Can You Guess How Big This Massive Northern Pike Caught in Maine is?

Everyone who is really into fishing has that one tale about their most impressive catch. If you'd heard them tell it a few times, the description of the fish's size gets a little bigger each time. I am not what one would call a fisherwoman, but I can totally understand the thrill when you feel something big tugging on the other side of your line. Sadly, I typically pull up fish that look like this:

Oh well!

Dan, aka the Songo River Guide Service, posted this photo on Facebook of a monster of a Northern Pike that he caught recently. They provide fishing adventures in the Sebago Lake region of Maine, and are looking for one or two anglers (Fly Fisherman preferred, but not required!) for eight hours of grinding on April 20 to try and catch one of these big pike! Full day rate is $500. Call or text (207) 713-5186, email songoriverguide@gmail.com, or send them a message on Facebook.

By the way, the Norther Pike above is 22 lbs and 42 inches. According to Guinness and his book of World Records, the largest Pike ever caught measured 161.29 cm long, weighed 30.61 kg, and was hooked by Louie Spray in the Chippewa Flowage at Hayward in Wisconsin on 24 July 1949, as verified by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA). That is scary big!

The largest species of pike is the muskellunge Esox masquinongy, aka the "muskie" or "musky". The muskellunge is believed to derive its unusual name from "maashkinoozhe", a word from the Ojibwa language that translates as "ugly pike". That's a little rude. Good thing fish don't feel emotions, because that name could do some damage to a Pike's self esteem.

What is the biggest fish you've ever caught? Where were you and how big was it?