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Last evening around 6 PM, while trolling for kings in 18' fow just north of the mouth of Burns Ditch, I got a 7 lbs 30" northern pike. I've gotten them on the Kankakee, but did not know there were any in the Big Lake. Now I'm told there are muskie in the Lake,too. Is that true?

Nice catch on the northern Bill thats one of the bigger ones taken this year. They are increasing. And yes there are a few muskie out there as well. One was recently taken off the hole in the wall by Ec.

That's a cool catch! For sure on the bigger size of ones I have heard about or seen recently.

Like Ed said, there seem to be an increasing amount of pike around. It's been speculated that increasing water clarity and therefore weed growth in harbors/marinas is creating conditions more favorable to pike. Most of them stick pretty close to harbors and tributaries. But they will venture out into the big lake at times. And most of them are hammer handles, but there are definitely some big pike around.

We found a 16 pounder in the Trail Creek Lamprey Barrier a couple years ago

Thanks for the responses. My kids claim I am old as dirt, but I am still learning something new everyday. This is my one for today.

I remember back in 1996 or 1997 I was casting in MC and a guy caught a 38" Pike in the harbor. It was mid September and it hit a glow Crocodile spoon just before dark. Pike have been around for a while in the harbors and streams I suspect.

Your right Baron, they are natural to the lake. When I was a kid 50+ years ago my dad would take us to fish off the pier at st. Joe. On the river side pike were caught daily. We watched as a woman was screaming fishing with a canepole. she ended up pulling in a nothern around 8lbs. In the east branch of the little cal we caught them fishing for salmon back around the early 70's. As Ben mentioned earlier with the weed growth now in the ditch and other areas the pike and walleye seem to find a nitch now that they like and are multipling.