# Blue pike?



## beaver (Sep 28, 2010)

This is random, but for some reason I decided to do some digging on "blue pike" this morning. 

I knew that it was a huge part of the fishery in Erie, and is now extinct. I also knew that I guy recently had one in his freezer from the 60's, and turned it over for research. 

What I didn't know is that apparently, out of all those millions of pounds of Blues they caught every year, nobody took any pictures. I was curious to see what they actually looked like, and in all of Google, all I can find are drawings. I can't find any actual pictures.


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## caseyroo (Jun 26, 2006)

Pretty good article
http://vtichthyology.blogspot.com/2016/06/what-happened-to-blue-pike-by-paul.html


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## Mr. A (Apr 23, 2012)

Don't quote me on this, but I thought there was a post here, or a post about an article where a guy was confirmed to have caught one recently. No manageable or target able population mind you, but not extinct like everyone believed?

I am sure someone will remember what I am talking about more accurately....


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## icebucketjohn (Dec 22, 2005)

Heard Canada was supposed to have an isolated population of them., and research was going to be done to propagate them again.


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## beaver (Sep 28, 2010)

Everything that I have found so far indicates that there hasn't been any actual blue pike documented, only blue color variations of walleye, which are a different species. That was why they frozen fish was supposed to be so special because of the good DNA that it provided. Everything else they had was from specimens preserved in formaldehyde, which apparently makes it hard to use the DNA. It would be cool to see them come back as a pure strain, but I fear that the powers that be would just use the DNA to try and come up with another hybrid.


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

Frencr river still has some


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## guppygill (May 8, 2004)

Dad is a big blue pike fan, states the one caught was a variant, not actual blue pike, and to date, none have been found anywhere, just variants


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

This subject pops up every now and then. 

When fishing Lake Ostaboningue in Quebec years back, my buddy caught a walleye that was not the normal green/gold color! It was blue! Along the back it was as dark as India ink! We started wondering if there was a population of blue pike in the lake. 

This even went so far as In-Fisherman reporting on these rumors! Then, some fish were turned over to the biologists who did DNA studies. Turned out to be just a color phase of walleye. Just like those black squirrels have turned out to be a color phase of fox squirrels!


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## Snakecharmer (Apr 9, 2008)

Hopefully Creekcrawler will see this post. He has some original Blue Pike Frozen Fish Wrapper paper from the 50'sand 60's. I had some repro's from his on the wall of my office at work.


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## brettmansdorf (Apr 5, 2013)

Used to work on the Pickerel river in Ontario (connected to the French and Lake Nipissing). Back in the late 80s - in a year with abnormally high water (spring) we caught several of these pale blue ones- which were noticeably different... Fortunately over the years, I had made friends with the OPP officer assigned - got in touch with him and inside a day - he dropped by to see our caged pet. The next day a biologist from Ministry of NRF (nat resources & forestry) dropped by and picked it up... At the time - they were aware of the blueish colored walleye - and he seemed more interested in the exact area we caught it than in the fish itself. Back then - they were concerned with air pollution having an effect of the fish - and their initial thoughts related to the air pollution changing the fishes habitat (and subsequent coloration). A few days later, I got to ride around with him taking water and sediment samples (and guiding the way) for two days. In the end the fish was determined to come from (normally) secluded lakes - which are only accessible in high water years. 

My grandfather was (too) a Blue Pike fan. Loads of pictures and a mounted collage as well (his brother/fishing buddy was a taxidermist). I noticed right away - they are smaller and thinner in profile (thickness of fish on its belly) with much bigger eyes. Unfortunately - I'm too young (now there is a term I rarely use) to have seen (real blue pike) one.


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## I Fish (Sep 24, 2008)

brettmansdorf said:


> My grandfather was (too) a Blue Pike fan. Loads of pictures and a mounted collage as well (his brother/fishing buddy was a taxidermist). I noticed right away - they are smaller and thinner in profile (thickness of fish on its belly) with much bigger eyes.


Any way you could post some pics? I'd love to see an actual Blue Pike mounted.


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## E- man (Jan 25, 2014)

I read somewhere that Lake Ontario had blue pike in it and that they were going to try and reintroduce them into Lake Erie. Can't remember where I read this . When I was a kid back in the fifties I would here the old-timers tell stories about the abundance of the blue pike and how easy they were to get. Guys fished for them like we fish for perch. I guess they for the most part they didn't get real big. I do know that on one occasion when we couldn't get on the water my dad pulled into one of the many commercial fishing places on the Grand out of Fairport harbor and bought one that had been netted. To me it looked huge at the time. Hard to remember back that far but guessing about 3#. Surprised my dad didn't have it mounted. He was a fanatic about getting things stuffed. Wish he would have now.


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## brettmansdorf (Apr 5, 2013)

As I scan in old photos (you know - the kind that were actually printed), I'll keep an eye. This was circa 1980 something. He passed a decade ago, and followed my grandmother who passed in the late 90's - meaning there were several downsizings and moves. The majority of the taxidermy stuff didn't survive the moves (can you say fragile beyond glass). I can't remember what exactly killed that scene - but funny one - he had a walleye open mouthed after a perch (typical) with a piece of driftwood. In one of the moving trucks - it shifted and collided with a Jackalope (we all remember these) and lodged in the driftwood between the open jaws of the walleye and the scurrying perch - and the wood made it look like it was smiling - kinda like Jack Nicholson in the "through the door" scene in the shining...


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## brettmansdorf (Apr 5, 2013)

My grandfather told me that people really didn't mount Blue Pike - as they were not big nor prized. He had the scene (he did) because he was always working on something. For God's sake - he mounted a 3' carp to give to his buddy as a joke - painted deep gold with bright yellow racing flames - then he added vampire teeth & evil eyes (this I remember clearly - as I was 12 and thought WTF). As it turns out - his buddy always claimed to this GIANT muskie (bronzeback) which had broken his favorite rod and stole hours and hours of his time in a fight - for which the devil fish simply 'spit out' the hook after he had straightened it.. you know the story - been used way too much for any given species. The mount was definitely the hit of the guys retirement party. My Grandfather and his neighbor (guy didn't fish - just taxidermist) would tinker with stuff - funny now - but back then I though - really, as like the carp - the attention to detail was lacking - but I was 12 and really didn't get it.


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## E- man (Jan 25, 2014)

All the mounts my dad had are long gone. Including the jackalope


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## E- man (Jan 25, 2014)

My dad must have been related to your grandpa. He would get almost anything mounted. Some just as a joke .We had a neighbor that tinkered in taxidermy as well. Not very good at it but was dirt cheap or nothing at all except for maybe some type of "refreshment".From ground hogs to skunks we had them, even a porcupine.Do remember the neighbor complaining about how many times he got stuck doing the porcupine.


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

here's a few pics


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## beaver (Sep 28, 2010)

Are those actual blue pike or just blue variations of walleye?


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

I heard Saugeye Tom has a few alive and swimming in a kiddie pool in his back yard(where he keeps his water wings). He's been trying to mate them for some time but not having much luck.


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

beaver said:


> Are those actual blue pike or just blue variations of walleye?


Black Crappie. Clearly.


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

Good info & read here-
Sadly, all gone.

http://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/archive/discuss/index.php/topic,935.0.html
http://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/archive/discuss/index.php/topic,889.0.html


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## beaver (Sep 28, 2010)

MassillonBuckeye said:


> I heard Saugeye Tom has a few alive and swimming in a kiddie pool in his back yard(where he keeps his water wings). He's been trying to mate them for some time but not having much luck.


Too slippery?


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

beaver said:


> Are those actual blue pike or just blue variations of walleye?


That's is what they call blue pike or blue pickerel in Canada


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

Th


MassillonBuckeye said:


> I heard Saugeye Tom has a few alive and swimming in a kiddie pool in his back yard(where he keeps his water wings). He's been trying to mate them for some time but not having much luck.


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

F


MassillonBuckeye said:


> I heard Saugeye Tom has a few alive and swimming in a kiddie pool in his back yard(where he keeps his water wings). He's been trying to mate them for some time but not having much luck.


 fast swimmers.... I'll find you and the beav


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## brettmansdorf (Apr 5, 2013)

Those are the color variants of Yellow Walleye.
You can tell by the eyes - or so the biologist from CAN told me - he said you will notice right away the size of the eyes if you are used to normal walleye, as they are at least 50% larger. Of course - only ever seeing a mounted one - he could have sold me some prime real estate as well - but considering his ranking in biological geekdom - I took his word for it. Strange fella - whose level of attention to detail far exceeded anything I've ever seen. If my doctor was as detail oriented as this guy - I'd live to be 174...


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## Carpman (May 18, 2005)

Caught on 25 November in Huron.

This walleye was bright turquoise looking in the water, never seen anything like it.


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## Snakecharmer (Apr 9, 2008)

Carpman said:


> Caught on 25 November in Huron.
> 
> This walleye was bright turquoise looking in the water, never seen anything like it.


I would have thought near Davis-Besse or Perry...


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## Scum_Frog (Apr 3, 2009)

I caught these walleye through the ice couple years ago and the second one on the left was as blue of a walleye as ive ever seen before.


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## brettmansdorf (Apr 5, 2013)

Grandfather used to joke that he didn't get an invite to the Great (last) Blue Pike Fish Fry...

For those not familiar with the term - it relates the 1969 flowing bonfire of Cleveland - aka Cuyahoga River.

BTW - CreekCrawler - those pics are AWESOME...


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

They're out there


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

Thats one I'd like to recommend CPR!! Would be pretty cool to catch one some day. Looks like they are still around.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

Snakecharmer said:


> Hopefully Creekcrawler will see this post. He has some original Blue Pike Frozen Fish Wrapper paper from the 50'sand 60's. I had some repro's from his on the wall of my office at work.


As a kid I can remember seeing canned "Lake Erie Blue Pike" on store shelves. This would have been in the late '50's thru the mid '60's. 



Saugeye Tom said:


> View attachment 225490
> View attachment 225491
> View attachment 225492
> View attachment 225493
> here's a few pics


Wow! That blue one looks exactly like the one my buddy caught at Ostaboningue! It was 33" or 34" inches long and God knows what it weighed, so he brought it home to have it mounted. He took it to the best fish guy in the area, and I went with him to pick it up. The taxidermist painted it to look like a standard green/gold walleye, and when my buddy saw it he freaked! 

We explained how the fish was originally colored, and my buddy brought him some pics, which he should have done in the first place. The guy repainted the mount and nailed it! It looks cool as hell! 



Saugeye Tom said:


> They're out there


It's nice to hope, but so far no luck! Like I said, In-Fisherman took notice of this years ago, and turned up no research that indicated any Blue Pike populations extant in North America.

I did some digging years ago and wish I could remember where I found the source material. Maybe Ohio Sea Grant, but I can't be sure. Apparently Blue Pike were a relatively isolated species, their range wasn't that large. In Lake Erie they preferred a spot in the water column below that of walleye. They liked it down deep, cold and dark! Their eyes were HUGE! Apparently sight feeders even at those depths. Nowadays those depth requirements might put them in Erie's "dead zone", where even Burbot populations are being threatened.


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

buckeyebowman said:


> As a kid I can remember seeing canned "Lake Erie Blue Pike" on store shelves. This would have been in the late '50's thru the mid '60's.
> The most recent I've saw were from Georgian Bay area of the French river....about 3 years ago
> 
> 
> ...


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

buckeyebowman said:


> As a kid I can remember seeing canned "Lake Erie Blue Pike" on store shelves. This would have been in the late '50's thru the mid '60's.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The most recent I've saw were the Georgian Bay area of the French river a few years back. 3 I think


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

My father-in-law lived in Cleveland. He and his family, hell, everyone who fished living anywhere near the lake, took them for granted, and took home as many as they could while night fishing from row boats! They were great eating, a staple really for many people who didn't really have much else, and an "inexhaustible resource"!? Obviously, they were taken by netting and sold as well! There were no limits and no control! A sad situation but a conservation lesson learned the "hard" way!


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## Snakecharmer (Apr 9, 2008)

c. j. stone said:


> My father-in-law lived in Cleveland. He and his family, hell, everyone who fished living anywhere near the lake, took them for granted, and took home as many as they could while night fishing from row boats! They were great eating, a staple really for many people who didn't really have much else, and an "inexhaustible resource"!? Obviously, they were taken by netting and sold as well! There were no limits and no control! A sad situation but a conservation lesson learned the "hard" way!


Yes my dad and uncle rented row boats from Euclid Beach, hung a lantern over the side and fished for them at night in the late forites and 50's.


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## bdawg (Apr 14, 2009)

You know what is surprising to me is that there were supposedly no blue pike in Lakes Huron, Superior, or Michigan! These lakes have more deep, clear water, and were not as polluted as Erie or Ontario in the 60s. Why would this sub-species only evolve in Lake Erie and then move down to Ontario, but not move up into the other great lakes? 

Would the amount of ice cover on the lakes be a factor in their spawning success? Lake Erie, being the southern most lake has the least ice cover. I know in the 70s, there were some particularly bad winters, but the population started to collapse in the 60s.


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## BlueMax (Dec 3, 2006)

As far as I remember the population was gone in the late 50's. I first fished in 1966. There was not talk of Blue Pike then. Only memories. We caught perch off Cleveland with a few smelt mixed in. Sheephead also


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

Its debated and being studied to determine if they are indeed a different species. Could just be a color morph. Act the same, taste the same, are the same, dont look quite the same. Which is why you still see them. Unless the pics of the blue fish being posted aren't what people are calling Blue Pike. Apparently theres some studies underway at the moment.


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

I fished with my dad for blue pike in the forties off Gordon Park (72nd). I can remember how much I preferred bass fishing at East Harbor to blue pike.


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## percidaeben (Jan 15, 2010)

bdawg said:


> You know what is surprising to me is that there were supposedly no blue pike in Lakes Huron, Superior, or Michigan! These lakes have more deep, clear water, and were not as polluted as Erie or Ontario in the 60s. Why would this sub-species only evolve in Lake Erie and then move down to Ontario, but not move up into the other great lakes?
> 
> Would the amount of ice cover on the lakes be a factor in their spawning success? Lake Erie, being the southern most lake has the least ice cover. I know in the 70s, there were some particularly bad winters, but the population started to collapse in the 60s.


Erie, when left alone is by Far the most fertile of the Great Lakes. Probably why they did so well until Man screwed them over.


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## tomb (Oct 9, 2004)

Shortdrift said:


> I fished with my dad for blue pike in the forties off Gordon Park (72nd). I can remember how much I preferred bass fishing at East Harbor to blue pike.


Did they look like the occasional bluish walleyes we catch now?


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

No. They were slightly different. Much larger eye, and If I remember right, technically, something about the jaw
line in relation to the eye was slightly different. They've checked DNA on some of those blue-hued walleye
and they aren't blue pike. The one the guy had in his freezer from 1963 had a mix of walleye & blue pike DNA (a hybrid). As the blue pike population died off, they mated with walleye and produced hybrids. If a true 100% blue pike DNA is found, they could clone them for re-introduction. That's why the the ODNR still wants to see any blue-hued walleye caught out of Lake Erie.

Some more info here -

http://www.outdoorsniagara.com/bluepikecomparison.htm


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## jamesbalog (Jul 6, 2011)

Here is a picture of a blue looking perch we caught a few years back. I was told it was just simple color variation, these blue looking walleye you guys are catching probably the same kind of thing going on


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## bigsplash (Nov 7, 2013)

Here is a few pics of a Blue Walleye I caught about 3 years ago in a trib off of the Ohio in Pa. I wasn't sure what it was till I took a good look at it. Doboy I'm sure you know where this is.


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

Some interesting reading regarding the blue pike. Some already referenced here in this thread.

http://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/archive/discuss/index.php?topic=515.30


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## Charles Beck (Aug 28, 2017)

2017.08.27

My name is Charles Beck. I was born in McKeesport, PA, in 1941, and during the late 1940s and on through to about the mid 1950s, I fished in Lake Erie out of Northeast, PA with my dad in a rented 16-foot boat with a 5 hp. outboard engine that one could rent back in that day from boat houses that dotted the Lake Erie shoreline in PA. We would plan a family weekend trip from McKeesport to Northeast, PA, where my dad's aging uncle and aunt lived. We drove up on a Friday, rented a room in a rooming house for $8.00 a night, visited with my dad's aunt an uncle who lived in Northeast, PA, had supper in a local diner, returned to our rented room for a nap, and then about midnight, got up and drove the few miles down to the boat rental place and rented a boat. We would go out a half mile or so, anchor, bate our hooks with the minnows we had bought at the boat house. We would reel down, and count the number of turns of our reels that we had gone down. When we got a bite, we noted the number of reel turns so we could return to that depth. We learned to feel for the bite, jerk our rod up sharply to hook the fish, and then bring it in. the blue and yellow pike were not big fighters, and they could be reeled in and and netted relatively easily. We caught about seven or eight blues to every yellow, however, both fish filleted, cooked, tasted the same, and were delicious. One year in the early 1950s, we had a spectacular fishing night. We turned our reels down the known count where we were getting bites, and suddenly, as we got to that depth, we would get a bite, hook the fish and reel it in We de-hooked, rebated, and went back down to the same depth, and within a half minute or so, hooked another pike. This went on for about an hour, and we got over 100 blue and yellow pike that night. We bought extra ice and containers and got all the fish home, but becuase we didn't have a home freezer back in those days, we gave lots of fish to our family and friends. Those are my pleasant memories of fishing for blue and yellow pike in Lake Erie back in the day. Sadly, one year in about the mid 1950s, we went out in our rented boat and got only a few pike, and then the next year none. We went back the next year and got none. In the meantime, my dad's uncle and aunt died, and so we had no reason to go back to Northeast, either to visit them or to fish. It was all very sad. No one knew what was going on back then, but of course today we know all know what had happened. Happily, due to environmental regulations and cleanup, Lake Erie is coming back to life!

Charles Beck
[email protected]


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## Masterbaiter66 (Sep 3, 2016)

Charles Beck said:


> 2017.08.27
> 
> My name is Charles Beck. I was born in McKeesport, PA, in 1941, and during the late 1940s and on through to about the mid 1950s, I fished in Lake Erie out of Northeast, PA with my dad in a rented 16-foot boat with a 5 hp. outboard engine that one could rent back in that day from boat houses that dotted the Lake Erie shoreline in PA. We would plan a family weekend trip from McKeesport to Northeast, PA, where my dad's aging uncle and aunt lived. We drove up on a Friday, rented a room in a rooming house for $8.00 a night, visited with my dad's aunt an uncle who lived in Northeast, PA, had supper in a local diner, returned to our rented room for a nap, and then about midnight, got up and drove the few miles down to the boat rental place and rented a boat. We would go out a half mile or so, anchor, bate our hooks with the minnows we had bought at the boat house. We would reel down, and count the number of turns of our reels that we had gone down. When we got a bite, we noted the number of reel turns so we could return to that depth. We learned to feel for the bite, jerk our rod up sharply to hook the fish, and then bring it in. the blue and yellow pike were not big fighters, and they could be reeled in and and netted relatively easily. We caught about seven or eight blues to every yellow, however, both fish filleted, cooked, tasted the same, and were delicious. One year in the early 1950s, we had a spectacular fishing night. We turned our reels down the known count where we were getting bites, and suddenly, as we got to that depth, we would get a bite, hook the fish and reel it in We de-hooked, rebated, and went back down to the same depth, and within a half minute or so, hooked another pike. This went on for about an hour, and we got over 100 blue and yellow pike that night. We bought extra ice and containers and got all the fish home, but becuase we didn't have a home freezer back in those days, we gave lots of fish to our family and friends. Those are my pleasant memories of fishing for blue and yellow pike in Lake Erie back in the day. Sadly, one year in about the mid 1950s, we went out in our rented boat and got only a few pike, and then the next year none. We went back the next year and got none. In the meantime, my dad's uncle and aunt died, and so we had no reason to go back to Northeast, either to visit them or to fish. It was all very sad. No one knew what was going on back then, but of course today we know all know what had happened. Happily, due to environmental regulations and cleanup, Lake Erie is coming back to life!
> 
> ...


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## Snakecharmer (Apr 9, 2008)

Charles Beck said:


> 2017.08.27
> 
> My name is Charles Beck. I was born in McKeesport, PA, in 1941, and during the late 1940s and on through to about the mid 1950s, I fished in Lake Erie out of Northeast, PA with my dad in a rented 16-foot boat with a 5 hp. outboard engine that one could rent back in that day from boat houses that dotted the Lake Erie shoreline in PA. We would plan a family weekend trip from McKeesport to Northeast, PA, where my dad's aging uncle and aunt lived. We drove up on a Friday, rented a room in a rooming house for $8.00 a night, visited with my dad's aunt an uncle who lived in Northeast, PA, had supper in a local diner, returned to our rented room for a nap, and then about midnight, got up and drove the few miles down to the boat rental place and rented a boat. We would go out a half mile or so, anchor, bate our hooks with the minnows we had bought at the boat house. We would reel down, and count the number of turns of our reels that we had gone down. When we got a bite, we noted the number of reel turns so we could return to that depth. We learned to feel for the bite, jerk our rod up sharply to hook the fish, and then bring it in. the blue and yellow pike were not big fighters, and they could be reeled in and and netted relatively easily. We caught about seven or eight blues to every yellow, however, both fish filleted, cooked, tasted the same, and were delicious. One year in the early 1950s, we had a spectacular fishing night. We turned our reels down the known count where we were getting bites, and suddenly, as we got to that depth, we would get a bite, hook the fish and reel it in We de-hooked, rebated, and went back down to the same depth, and within a half minute or so, hooked another pike. This went on for about an hour, and we got over 100 blue and yellow pike that night. We bought extra ice and containers and got all the fish home, but becuase we didn't have a home freezer back in those days, we gave lots of fish to our family and friends. Those are my pleasant memories of fishing for blue and yellow pike in Lake Erie back in the day. Sadly, one year in about the mid 1950s, we went out in our rented boat and got only a few pike, and then the next year none. We went back the next year and got none. In the meantime, my dad's uncle and aunt died, and so we had no reason to go back to Northeast, either to visit them or to fish. It was all very sad. No one knew what was going on back then, but of course today we know all know what had happened. Happily, due to environmental regulations and cleanup, Lake Erie is coming back to life!
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info Charles!. My father and an uncle would rent a wooden rowboat at Euclid Beach in the 50's and fish for blue pike at night hanging a railroad lantern over the side of the boat.


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## bdawg (Apr 14, 2009)

Wow. Great first hand account! Thanks for posting. It seems like the blue pike die off was a pretty fast and steep decline!


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## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

great story, thanks for sharing.. mckeesport pa, i know it well, my company has a transfer station there. screwy how i cross a river, not cross a river.. but the fried chicken is great.lol.

im talking driving a 53' tractor trailer too, not a car. im not a big fan of PA roadways.


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