Should have been prepared

[tlspyder13]

Went fishing for perch with my brother this morning at Yuba. Had wind pretty much the whole day until we went to get off the water. No jigging action today.

I was only going to fish for perch so I left my larger net home along with my lip grippers. Grippers were more of a accident. Mostly was set up for trout with some jigs for the perch. Well as luck would have it I hooked into a 20 to 25 inch pike. Great fight that made the day but was in trouble when I got him to the tube. Reached down to grab him only to have him go after my hand. While trying to decide what to do he went for my legs. Didn't even think twice about breaking that line as fast as I could. It still went through my legs but didn't get those teeth tangled up around my legs.

Sure made the kick back a lot easier after that.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Sorry about the wind and the lack of cooperation from the perchies. They are there...somewhere. You just gotta find them. And, the wind is always a potential problem on Yuba. It has ruined more than a few of my trips. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Your episode with the pike makes a good point for other tubers. ALWAYS be prepared for proper fish control. A net larger than you think you will need is a good idea. You never know what might end up on the end of your line. It could be the fish of a lifetime and your story will be "Didn't have a big enough net and lost the fish". Lip grippers are also good for handling the fish after it is netted.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The other issue is protecting both you and the fish. Some fish can cause damage to you or your craft and you don't want them thrashing around uncontrolled. And, if you plan to release the fish, it should be controlled, unhooked and returned to the water as quickly as possible. Pike are a good example. They have nasty teeth and fight hard, but they are wimps. If you keep them immobilized or out of the water too long, they go belly up. Very hard to revive if you have abused them.[/#0000ff]
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[tlspyder13]

Learn something every day. Yesterday I learned to bring the bigger net and today that pike turn into wimps. Wouldn't have guessed that from the fight he put up but good to know for the future.
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[IrishFloatTube]

Next time slip your hand under the gill cover of a pike, slide your fingers up with thumb outside and lift slightly
(eg on the shore this would only lift the front 1/3rd of the fish off the ground)
The fish will go motionless and freeze as long as you hold the gill cover. Perfect for unhooking with a forceps/hemostat.
Avoid the gill rakers themselves - they are sharp and scratch, causing lacerations that bleed in cold wet conditions.
Also if there are treble hooks on the lure use the opposite side gill cover for chinning.
I usually have one gardening glove on board to "chin" the pike this way.

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[tlspyder13]

Thanks for the tip. Lost my nerve to try that when it went for my hand as I reached down the first time. Should have just went for it anyways.

I would have brought him home to eat if I had landed him. My brother was planning on keeping fish and had his basket with him. My kids love to try different types of fish.
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[IrishFloatTube]

This photo shows the method from a better angle:

The only upgrade is having the glove on the left hand to avoid scratches from the pike's gill rakers.

About them "having a go at your hand". It isn't really what it was doing. As you lift their pike up by the mouth (either by hook & line or by chinning tool) they head shake and this lashes the jaws from side to side. It is a reflex action. And it could be dangerous if any loose hooks are waving about on the outside of their mouth. A classic way to end up with your own hook in a finger!

Lifting pike by the hand in gill cover (not the gills!) does not trigger this movement.
In fact it triggers a different movement. As you lift, the pike goes still and opens his mouth by himself, ready for unhooking. As long as you hold him this way his mouth remains open.

Once you try it from that time forwards you will not want anything but a glove and a forceps for unhooking pike .
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