Pike in Seven Tree Pond!

Last Saturday was the annual kids ice fishing event sponsored by my neighbors in memory of their son. It was a great success with a great turnout. It was one of those events where I was thinking there was not much of a turnout. When I was way out on the ice setting a tip up for a child I turned and looked back and realized that there were easily a hundred people on the ice. We had an eagle watch the proceedings for a good part of the day which added to the positive atmosphere. I have not heard the final tally of attendance but apparently we went through 20 pounds of hot dogs.

That evening I was sitting down to supper when Lyle Cramer called. Lyle is a guide and has a cottage down on Seven Tree Pond. He said that his nephew had caught a large fish through the ice and he was not sure what it was, could I take a look at it. At the kids event we had one really large pickerel that I thought might be a pike so a looked it over very carefully and decided that it was in fact a pickerel. The moment that I saw Lyle’s fish I knew it was a pike. They are very different from our native pickerel. Not to mention that it was pretty big. 36 inches long and I guessed 10 pounds (I found out later that it actually weighed 11 pounds).

I had heard that pike had been confirmed in North Pond that is not too far away and connected by the Saint George river. So not a big stretch that there would be one in Seven Tree.

I am not sure what to think about this turn of events. I am dismayed that someone would take managing the watershed into their own hands and introduce a new species. A top predator that will have a major impact not only on freshwater species but because they will feed on the alewives that spawn in the river they may also impact the striper fishery that I spend a good part of my summer on. My family fishing trips are on Seven Tree and I am certain that the perch populations will be impacted. So changes are coming to the way I do business I just don’t know when.

On the upside I am frequently asked if I have fishing for pike. I guess that now I can say yes and that they get to a good size. I’ll have to spend some time learning to fish for them. Adapting and making the best of the situation just like all of the other species in the watershed.