Quetico

Last week my son and I went on an adventure into the interior of Quetico Provincial Park in Canada, north of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota.  We weren't quite sure of what to expect....bear?  Moose?   Man eating pike?  Well, we didn't see any bear or moose, although we did see moose tracks...no, not the ice cream.....that comes later.  The man eating pike, well, that's a different story.  After our 8th portage around some rapids we decided to relax and do a little fishing in a pond on a lake called Bisk.....not too sure of the origin of the name, I think Bisk was an early bush pilot.  either that or the person to discover the lake liked pancakes maybe....In any case, the pond in question was full of pike.  big pike.  How big, I was about to find out.  I cast out my floating Rappala, and the first cast brought a splash to the surface of this otherwise tranquil little pond, and I had my first pike of the trip hooked pretty good.  I could tell he wasn't too big, maybe 20 inches.....at least at first.  As I was reeling him in the line got heavier.....a LOT heavier....I couldn't figure it out!  Instead of me pulling him in, as I reeled my little wood greenland kayak was pulled toward the spot on the pond where the fish were.  When I arrived at the spot sweating a couple of minutes later, I discovered my first 20 inch pike had a 40 inch pike attached by way of some very long, sharp teeth.  Now I ask you, does this qualify as a 60" pike?  OK, OK, not....of course, I had to land them to claim him anyway, and the pike shark would not fit into our little net.....getting him to let go was not easy, and there was no way I was getting my hand anywhere near that cavern of stalagtites and stalagmites......he finally let go, only to attack the two Walleye I had on my stringer....I pulled them up and got the heck out of there!  I think it's appropriate that this was shark week on TV.....