a scientist, but I would bet that it was because the field had not been tiled and the ditch had never been "dipped out" before, at least not in the 150 years that the family had owned the property. The section of river is probably my absolute favorite spot and is truly a remnant of the time before we began to inhabit the area. The pike are the true dominant predator, and the most common game fish in that stretch. If we happened to land anything else, bass, perch, bluegill, or catfish they were almost always of bragging size.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Sorry guys,not gonna kiss an tell.
They are out there,in a lot of the rivers in ohio. 
Cpete,those are some impressive fish. Where you catch them at......


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## foxbites (Mar 15, 2010)

There are some nice northerns in the walhondang river! Caught this one 2







weeks ago


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