Dear friend, firearms is not the sollution to all our problemsOldGuyAl wrote:Here is a question that you can all make fun of this ol' Southern Boy about:
when you get one of these mean-mouthed suckers up to the boat, how do you get it in the boat (or do you?) and how do you handle the fish to get the hook out?
I might be catching one of these in the next week or so and I don't mind telling you that I'm not sure what to do after I land it.
Do I need to have a landing net? some long nosed pliers? a gun? what?
Seriously, over here we do something that we call "gill-grip". Can't translate it any better.
Slide your fingers up right next to the gills and grab the "lid", as we call it.
If the pike weighs below 10lb just grab it behind the head over its back. Gently squeeze and you'll be pushing on some nerves. This little trick is great because the fish will be completely still, almost paralyzed.
Have a mouthopener close by and a longnosed pliers. Pike strikes are violent and more or less swallowed baits aren't unusual, getting the hooks out can be pretty hard.
And yes, they do bite hands and fingers
to TT. 
