My quest for a Northern Pike

Last winter I bought a VHS video from a guy at a fishing fleamarket about catching Trophy Pike in Canada for two dollars (yeah thats right, I still have a VHS player, Im a neanderthal). After watching all the Giant Pike they were catching, I really became psyched to catch one. Theres only one place close to where I live thats known to have Pike and thats Loch Raven Reservoir, So my plan was to fish there until I get a Big one. I only caught a Pike once before and that was at Loch Raven in 2006 on Mothers day. back then I went to my mothers grave site in the morning and came home a little depressed, so I took a nap, I started to dream about a real event that happened to me back in 1993, Back then me and a few friends would go to Loch Raven for the Spring White perch run. We would use a basic top/bottom rig with nightcrwlers, but there was a trick to catching them, you had to set the hook as soon as you felt the slightest tap, if you didn't, your worm would soon be stripped from your hook, if you hooked up with one Perch and waited a few seconds you could usually get a fish on the other hook. When we would leave with huge stringers of fish, many people would be shocked because they weren't catching anything..One day while fishing there by myself, a young guy came up to me and asked me how I was catching so many, I told him the trick, then he relayed some info to me, They were catching Big pike a little ways down the road, he said to drive until you see a small bridge then pull over and walk a trail to the water, cast large crankbaits in to the shallow water.
I never did go but In my dream 13 years later I did go. the only difference was that I casted a White spinnerbait with black polka dots and a bassasasin trailer also with black polka dots. In the dream I caught a Big Pike! I set up my camera for a self photo of me and the fish, then released it.. When I awoke I couldn't beleive how surreal the dream was, then I realized I actually had a spinnerbait and bassasasin with black polka dots, I Got out of bed and immediately put on my shoes, grabbed my fishing gear, and was soon driving to Loch Raven still groggy from my recent nap, It was strange because somehow I knew I would catch one. I arrived at LR and started to drive down the street the guy said to, and sure enough there was a small bridge, I pulled off and walked the trail, and the very first cast I was hooked up with a good fighting fish, the fish was desperately trying to go towards a fallen tree, and I was desperately trying to keep him away. I finally got him in and it was my first Pike ever! but at 32" it was smaller then the fish in my dream.. I decided to take a quik picture of it while it was on the ground before taking a self photo with it, And Im lucky I did because just seconds after taking the picture, the fish started jumping around and made its way back into the water. Pike have alligator type teeth that can do a lot of damage if you are not experienced with them, so I wasn't about to grab it while it was jumping around.On my very next cast I got a snag and lost the lure, I tried other lures but I didn't catch another fish that day..Well anyway, back to the present time, I really wanted to catch a Pike again, and this time I wanted one bigger. I thought it would be an easy thing to do since I got one on one cast in 2006, but This time I didn't catch one the entire year of 2011, tens of thousands of cast and no Pike, I did catch plenty of other species though, so I can't complain. I fished there so much I got to know some of the regular fishermen in the area, they said catching Pike was actually rare, and catching a big pike was even more rare. It started to look like my chances of catching one was pretty slim, I even considered traveling to Canada just to try to end my obsession. but then on sunday (1-8-2012) I decided to go to Loch Raven and try out some of the homemade spoons I made. I tried a few other lures at first, including a chartruese spinnerbait with a bassasasin trailer, but I didn't catch anything until I started using my homemade spoon. I caught two pickerel, then I hooked up with something bigger, once it started taking drag I knew what it was ;) The ultimate preditor of Loch raven. finally my quest is over












UPDATE!!!!!!!!!
I guess my quest isn't over. I went back to Loch Raven a couple days later after work for a few cast before sunset and hooked up with another one, I also caught a good size Pickerel, once again on a homemade spoon!