Huge pike caught in the BWCA would have broken the Minnesota state record

Spanning northeastern Minnesota and southern Ontario, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has been a haven for generations of outdoorsmen. That includes Jacob Skorloken, who caught one of the largest pike in state history during his 21st annual canoe trip through the area last month. The 39-year-old was paddling, fishing and camping at the BWCA with his father, Steve, and a few other friends.

“It was the third day of our 10-day trip and we stopped at a favorite deep hole in Crooked Lake, part of the Basswood Lake system,” Skorloken said. Living outside. “I was alone in one of our three canoes when I dropped a 3/8-ounce blue-black jig over the side.”

He says he let the jig sink to the bottom. After lifting the rod tip once, he felt something huge hit the lure at about 18 feet.

“My father and brother-in-law were in another nearby canoe, and I immediately told them it was a big one,” Skorloken said. “But I thought it was just a good pike-perch.”

After a few minutes of deep fighting, the fish made the first of three thrilling runs. It peeled off 50 yards of 6-pound line and placed a deep arc in Skorloken’s 6-foot spinning rod.

“It’s a miracle my 5-pound line didn’t cut during the 20 minutes I fought that pike,” Skorloken says. “I was just lucky. The jig hook was perfectly barbed in its mouth. The fine line has to fit between the large, sharp teeth so it doesn’t cut the mono.”

The fish was too strong and difficult to turn with light tackle, so Skorloken had to paddle after the pike to prevent it from swallowing him. His father and brother-in-law stood by his side, holding their canoe against his to provide some stability.

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“I finally worked the fish to the surface, but I couldn’t pull it in,” Skorloken says. “We finally got it in our net and started lifting it, but the net handle started to bend. Then we paddled to shore, and [my brother-in-law] I grabbed the net ring to keep it from breaking.”

After reaching the coast, Skorloken held up the huge north for a few photos and took some basic measurements. He says it was 47.5 inches long with a circumference of 18 inches, which would have been better than the upright Catch-and-release record in Minnesota by three-quarters of an inch. (That record is actually a tie between two 46.25-inch pike, one of which was caught in Basswood Lake.) But because they didn’t photograph these measurements, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources can’t consider the fish a potential state . file. Still, that didn’t deter the agency boasting of Skorloken’s pike on social media.

“We were so excited about the fish, so happy to see such a remarkably large pike, that we just didn’t think to take pictures of its size,” Skorloken explains.

After returning from their 10-day camping trip, Skorloken contacted the DNR about the northern pike. Then he learned about the technical details of the record that he had overlooked in his excitement.

“It would have been great to have the record, but I already have a replica of the pike made by a taxidermist, so I can relive that memory every time I see it on my wall,” Skorloken says.

The mountain will also be a constant reminder of the appeal that the Boundary Waters still has, even after all the years of exploring the area.

“I’ve been fishing there for 21 years and I love that area more than anywhere else in the world. I first went there with my dad when I was 18 years old, and I will be going back to the Boundary Waters for many years to come.”