Kcritch and his very first pike...and it was a good one

Well Ken and I decided to hit some water today...At first we didn't know what body of water to hit but we ended up agreeing on Budd Lake because it was 1/2 way between us distance wise and neither one of us have fished it so it would be a learning experience for both of us, which i am always up for.....We started at 8:30 am and started by looking for the deepest water we could find....but the whole lake, as we found out by days end is max. @ 11 feet....So I popped off a few small perch and a small bronze within the first hour or so, and thought, today is gonna be alright.......well we cruised up, down and all around with little success, meaning I got a few more guppy perch. that was all...I had bites all day long but no size.......we saw a bald eagle swoop down in the water , grab a fish, then fly up to a tree to rest......that was very cool.......Eagles are a regular sight in the state now which is awesome!!!!......

Where the heck are the bass in this awesome looking place?....playing hide and seek today for sure....we never found what we were looking for so late in the afternoon decided to rehit an area where I got the perch earlier.....2nd cast in.....Ken nails a giant pike, which just happens to be his very first Pike..Couldn't help notice how healthy and how beautiful the markings were on him....totally different than the pike I catch at the river......It was 30" and @ 5.5#...He was thrilled and rightfully so...Congratulations buddy and welcome to the club!!!!!...........two minutes later I nail one also but it unbuttons at the boat as fast as it was hooked......Kept at it a few more hours...had tons of takes on a jig and dropshot but all small.......End of the day and just as we were about to call it quits, Ken gets another nice healthy one!!..A little smaller than the first but still nice......Great job!!!....We ended up fishing for 11 hours today total..Long day but worth it......Couldn't have been a more beautiful day on the water.....

Let me say this, Ken is a very accomplished fisherman. He has unlimited fishing knowledge and perserverence.....and that always wins in the end.....Mike Iaconelli said it best..."NEVER GIVE UP".....I had such a great day on the water even though I didn't get anything pictureworthy, just some great scenic shots which was fine by me. I had to take advantage of that beautiful sunset to get some nice silhouette shots of me and Ken.....

Oh yeah, Lunch today was Rare Roast Beef w/ Horseradish Cheddar Cheese,Lettuce, Tomato, and Sliced Red Onions ,salt,pepper, and oregano on Ciabatta bread.......The sandwich weighed so much I'm surprised the boat didn't sink......lol.......Here's a few pics.....sorry for the long post and tons of pics, but it sums up a great day!!!!......Looking forward to fishing again anytime you are ready Ken...I had a really great day and you are a pleasure to fish with........and thank you for taking me out on your boat!!!.......Let the pictures tell the story....


Ken with his awesome first pike....How happy does he look?....Nice work!!


Pike # 2


Me fishing at sundown tonight...Thanks for taking this picture!!!


Ken tonight at the end of the day.....


Some scenery from today








Todays Lunch photo

[UglyStick]

Nice pike guys and sounds like an overall great day on the water... and yes... that sandwich looks awesome... should have live lined that puppy...

[FASTEDDIE29]

Great detailed report Mitch!!! The pics are AWESOME! Ken, congrats on your first Pike, that's AWESOME! Nice looking fish out if Budd. Nice day day to be on the water all day. Good stuff guys. ��

Man, I would do some damage to a SAMMICH like that. Looks delicious!!!

[Gerry Zagorski]

Nice catch fellahs and some great pics too.

[Fish n Jeep]

Budd was my favorite lake when I was first getting heavy into bass fishing in the mid 90's... reason being, it was the only place I caught decent sized fish on more than one occasion. You are right Mitch, the bottom is pretty flat & featureless except for one small rock pile, and the submerged vegetation is ubiquitous. I usually did well casting spinnerbaits into the brush along the bog, and working the lilly pads in that same area with soft plastics. Looks like you were in the right area.

[jimmythegreek]

good job ken and mitch, way to put some fish in the boat. I stand corrected, there are actually fish still in Budd LOL. you guys definitely put some time in on that place, all day fishing at its finest........great job and nice pics, Im looking for one of those lunches soon