Gaush golly darn gee Bill……you are so kind…..pickin on me when I don’t even have my internet hooked up to respond yet 
But if you want to get into the Northern debat again, here’s what I’ll say….
I personally did NOT catch a single northern or get bitten off by one all spring while fishing for crappies…….I did have 2 come into the boat by my fishing partners, although both were very small (the biggest being maybe 3#s 
)
But that being said, I have no doubt that someone told Mike they caught a 44″ northern on Lake Zumbro…..but from my experince working at the bait shop last summer, I can tell you (and I’m sure Mike would back this up), there are some weird fisherman around and you hear a LOT of these big fish stories.
For example:
I had two different people claim to have caught 8-10# Large Mouth out at Foster Arends (those would be state record fish)…….one even went far enough as to tell me his secret big bass catchin bait…..”Green night-crawlers” 
Or how bout this…..did you know, “at certain times of the year, you can catch 12″ sunnies left and right off the pier at Chester woods”
Or how bout the “at least 30# Channel Cat” someone hauled in behind the trailor park on the Zumbro River 
Heck, I don’t suppose any of you remember the picture of that 13# brown trout that was posted on here last summer that was said to have been takin out of Fosters?…….Well, I can garuandangtee ya it was NOT caught at Fosters 
So what’s the point of all my nonsense rambling…….I treat every fish story I hear with skepticsim (sp?)……UNLESS I see a picture or know the reliablity of the source 
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Now, I’m not saying there aren’t any 44″ Pike in Lake Zumbro (as I do believe there probably are), and I’m not saying one wasn’t caught……I’m just saying I’d like to start seeing some pictures of all these monster fish coming out of the lake .
and just incase any of ya didn’t know……I have moved back to Winona for the summer……I’m taking a summer class and working in sporting goods at Fleet Farm……so you guys are on your own for Lake Zumbro/Rochester area reports, as I’ll be doing most of my fishin now on the Mighty Miss 
LATER
must be easy to catch those darn things…….
