Okay, really I should be letting Eric tell this story because he is the one that pulled this monster through the ice but he said I would be more specific. :) We decided to make one more trip to the Lake before the season is over because the days have been pretty nice here and it won't be long until we are hittin' the water with the boat. Fishing had been pretty slow for the first two or three hours but around 7 we had a bunch of hits and then pulled out a huge ling and he literally was all head, that was the biggest one we have caught with that big of a head. then I was getting some nibbles on my pole and started playing with it and Eric picked up the pole next to me and started jiggin and then mine quit and his started bouncin. So I gave up and went to check the other poles. He could tell that whatever was on it was bigger and we were thinking it was a ling the way it was swimming with the line and then with no warning it took off and that pole was just a singing!! No lie and then he stared reeling it in and as soon as it saw that hole again it was gone. I had left the camera at home because I thought, "last night of fishing and we probably won't catch much." Boy was I WAY WRONG!!! I tried to get the footage on my phone just so we could see the pole bending and hear is zipp'n. That didn't do it justice. Eric would be able to see the glow jig for a minute and then it was gone. He thought at one moment the fish was getting tired so I brought the lantern over and set it beside the hole and all we could see was this big tail end go floatin by the hole. Seriously I was freaking out because I have never seen something that big in the water in real life and at night made it look so much bigger and I started screaming and I look up and Eric's eyes are just wider than ever and he is grinning from ear to ear!!! Then we realized that he still hadn't landed this fish on the ice yet and so it wasn't over yet. We were trying everything from keeping the line away from getting cut on the side of the hole and not to much tension but not too much slack. I sat at the hole just watching and all was calm again until that fish showed his face at the hole and it was all we could do from keeping ourselves from flipping out again. We both wanted to get that sucker out of there and then again neither of us wanted to stick our hand near his mouth, and for a moment I wasn't sure that the hole was big enough to get him out. then without hesitation Eric grabbed a gill and chucked him on the ice..... Then the celebration and screaming and hollering began!!!! I don't care if no one else was on the ice to hear us or see us or how much bigger anyone else's fish is, that memory will be forever!!!! Eric then realized that he really didn't have that fished as set as he thought. it was through his lip and it was one of our old poles and an old jig, but as calm as Eric stayed, everything paid off!!! His arm was dead and he couldn't even hold the fish up for longer than 5 seconds without shaking uncontrollably! He pulled it onto the ice at 7:26 p.m and fought him for about 20 minutes at about 50 ft deep, and he said at one point he almost ran out of line when the fish was running. Yes I was able to time him but as for the amazing footage well sadly only Eric and I will be able to remember that. I always am prepared with my bag of cameras and stands for wherever we go and the one time, one time that I think no I can leave it here... well you know the end of that story. I look at it this way if I would have brought it we probably wouldn't have caught that Macker!!! Right?.... The rest of the night was pretty slow as well but we did pull out three other ling and two little Lakers. I must say that is the best way to end the season!!!
It's pretty crazy that they can grow to be this big and even bigger! The official record for Mack out of the Gorge is 51 lbs 8oz and 45 1/8" long and that was in 1988.
Even though we thought he would weigh more he made up for that in length. Plus we were wondering what his summer weight would be or if they lose that much during the winter or not.
Eric let me snag a picture in with his big monster.
My niece is about 42-43 inches tall and this big boy is just a bit shorter than she is.
