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As you can imagine I've really been looking forward to this trip, and a highlight was going to be spending a day in the boat searching for a
swamp pike - perhaps a bit of a long shot - but a day in the swamp!
The target was a
chain pickerel (esox niger), and hopefully some
bowfin (also known as mud pike) while we were searching - links go to Wikipedia. Could we find a pickerel, a real species of esox?
Gear was an ultra-light 4' spinning rod, 4lb mono and a beetle spin lure. There was a obstacle though - the swamp was full of aligators - you had to get the fish in the boat very, very quickly!
We had a bowfin within half an hour - and right on cue a large aligator appeared and headed for the boat! Quickly netted, Paulos slammed the boat in gear and we made our escape.
A few casts later I hit a pickerel - and it shook the hook - gutted! We fished on, avoiding the gators, landing 14 bowfin - including a real monster. But with a storm looming we were running out of time...
Another chance came - but I knocked it off the hook in my rush to land it before became a snack - arggh! But then magic happened - I got one. Never have I been so pleased to land a mini-pike!!
As the storm arrived we raced for the dock - and I trolled the lure behind the boat on the way in. Yup - another one on the last cast... What a brilliant, brilliant day! Nice one Paulos!!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGyyw9f9WYFEojXo6d1kjPTz_WoOUE92-71lTTewtnoD_Nd9Uw2dyomQSrx4KKwbmIzyjcU71wLMRFU2BxJuxLfkbZiTR4abW9YMtOsjxHXj6nzftTnnSg9t_4zC-HYEZhX7R9KBKgKDMZKXI0q-ZCUZhv9VSUDUPvnZmoeRm7CcAr4IfUD1U5s4U9_lo/s400/IMG_3675.jpeg)
A bowfin - one of
14 of the day.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhraeLX5I64ePBRR2wDghUXHoe-xTm_hctK_jw6-RqLwBDJ_apGyky4RgyzFgkwcxpeLgyk9geNwKHCi4PxPkMdK98VijxZBADTHliWwwaHwzMWj25eGZ4pHliqV_mkrh6P4u7Lj0O8DIMroVo3WGPL2dzeDYrPO0gLNrIXi81FWkPThXE9kK5HUwZnHZc/s400/IMG_3674.jpeg)
Monster bowfin - fantastic!
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Pibb Xtra - for xtra concentration...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjliPRVjgjuBI0MH-C5Zp5_RYUN4vYYGIDV7l3ACECXQtee0Iv131cwevIiAjb5PFZLjWV9TW1GKtFX3akGWv1aLLDttELyNN02MILETxywL8hRwR2yIkQiWTTrSCQ-beP10lhMvL0K7GvotG8FSdCK-0giVPhMgZF5349IoGw2BU2VfMM0pyt-3irHzlg/s400/IMG_3689.jpeg)
Where are you?
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F*ck Yeah - a swamp pike!!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq2ltbS-MeETMztlss7E5qetrwvkK2p9O3_LVt8QEQrtyDJuCTpXKvmQ6oY9L2aI6f-pSt2c_jkTS10pZIzMY4dwY0f1FD3V5rZPidO5-LzNimWABrPu01JRc9HxTjD7CEpHlsTCZq7np9wtQPgBM2i-9GRvlEiJMIV6QD8HgEfovQlzQoVoB5zvmjbHU/s400/IMG_3679.jpeg)
Last cast - pissing rain - lightning - aligators - number 2 - delighted!