st croix pike

been fishin the Croix for nine years and finally caught a pike. nice one too. didn’t get a measurement but I figured just short of 30″ maybe more? crushed a shad rap in 12 fow

one more pic.

went down around afton yesterday and had a pretty good sized muskie on for a while then it snapped my 8 lb test. he hit a bobber rod rigged with a blue n white jig with a red hook. i actualy seen him before he hit. i seen his tail surface and casted near him and he hit. and on a side note ive caught many pike on the croix with my pb coming from there and lotw at 39″. caught it on a spinnerbait all the way up by the high bridge. also caught many more on that trip…

i had a 40″ plus muskie take two swipes at a smallmouth I had on up by stillsville. it was one of the coolest things I ever saw out there.

i also had a musky yesterday take about 10 inches of a 13 inch smallmouth down his throat and as i was trying to beach it he let go and the smallie was pretty beat up. threw him up and he just floated down river. ive seen many muskies around the afton area. 2 hooked and lost and multiple blow ups and the 1 yesterday that just hung onto the smallmouth…

Hey guys

Are you seeing any guys that are targeting muskies, that are actually boating any fish

Or are most muskies you’ve heard about or see incidentially caught

Just curious, because I was talking to a guy last week, while I was working on my boat trailer who said that he had a muskie in the 45″47″ range just shred a smallie he had caught too

Its been a while since I’ve been out there targeting the skis and I’ll be on vacation real soon and I’m looking to formulate a game plan

Caught a 35 inch pike and a 40 inch musky fishing the croix last tues. lots of people chasing muskies, in my last 10 years of guiding have never seen so many muskie anglers heard of a 50 caught up by Afton . did not witness it though so you never kwow I think a lot of fisherman are pre fishing for the fall show Sept12 PMT.

plunge,
the pike was the first toothy critter i have ever caught on the Croix. the muskie that missed my smallie was the first ‘ski I ever saw out there. i’m a smallie guy who dabbles in ‘eyes. i fish muskie less than I used to. i still chuck for them in the hayward area when I am up there. IMHO they are very underfished out there. that is probably going to change.

Thanks guys

I’ll be out there puttin in my time

I’ve seriously neglected the Riv for other bodys of water like Tonka

So with all this talk of people having incidental muskie encounters, I’m thinking that maybe I shouldn’t leave fish to find fish

I’ve gotten some pike in the low to mid 30’s on the croix, but it’s usually mixed with alot of little ones. I wonder if a trophy pike fishery exists on the croix or if it’s just hit or miss. I think the area around the high bridge and north has some great potential but haven’t really taken the time to thoroughly explore it. I’m not looking for any honey holes, but would be curious to know if anybody has gotten any big gators on the upper croix north of stillwater. It just seems like an area that’s relatively underfished with some good potential.

thats the furthest up we have gone we caught multiple fish over 30 that trip with the 39 the biggest. most came on spinnerbaits but some came on cranks,tubes,little mepps spinners(crappie sized). most were caught in less than 3 feet of water.just launch at the public ramp just north of stillwater and motor up just make sure you dont pass the border.theres alot of back coves and cuts up that way thats how i got the 39 i casted my crankbait up into a little cut that was 1.5 ft deep and kinda just trolled it back with dad going forward with the motor and she inhaled it…

39# would of been a new state record for WI, it sits at 38# from 1952. whats the minnie state record for northerns?

From the DNR website
STATE RECORD Northern Pike
45 pounds, 12 ounces, length n/a, Basswood Lake (Lake County), 05/16/1929.

Good Luck trying to break that one.

Ferny

We catch quite a few slimers while trolling cranks,

Been a while since I been on the Croix and caught a pike. I usually found them best in the flooded weedlines during high water conditions. The biggest one measuring 35″ but I’ve always wondered if the pike ever have a chance to get big. With the exception of that 35 incher, every pike over 30″ I’ve gotten to the boat was carrying a Lamprey or two. I took them off, of course, but I think the pike are vulnerable to these creepy critters. Nice catch SteveO!