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Record Northern Pike Caught at Yuba
By
Steve Harward
On June 13, 1999, Glen Harward of Salina, Utah, broke the state record for northern pike while trolling for walleye at Yuba Reservoir.
He was fishing with his son, Steven, and Nathan Vanderlinden of West Jordan in his new 19 foot Starcraft boat.
Glen said the secret to his success is good quality equipment. He was fishing with an Ugly Stick rod and an Okuma reel. He was geared up with Spiderwire-20-6 line and had on a Northland Tackle bottom walker and nightcrawler harness with 14 pound Trilene monofilament. The crawler was touched with a pinch of baitfish Smelly Jelly.
Glen was fishing in shallow water when he had a light hit that felt like a small perch. When the counter went from four feet to 50 feet he knew it was something big. The fish made three runs, each going over 50 feet. The net was half the size of the fish so Nathan landed it by reaching into the gills and lifting it into the boat.
The previous record, held since 1986 was 22 pounds. Glen’s fish weighed in at 24 pounds four ounces and was 47 and three fourths inches long. The girth measured 20 inches.
Since this fish was caught several anglers have said that they have caught bigger ones and just took them home and ate them. Glen says till you actually bring one in to be weighed it’s all just "coffee talk."
Glen’s wife Konnie is thrilled for him but admits she’s not quite sure what all the fuss is about. She says he caught the best catch of his life eight years ago – her!