CLARK FORK - A Bonner County angler hauled in a massive northern pike Tuesday while fishing for trout on Lake Pend Oreille near the mouth of the Clark Fork River.

The pike tipped the scales at 33 pounds, 15 ounces and measured 45 inches long.

Hope Peninsula resident Dave DeMers was fishing for German brown trout and Mackinaw when he felt something jostle his bait.

"These fish are really hitting light," DeMers recalled thinking to himself.

DeMers set the hook and began horsing the fish in. After about 15 minutes, he caught a glimpse of the fish and the amount of water it was displacing in an attempt to break away.

"He did some pretty good runs," DeMers said.

DeMers figured it was a large lake trout, but after another 10-minute fight he discovered it was a rather husky pike. He managed to keep the fish from wrapping the leaderless 10-pound test line around the anchor rope on the boat's bow and the engine on the stern.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game doesn't keep official records for Lake Pend Oreille pike, but DeMers said the biggest pike anybody can remember were in the 12- to 17-pound range.

The state-record pike was caught in Lower Twin Lake by a Coeur d'Alene angler in 2010. It weighed 40 pounds, 2 ounces and measured 51 1/2 inches, according to Fish and Game.

see PIKE, D3

from D1

DeMers' pike wound up on the dinner table instead of a trophy case. He made fish and chips, which fed 14 people and resulted in some leftovers.

It was a fluke that DeMers was even fishing on Tuesday. He and Keith Snyder were fishing on Monday when the linkage on his Johnson outboard motor gave out. The two walked out and returned at first light on Tuesday to recover the boat.

After fixing the motor, DeMers decided he would soak some steelhead roe and see if there were any takers.

"I guess I can thank Johnson for the motor breaking down," he said.

By KEITH KINNAIRD

News editor

CLARK FORK - A Bonner County angler hauled in a massive northern pike Tuesday while fishing for trout on Lake Pend Oreille near the mouth of the Clark Fork River.

The pike tipped the scales at 33 pounds, 15 ounces and measured 45 inches long.

Hope Peninsula resident Dave DeMers was fishing for German brown trout and Mackinaw when he felt something jostle his bait.

"These fish are really hitting light," DeMers recalled thinking to himself.

DeMers set the hook and began horsing the fish in. After about 15 minutes, he caught a glimpse of the fish and the amount of water it was displacing in an attempt to break away.

See ANGLER, Page 3