Viddler

Northern Pike Fishing in Ely MN Northern Pike Fishing in Ely MN My name is Robert Silkey and here is my Big Fish Story. This big fish story is about the great Northern Pike and landing them without a net. That's right Northern Pike Fishing without a net! The Silkey family has been going to Ely MN for 35 years and strictly fish for Big Northern Pike. The Silkey family which now also includes the Helton family camp outside of Ely MN in the Superior National Forest in an area called the BWCA for 9 straight days each September. Many years ago while fishing in Ely MN I witnessed a fishing guide grab a big Northern Pike out of the water bare handed. If you have ever seen a Northern Pike or have ever gone fishing for them you can understand my amazement and my immediate thoughts of this fishing guide being crazy. However since that day we have adopted that same approach when landing a Northern Pike and have established a pact between those that attend our annual fishing trip in Ely MN. So when we are fishing for Big Pike there are no landing nets allowed in the boat. We believe that this concept pits man against Water Wolf, the common nick name for the Northern Pike. In telling those about this phenomenon of bare handing these fish, especially when they see my 30 pound, 49 1/2" Big Northern Pike on my wall, they simply do not believe we grab these big Northern Pike out of the water without a landing net given the size of their teeth. It is not only the size of their teeth but also the vast number of teeth. In September of 2006, while fishing in Ely I caught a nice 40 inch, 18.5 pound Northern Pike which gave me a great fight for its size. This video will show all those that the Silkey and Helton families do grab all their Northern Pikes out of the water without a landing net. This video was shot by Ted Ricasa my boat companion that year, and has not been digitally enhanced. Sincerely, Robert C. Silkey AKA Fishinman p.s. When Pike Fishing please catch and release all your Big Northern Pike unless