Glad it was a young guy that caught the pike. Glad he kept it too. Us hunter/gathers know the feeling that comes with game in hand, like when we were young and brought home a wild feast for the family. It helped build our sense of accomplishment.
Like Talking Moose mentioned that pike has had a long life. The old hen's genetics have been stocking that water body for a few years. Taking out one big fish gives a couple other pike a little more shoulder room.
We have limits on fish we can keep to manage the fish numbers. Fishing is as traditional as hunting for a way of gathering protein. We should not be made to feel guilty for keeping a fish no matter what legal size. IMO you can't beat a fresh caught fish for nutrition and flavor. A big pike stuffed, trussed and roasted is a meal fit for a king. Or something like a turducken. A pike that is stuffed with a walleye and the walleye is stuffed with a whitefish and the whitefish is stuffed with perch.
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This country was started by voyagers whose young lives were swept away by the currents of the rivers for ten cents a day... just for the vanity of the European's beaver hats. ~ Red Bullets
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It is when you walk alone in nature that you discover your strengths and weaknesses. ~ Red Bullets
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