Rena and John,

We are back home and in trying to get into the routines of life.  I keep telling myself that “a week ago we were on Jeanette Lake” and try to reflect on where we were fishing at that specific time.
I wanted to take a second and send a sincere thank you for providing another amazing trip for my Dad, I and my boys.  They are already asking about when we are coming back and telling their friends about their experience.  There truly isn’t another vacation where my Dad or I can spend such quality time with Evan and Charlie.  There is something about being in a boat fishing with your Dad with no opportunity for electronics that provides father/son bonding like nothing else can.  We cannot wait to return.
I do have a fishing story for you that if I didn’t have a witness for, people would most likely not believe.
Evan and I were fishing along the western part of the lake in an area we call The Chain or Evan’s Island. (it is a chain of islands off the western part of the lake were we have caught a lot of nice fish and were Evan had a 40+ pike try to take a walleye off his hook two years ago.  Evan says I just didn’t get it in the net because that fish was bigger than the one I’d caught the previous day)  Anyway, I had just dropped my gold spinner crawler harness in about 10 feet of water and put the boat in gear when I told Evan I had a fish.  After a few seconds I mentioned to Evan that I thought this was a really nice fish so Evan pulled his line in and got the net ready.  No more did Evan stand up than the fish took off.  About 5 minutes later I noticed the line stopped going out so I looked down to see my spool empty and the slip knot that was holding the line to the reel pop.  This fish had taken all of the line off my reel.  I grabbed the line and began wrapping it around my left wrist and pulling it in with my right hand.  What seemed like an eternity passed and I managed to get the fish near the boat.  I leaned out over the engine to keep the fish away from the prop and Evan stood ready.  I realized that I didn’t have the leverage to get the fish to Evan so he sat the net next to me on the back seat.  As the slip weight emerged from the depths, a giant torpedo came to the surface behind it.  As I pulled the fish forward it slid into the net and we went crazy.  We had just caught the biggest pike of our lives but had done it with no pole, no leader, no giant  hook.  After getting the fish into the boat I noticed I’d hooked the fish with the back hook in the right corner of its mouth.  About the only place possible to hook the fish to get it in.
Attached are a few pictures of that fish.  In one picture, you can see my excitement right after getting the fish in but can also wee the line wrapped around my left hand.  In another picture you can see the island behind me in the background.  We hooked that fish about 30 feet off the bank and that fish pulled us around and out that far from the island.  
Only thing that would have made that fish better is if my son would have caught it.
I figure you and John would like that story.  Not sure I’ll ever top that one.
Have a great day and thanks again for another amazing trip.  
Until next time,
Nate S.