It probably sounds fishy to tell a story backwards while reviewing through the events and details that develop its skeletal structure. But that’s exactly what transpired within this tale! The script itself ended within the early fall days of 2024. That particular week we had a partial lunar eclipse on September 17th while in the midst of the Harvest (Full) Moon, which ironically coincided with the Super Moon. You know, that time when the moon circles closest to Earth and appears larger than usual. It was then that Cindy and I cooked up the pike I had caught at the end of August. The tasty fish and pleasant evening was comforting as we ate out on our deck; belying internal stress and sadness. The following afternoon, after a day with family in the healthcare center, Cindy’s Mom passed away.
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| A Partial Eclipse Of The Super-Full-Harvest Moon |
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| A Pike Fillet & Vegetable Stir-Fry Dinner Out On The Deck |
Three weeks prior to that, up beside one of the many lakes straddling the Oneida-Vilas County line in Northern Wisconsin, I tried practicing what my Uncle Bob preaches for filleting a pike. The meat is sweet, flavorful, and oh so delicious when cooked in original Shore Lunch Breading and Batter Mix. Some people don’t like to fish for pike because you risk losing expensive lures and tackle with their vicious strikes if you don't prepare with quality equipment. Others don’t like to fish for pike due to the skeletal Y-bone along each side of their backbone when trying to fillet them out. I’ve often kept a pike and simply filleted them out - leaving the Y-bones in them. I don’t mind digging through the bones to experience the taste. But on that date, with that pike, I watched and re-watched a video I had recorded of my uncle cleaning a pike enough times to make an attempt at cleaning it correctly while removing the Y-bone.
(Click here to watch my Uncle Bob filleting a Northern Pike)
I graded the first side of the pike I filleted with an “A”, but the second side received a self assessed “C”. I still managed to harvest all of the edible meat on that second side, but it came off in several scrap pieces. After cleaning the pike I packaged the meat in a zip-lock and packed it in ice for my trip back home and the dinner I mentioned out on the deck a few weeks later.
I had caught that particular pike while drifting in the northeast corner of a lake on which my parents have rented a cabin a couple of times each year since 2009. They say it's so they can continue to get their “Northwoods Fix” after having moved to Southern Wisconsin from Northern Lower Michigan back in 2001. As a rule, Dad keeps a detailed fishing journal and wrote about the events from that morning as we fished together.
Captain’s Log:
Wed. 8/28/24
Up at 6:45. Cool, cloudy morning. Temp. 60° Dew pt. 54°. Light NE wind. We got ready. Mike & I were on the water by 8:00. We are still using Josh’s bigger, wider 16’ boat with the 25 hp. Motor. Nice : ) We went to the far NE end of the main lake. It was calm water, maybe 5 mph wind allowing us to drift and cast along the whole shoreline. We made 3 or 4 passes of drifting and casting for pike or bass without a strike. We both used gold #5 Mepps. Finally I tried a Dardevle, then a #5 silver Vibrax with a red blade. Nothing. So we drifted closer to shore [under the watchful eye of an osprey] and went to casting worms and a bobber for panfish.
We caught a few “gills” and I caught a few crappies. As I was bringing in a bluegill, a big pike zipped in and grabbed it. Excellent! The pike must be starting to feed. Mike grabbed his Mepps and I my Vibrax. He cast North and I cast South. Within a couple of casts we both had a pike on at the same time [known as being “Doubled Up”]. Mine made 3 jumps on the way to the boat. His stayed down. Both pike ended up coming into the same side of the boat at the same time.
Mike got a video of them beside the boat. Then he took our big net and netted them both at the same time. Mike’s pike had a big head, and measured at 29.5” and 5#. My pike was 24.5” and 3#. We dispatched them both, put them on a stringer, made a couple more casts for good measure, and headed back to the cabin. We were back by 10:30.
With those two pike on our lines, it made for a fun but hectic few moments. For that reason, we were relieved when they both threw their lure off while thrashing together in the net. We removed the lures and untangled the lines before hoisting the fish for a couple of pictures.
Having us each catch a big fish at the same time was the climax to a quick trip Up North to see my parents. They had the cabin rented for several days, and since I had time available, retirement allowed me the opportunity to join them for two of those nights. It was the kind of spontaneous autumn get-a-way that keeps you dreaming of time on the water and time with family - especially as the colder months creep closer.
The first night after I had arrived, my parents fixed some hamburgers. We struck out fishing afterwards, but were able to enjoy a great sunset over still water in a nearby cove. It took a while to fall asleep that evening with hot humid temperatures; fans in the bedrooms saved the night!
The second day of my visit was a mixture of activities such as solo fishing in the rain, having a hearty breakfast with Mom & Dad, sitting in the back seat while heading to town for a quick shopping trip, and then after a little lunch, Dad and I fished again. We both caught bluegills and I managed a large mouthed bass that measured just shy of 15 inches before it started raining again.
We fixed the fish for dinner that evening and topped it off with some ice cream at Cathy’s in Saint Germain. It’s a tradition to go there at least once per visit as it’s hard to beat a night-cap of Moose Tracks or Mackinac Island Fudge.
We all hunkered down that night with chilly temperatures outside that were a 180 degree turn from the evening prior to that when we needed the fans to survive. The following morning, unbeknownst to us at the time, we’d be busy and doubled up with those pair of pike.
Before I had even headed North to meet my parents, the story actually began with a teacher retiree breakfast. For years I had pleaded with my former colleagues to keep it going until I could join them for their “Beginning of the School Year Gathering.” One of the past educators had once commented to my plea by saying, “It’s really not that big of a deal Mike. It’s just a bunch of old people getting together to eat.” Ha Ha, That was funny! I replied that it was important to me, because it meant that I’d finally rejoined the colleagues I had originally taught with back when I had first started my career at Prairie Hill School.
To show their appreciation, they put me in charge of organizing the shin-dig since I had the contact information for the retirees. There’s nothing quite like being baptized into the fold with a rookie initiation like that! Regardless, the breakfast food, coupled with a reunion among good friends, gave me the energy needed to drive North and meet my parents at a rented log cabin. Who knew that 48 hours from that retiree breakfast, Dad and I would be doubled up with a couple of rambunctious pike on a favorite lake!
See you along The Way…
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| A Few Colleagues After A Prairie Hill School District#133 Retiree Breakfast |
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