# hammer handle rumor



## Pike

My favorite childhood Northern lake, now produces nothing but hammer handles. I have heard this is because of overpopulating and that is the maximum size achieved on Northern crowded lakes. Could it be true that a lake has only these 1/2-2# Northerns?


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## goosehtr4life

overpopulation will stunt growth, are there still some bigger fish in the system..should be, but they are hard to catch because of all the small fish..,.


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## djleye

deleted


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## Field Hunter

oh come on.......................deleted? Was it a good one? LOL

The 5000 acre lake we are on in MN has all the 1 1/2 # northerns you'd ever want to catch. There are bigger ones though. Spearers take many 20 + fish in the Winter and occasionally someone gets a big one ice fishing. Try the deeper water in the lake with LARGE minnows and frogs in the summer. The large pike are known to like the depths in the warm weather and the 20 #ers only feed every so often. Does the lake you're talking about have stunted panfish too? There's a correlation to larger pike in a lake to larger panfish. Fish the shallows where the bass fishermen are in EARLY morning (5:00am start) Sometimes I catch bigger pike on large bass spinerbaits.

Lake Melissa up by Detroit lakes had the same problem with small pike that many lakes have had in MN. The bigger fish are harvested and the smaller ones are continuosly thrown back. The DNR regulated the harvest and reversed the idea.....throw back all larger fish and keep the smaller ones. I've been told that over a 8 year period the lake now has a good pupolation of 10 #ers and some nice 15 # + fish. Still can't keep the big ones but wouldn't that be fun in the summer to catch some 15# pike on a spinning rod.


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## nodakoutdoors.com

I've fished a few lakes many times over the years in MN that have some serious snake slough shark problems. The home lake I grew up fishing is a great example in N. Becker County. When the small pike numbers are high, the walleye fishing tends to be tougher...and recently the small pike numbers are way down and the walleye fishing has reversed the past 5 years.

Our family knows quite a few anglers on the lake and I hear the fishermen have been harvesting/killing the snakes in large numbers themselves to curb the population. Whether or not this has any correlation but something is working.


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## fishhook

Many "sloughs", lakes in nd do not have the neccessary forage for pike to get large. Sure, the occassional 15 lb'r will be in any lake that has northern pike, but for the most part a lot of these shallow lakes have northin but 2 lb pike.

The lake i grew up right next to as a kid is a prime example. We would catch pike after pike, all around 2 lb's. Occasionaly a 5 lb'r. It was shallow and one winter it had massive winter-kill. All along the ice and shoreline you could visably see numerous 2 lb pike, very few larger ones. It makes for fun fishing, but little chance for an eye opening fish.


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## njsimonson

I have noticed that Big Detroit Lake in MN has gone from hammer-handle factory to big fish factory. I think the muskies made short work of the smaller northerns...not to mention bluegills!

I have been most impressed with the DNR's management of the Detroit Lake system, turning it into a great muskie and bass area, as well as a good walleye lake. Even the pike now are larger.

I think fisheries management has a lot to do with prevention of stunting when it comes to pike.


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## Fossilman

I've seen alot of lakes and rivers with just hammerheads in them............


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## Invector

Hammer handles as you call them are nothing more then what happes to a pike when feed and habitat are limited. Even large fish can be called hammers at times. A few summers past there was a huge pike taken form pipestem dam near jamestown. The fish was 52" and was only 14lbs. Lack of cold water habitat and feed found in that colder water makes pike look tward warmer water to feed increasing their metabolic rate at wich they cannot feed enough to keep up. That is why cold water produces big pike it slows down that rate. Add a fish that also is in cool to cold water and you got big healthy pike.


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## atec

There have been actions taken by certain states with their own game laws regarding Pike populations . In the state of Michigan which allows spearing thru the Winter there are about 127 lakes , streams & sloughs that have no size limit on Pike . There is another dozen that have a put back for Pike over 30".
Hard to say what the dwindling size is attributed to . Many of these lakes have been overgrown with heavy vegitation that reduces the deep open water areas . This could be a factor . I think probably a better explanation is once a good spawning boon happens it creates more competion for food , and just keeps progressing like a snowball effect . 
By law we could not catch and destroy these fish , but we can fish them out to the limit which is five per day . 
I have noticed over the years that even in prime lakes the sizes have dropped below average from years past .


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## Invector

However most states do not have a size limit on pike. Now I did say most cause there are a few areas that would like the bigger pike left etc. Here in ND 3 pike a day for all waters but devils lake has a 6 a day. And as far as spearing goes I am not a fan of it. Now here is why. A few of the small lakes here in ND that they let spearing come to lost most of the pike population. The fact that in one year in a small lake of 200 acres or so had just as many pike taken out rod and real as did spearing. Few years later now and you can fish those lakes long and hard and if you see a pike take a picture cause they wont beleave you at shore. Its just the fact these smaller lakes cannot take both.


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