Roman Owerko knows whom to credit for the 41-inch, 20.2-pound northern pike he caught last Wednesday from Belmont Harbor.
‘‘My wife bought me some nice articulating lures, and I don’t know the name,’’ he said. ‘‘He actually chewed the lure. He swallowed it big-time.’’
After work, Owerko and employee Marco Chorne were relaxing and fishing near Owerko’s boat when they caught one good pike, then the big one.
‘‘Marco is a good net man,’’ Owerko said.
Pike have changed remarkably on the lakefront through the decades. I used to keep an informal list of 40-inch-class pike caught on the lakefront years ago but have stopped.
‘‘There has been an increase in pike catches in the recent decade compared to earlier decades (1990s, say), and catches were highest back around 2012-2014,’’ emailed Vic Santucci, the Lake Michigan program manager for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. ‘‘Catches are a bit lower now but still higher than in previous decades.’’
The IDNR does summer and fall surveys at North Point Marina, Waukegan South Harbor, Diversey Harbor and the lagoon and Jackson Park inner harbor. The Illinois Natural History Survey does creel surveys.
‘‘Higher water clarity allowing submersed aquatic vegetation to grow in the harbors in recent times is likely a contributing factor to higher numbers and larger sizes of these wily ambush predators,’’ Santucci emailed. ‘‘We have also caught young-of-year pike during our sampling, which likely indicates some natural reproduction is happening in the harbors, although catches of young pike remain low.’’
Charlie Roswell pulls together the harvest data on pike. It’s statistically insignificant in comparison to yellow perch, bass, sunfish and drum.
But Santucci noted: ‘‘Consistent with your angler reports, the creel team has measured some pretty nice-sized northern pike in recent years.
‘‘Numbers have increased compared to earlier decades but remain low compared to some of the other near-shore species found along the Illinois Lake Michigan shoreline. Pike are a native predator that add diversity to the near-shore Lake Michigan sport fish community and fishery.’’
In October 2006, Owerko caught the unofficial-record northern pike on the modern Illinois lakefront from Diversey Harbor. It weighed 19 pounds, 11½ ounces on the certified scale at Henry’s Sports and Bait. The Illinois-record (26-15) was caught Nov. 9, 1989, by Walter Klenzak from a Kankakee County strip pit, now called Monster Lake.
After weighing his pike last week at Henry’s, Owerko took it to Albert Kowalkowski, who steaked it and will smoke it with cherry and apple chips.
‘‘After gutting the fish, he will put the guts into the garden to make vegetation grow better,’’ Owerko said. ‘‘He will cut the head off for me, so I could have it taken to a taxidermist.’’
Smoked steaks will be spread around family, friends and nearby school personnel.
‘‘I went home and gave my wife a kiss and a hug: ‘Thanks for giving me the lures,’ ’’ Owerko said.
Wild things
Many Illinois fall-color drives are near their prime. Check enjoyillinois.com/fall-colors-trip-planner/fall-color-reports.
Stray cast
My ‘‘Dads Weekend’’ ticket for Illini football now looks better than a patch of morels found while hunting turkey in spring.
