fish with shoulders

Hi Folks, Guided with the boat today for northern pike.  Still lots of crazy weather with morning showers and thunderstorms.  Cleared a bit where we were fishing in the kingdom and the wind was calm early and then blew steady form the north for most of the day.  Even saw the sun for awhile this afternoon. Water temperature was 60 to 61 degrees.  The fishing was slow in the morning with no action or even a follow by pike.  Not that unusual for the spring time.  After lunch the fish cranked up a bit and began to show themselves.  We landed a 32" and 28" female pike that had some piss and vinegar.  You could see that they were post spawn from their stretched out bellies and the battle wounds from the spawn on their flanks.  Had several other large northern chase to the boat only to say "no thanks" at that last minute.  Certainly helpful to have a net on larger pike as they tend to have broad shoulders some nasty teeth.  The color of the day was red and white.  Classic color combo in the world of pike angling. We saw every northern in less than 5' of water over dark bottoms with new weed growth and fallen timber.   Our rivers took another beating today as everyone I crossed or drove along was filthy dirty and high.  Piking again tomorrow.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy