Rügen, Germany, September 25, 2008 – Amid the brackish waters of the vast Baltic Sea swim perhaps the largest northern pike on earth. A twenty-pound fish is a common catch here, while thirty’s, forty’s, and even fifty-pounders are possible. Not even in Canada’s Northwest Territories is the potential for enormous pike so great.
To European anglers, of course, this is old news. As far back as medieval times, stories and fables have referenced pike of mind-boggling proportions—40s, 50s, even 80-pound fish. Some of these stories are real. Unfortunately for anglers, centuries of increasingly sophisticated fishing pressure eventually took a toll. No longer were the super-specimens so easy to fool with customary baits and tackle.
Thankfully, the baits responsible for the recent reversal of this trend are anything but customary. In the past several years, numerous giant pike have begun to resurface, eating a certain ultra-realistic lure like it’s live bait. The answer: Castaic swimbaits. For select European pike anglers, Castaic lures have become a closely guarded secret. Originally crafted to fool the selective record-size bass living in California’s deep, clear reservoirs, Castaic swimbaits are proving equally appealing to super-sized pike, muskies and other freshwater predators.
Consider German angler Matthias Frick. A dedicated multi-species enthusiast, Frick recently boated one of the largest pike in modern history—an incredible 53-1/2 inch giant that weighed over 43-pounds. The monster pike (shown above) ate a 12-inch Castaic HardHead. The HardHead is a crankbait-swimbait hybrid that almost perfectly mimics a herring, the favorite meal of outsized Baltic pike. Proving the 43-pounder was no fluke, Frick followed this fish with another Castaic-eater that measured just under 50-inches.
For expert anglers Jürgen Haese and Dori Baumgartner, these giants are no surprise. Castaic lures have been the duo’s secret weapon for several years. Trolling and casting both the 12-inch HardHead and 10-inch SBT Boot Tail, Haese and Baumgartner have landed countless giant pike, including many 30 to 40-pound behemoths. Even though few top pike chasers have divulged their secret, Haese, a fishing tackle salesman, believes that Castaic swimbaits now account for the majority of Germany’s largest pike.
Not surprisingly, despite the popularity of these lures among select German anglers, word of their effectiveness has remained largely under lock and key. As the size of Matthias Frick’s hulking pike reaches anglers’ ears, however, this will change. Just as the rush to obtain Castaic swimbaits in the Western U.S. exploded when Mike Long’s astounding bass catches were revealed. (Over the past several years, fishing Castaic swimbaits, Long has caught twelve largemouths over 15-pounds, including the ninth heaviest ever verified, a 20-pound 12-ounce monster.) In the coming months, as more pike and muskie hunters discover what bass anglers already know, many more record-class fish are likely to fall to Castaic swimbaits.