Thread: Northern Pike on KY Lake

Originally Posted by sakedog

Today while trolling crankbaits my 9 year old son caught a Northern Pike right outside swamp creek. Quite a surprise for me as I have fished that lake for over 30 years and never seen one, much less caught one. Anyone else out there caught one?

I'll try to post a pic later.

Justin

caught one a while back 2 or 3 months that looked like it was spawned out....was like a snake.....maybe 3.5 lbs....caught it under boat shed at cane creek.....

Are yall sure it wasn't a grass pickerel? Here is a pic

Google Image Result for http://pond.dnr.cornell.edu/nyfish/Esocidae/grass_pickerel.jpg

Not doubting you, just know that we caught several one year and we thought they were pike at first.

Originally Posted by RicksTJR

Are yall sure it wasn't a grass pickerel? Here is a pic

Google Image Result for http://pond.dnr.cornell.edu/nyfish/Esocidae/grass_pickerel.jpg

guess it was a pickerel........

Could have been. they all look alike. i will post a pic later and let everyone weigh in.

Were pike ever stocked on KY Lake? TWRA stocked em in Melton Hill Lake in the 1980s for a few years and some said they were destroying the bass fishery. Later they put a no creel limit on them and they eventually were caught out or died out I don't think they had natural reproduction. They started stocking muskies heavily about 12 years ago and have quite a muskie fishery over there, 50 inchers are common. I hooked 2 last winter.

I thought what were in the lake were chain pickerel.

I've caught several of them.

We have caught many chain pickeral in the Paris area of Kentucky Lake. My fishing partner and I also fish in Canada every year and catch muskie up there along with northern pike, though we target mainly smallmouth and some walleye. My fishing partner caught a 20 inch muskie around the Paris Landing State Park region of KY Lake about 2 years ago. I was astounded. I have seen reports on the internet of some other muskie caught in the same area that were in the mid 30 inch range the past several years. Northern Pike are not able to reproduce in TN, but the Cumberland muskie strain are native mainly in central and east TN. Apparently some have made it to KY Lake. There was a stocking program of Tiger Muskie in the Duck River around 15 years ago, but they are sterile and likely all gone by now.
Don