Pike Perspective: Fifty Years of Memories Leading to a Record
This is a story about a giant.
A tale of an elusive monster to be remembered for a very long time.
A saga to be shared amongst boat ramps and tackle shops.
A legend about a leviathan lunker of Canadian-Caliber in what might as well be the backyard.
Measuring at 43” long and 17.5'“ at the girth, a colossal catch like this is one to admire!
Al Bontumasi has been an angler for his entire life. His fishing resume includes decades across different bodies of water across the state of Michigan, along with his home lake that he had grown very familiar with since his youth.
It was at the boat ramp where I bumped into Al’s brother-in-law, Brian. He was holding a pontoon boat to the dock as Al was on his way with the trailer. They are both very kind and helpful people. Every spring and autumn, they have been known to help people with getting their boats in, out, and winterized. As I backed down the ramp, Brian said “Man, you should have seen the biggin that Al caught this morning.”
Me, in my mind, thought that it was going to be maybe three or so feet long with a healthy girth and weight. I could not be any further from reality based on my assumption.
October 19th was a chilly morning. Al and Brian got on the water shortly sunrise and began their usual pathway around different parts of the lake. The autumn transition of 2024 was putting up challenges to fishing for weeks leading up. Water temperature had been creeping down very slowly; baitfish were nowhere to be found in the visible shallows; the water itself had been rather clear for some time; and at this point in time of the season, fish have seen departments-worth of bait offerings. Word on the street (and at the boat ramp), was that fishing had been tough for quite some time across southeast Michigan.
Really big fish don’t come along too often, especially around southeast Michigan. True giants are witnessed once in a great while- perhaps even once a lifetime. When it does happen sooner or later, if at all, murmuring amongst peers, turning heads, and comments reaching out to congratulate the angler pour in faster nowadays due to being digitally connected through the internet.
Al has been one to appreciate the rhythm and versatility of a spinnerbait as long as I have personally known him. It is what he credits a lot of his success to throughout 2024. Everything can take a swipe at a spinnerbait, such as bass, walleye, and even a record northern pike. The home lake had been stingy, yielding fewer and smaller catches than usual for this time of year.
After the catch, the spinnerbait he was using had been placed into retirement. An accessory to what will be a longstanding memory.
On this day, on one particular cast, in one specific spot, after fifty+ years of fishing, a record was broken. After a big hookset and intense battle, Brian was able to grab the fish by the jaw and successfully land the beast. That fish didn’t give up easy! When Al was fighting it, it went on several big runs where he was patient and kept the line tight and secure. The tussle lasted roughly five minutes to their best guess. Sometimes in life you need a bigger net, while other times you need a family member to help secure the biggest fish you have ever caught.
“It was great to catch this fish on my home lake where I spent so many years with my Dad”
-Al Bontumassi
Measuring at 43” in length, and a girth of 17.5”, this may have been the biggest fish to ever be caught out of this individual lake. By the In-Fisherman weight calculation, this is a true 20Lb+ northern pike. Fish stories like this don’t come around all too often. One of the highlights to this story is that upon release, Al was able to nurse the fish in the water so it was was able to recuperate. Swimming off successfully, a healthy release was fulfilled to maybe be caught another day.
Congratulations on the PB pike, Al! You deserve it after years of putting in the work on one of your favorite places to fish. Shoutout to Brian, as well, for his assistance and willingness to lend a helping hand.
Buona fortuna!!