Record pike: the 10 biggest pike caught in France
What fisherman has never dreamed of catching a record pike in his life? But what is a record pike? What is the size of the biggest pike ever caught in France? In order to see more clearly, we wanted to list you the 10 largest pike caught to date in France and the history of their catches.
Top 10: record 134.5 cm pike caught by Benjamin Zill in Alpine Lake
Certainly, some fishermen have made the capture of record pike their specialty. Benjamin had already had the opportunity in 2016 to cross the path of a giant pike of 132cm during an evening shot. This fish will be for him a determining element in his fishing life.
Since that day, Benjamin has never stopped wanting to track down these giants and beat his record. He was thus able with his friends to cross the path of a large number of record pike with a few specimens close to this mythical bar, but never equaled 132cm.
The big day finally arrived in June 2018 in Alpine lake.
After a big rush which directly announced the color and size of the specimen, the fish was quickly put in the net. A moment of indescribable joy follows on the boat. The measure falls: 134.5 cm for this magnificent giant.
The touch that should not be missed and which allows Benjamin to realize this dream of beating his Alsatian record.
“Even if the fishing is difficult and the keys are nonexistent, never let go, a touch can change your fishing life. " This is what Benjamin will share on his Facebook profile.
Source: https://www.1max2peche.com/le-classement-des-plus-gros-brochets-records-de-france/
Top 9: Record pike of 134.8 cm caught Vincent Guion at Lake Serre Ponçon
Fall often holds surprises when it comes to hunting down big pike. Vincent Guion will have had the joy of crossing the road of this record pike of 134.8 cm for 15.130 kg on the lake of Serre Ponçon.
Top 8: Record 135cm Pike caught on Crescent Dam Lake
We don't have a lot of information on this giant. We just know that it was caught in 2005 on the Crescent dam lake in the Morvan. The pike, with a size of 135cm for 18.50 kg, will end up stuffed
Top 7: Record pike of 135 cm taken by Joël Mougel on the GERARDMER lake
Once again an exceptional catch for the Vosges lakes. This incredible pike was caught on September 8, 2012 in Gérardmer lake. 1.35 m for 19,200 kg! Captured in the spring, just before spawning, this female could have weighed 2 or 3 kilos more on the scale.
Source: https://www.vosgesmatin.fr/loisirs/2012/12/10/gros-brochets-entre-audace-et-patience
Top 6: Record pike of 136 cm caught on the Rognaix lake
Again, we don't have much information on this other record pike. It was captured in 2011 in the Rognaix lake in the Rhône-Alpes region. The giant then displayed a record size of 136 cm.
Source: https://www.1max2peche.com/le-classement-des-plus-gros-brochets-records-de-france/
Top 5: Record pike of 136 cm caught by Adem Sinanagic on the Belfort canal
Another exceptional pike, priced by Adem Sinanagic in the Belfort canal, with an exceptional measurement of… 136 cm
Source: https://www.1max2peche.com/le-classement-des-plus-gros-brochets-records-de-france/
Top 4: 137 cm pike caught by Philippe COSTE and Arnaud FOISSAC on the Pareloup dam lake
Here is one of the most famous pike caught by line in France.
It is indeed on Lake Pareloup that Philippe COSTE and Arnaud FOISSAC lured this magnificent pike weighing 19.4kg for 1.37m. It is personally one of the photos that will have marked me the most in my short fishing career. Even if the year of publication still seems vague to me, I still remember very well this one of the fisherman from France and my amazement at the sight of this fish.
source: https://nicobigpike.wordpress.com/2009/02/23/la-photo-du-jour-137cm-3/
Top 3: 137 cm pike caught by Sylvain Legendre on Lake Annecy
Here is another record pike which will have been talked about in France and abroad. Captured on May 16, 2009 by the recognized Sylvain Legendre on Lake Annecy, this pike indeed had a record size of… 137cm.
Here is Sylvain's story about his catch:
“While doing a long throw at 40m, I see on the screen of my 997 a really big arc in 10m of water… An echo-codile!… I hesitate… Come on, I try it… I mill at full speed. keeping the foot on the electric to maintain a constant speed and heading despite the wind. I put my lure about fifteen meters behind the boat, so that when it hits the bottom I know that I am very close to the pike! I gently animate my shad, make it shake… suddenly accelerate…. Nothing is happening. And shit, another spotted fish that doesn't catch.
I try everything for everything and put two big "slaps" in my lure !! BAAM !! The touch is instantaneous. I throw myself back, a little surprised. My Pulse 6'6 is loose.
Convinced that it is a big fish, I try to suffocate it by shooting at it like crazy. The fish can be mounted almost too easily. Fish of one meter are generally more fiery ...
However, I didn't stop and put my long Trilene 100% fluoro 30/100 leader in the rings. When the pitcher arrives under 1.50m of water, I bend over to see how it is taken, and there…. ! I realize that it is far from being a meter !!
The fish sets off again in full force and takes a good dozen meters of braid (a Spiderwire Stealth in 17/100 in this case), which had never happened to me (my brake is still very tight)… I bring it back immediately a second time to the boat but when it breaks the surface, I realize that my 20cm leader in 61/100 does not protrude at all !!! In addition, the fish has a closed mouth. So I can't use the fish tongs.
I throw it down and, on my knees, I start to fit my forearm into his immense hearing…. Violent reaction and he leaves. I lie flat on my stomach in the boat and I accompany by first plunging the rod then the whole arm in the water, archhhh ... At that moment I know that I am on the verge of rupture. I also know that this pitcher is the biggest I have ever taken. My previous "big" looks like a quenelle on the side… it doesn't put too much pressure on me, oddly, because this fish is so improbable that I didn't fully realize it.
Not having the desire to make the marshmallow and let myself be taken apart by this fish that I brought to the boat after 20 seconds, I completely block the brake.
In fact I'm afraid of side head shots that would get rid of my 30/100 like nothing. So I tell myself that I have no room for error and that anyway if I have the chance to bring it to the boat a third time, I will jump on it !!
And I start to winch slowly but firmly, in the most regular way possible, so as not to give him the time to leave: if he leaves again he breaks me ...
It's finally coming. Et I'm ready, sitting on the deck, the fish grabber within reach…. I stop the winching when I think the banner length is optimal and try to position myself as well as possible. I play with the angle of my cane so that it reaches the centimeter… It breaks the surface exactly where I hoped. E- Slightly oblique position and in the right direction, I know that it will open its mouth…. .
This quarter of a second during which I wait for the right moment is an eternity. I look at his eye, his cheeks, waiting for him to open his mouth.
There are days like that, when everything goes as planned… This northern pike which has thwarted so many traps let himself be guided and reacted as I hoped… I slip the pliers into his mouth and hoist him on board !
I'm hallucinating!
It is huge, I have my fish of 1.25… First observation: he has completely swallowed the shad…. At that age we no longer chew, we gulp! "
Source: https://nicobigpike.wordpress.com/2009/09/25/la-photo-du-jour-137cm/
Top 2: Record pike of 138 cm taken by Adrien Morelli
What must first be clarified is that this exceptional catch is not "a fluke". Adrien had been tracking record pike for a long time.
Moreover, this fish was affected after a long week of fishing dedicated to tracking large pike. A week of June 2009 with in all and for all two touches! A small pike of 50 and this one! It takes a lot of mind, a good knowledge and confidence in your technique to persevere for a whole week with so few touches.
There, no frills! Everything was thought out to fish big. A very powerful rod, a mill and braid adapted accordingly and large lures.
Moreover in this hunt, Adrien always tried to be one step ahead of the other fishermen. I think this contributed, with his technical knowledge of fishing and his extraordinary sense of water, to his fabulous career as a big fish fisherman.
In fact, he fished a lot with lures that he imported from the USA or Japan. The lure that was at the end of his rod that day was a big big-bait: the Kong.
Adrien was that day alone on his makeshift boat and lightly equipped: 2 rods and some lures. He no longer used a fish-grip (too offensive to the fish), nor a landing net. He had enough ease in handling fish to hoist them with his bare hands.
Throwing very far from the boat, it will have its unique daily touch almost at the drop of a large herbarium. After the powerful shoeing he had felt a free pull, without being very powerful. Then almost nothing. He was bringing in a heavyweight with a few unconvincing nods that made him think of a 70's beak, at most, that would have brought with him a very large amount of herbarium. Two meters from the boat, the heap of vegetation was not, but it was made up of flesh and scales. Adrien understood the deception and at the other end the pike too!
It was then that the fight really began, all in power. An image engraved in his memory: “this monster, 2 or 3 meters from the boat, is almost entirely out of the water, the lure across its mouth. And just carried by the power of his tail, he swerved 3 meters at least, like Flipper the dolphin! "
Scene that it is difficult to imagine so much the power, size and weight of this fish must have been extraordinary.
Once the fish were tired, putting them out of the water was a difficult moment, the catch was so big that it was all the more difficult to grasp it firmly, the edge of the boat was high, and the latter was not very stable and that Adrien was not then in physical possession of all his means. But that's without counting on his foolproof mind.
Back on the bank, at nightfall he will still manage to achieve, as best he can, a series of self-portraits with his take of a life; digital camera placed on the Tabur, with the self-timer: 10 very short seconds to take, handle and pose correctly with the fish which was not very far from half the weight of the fisherman!
Source: http://gawel39.overblog.com/2014/08/hommage-poisson-prehistoire-pour-une-prise-histor.html
Top 1: French record pike of 140 cm caught by Lionel Roux on Lake Nantua
The biggest pike ever recorded in France was a record-breaking 140cm pike caught by Lionel Roux on Lake Nantua. Unfortunately, we do not have a full account of how this French record was caught. We do know that Lionel fished with a soft paddle lure and that the pike weighed 16.7kg.
Source: https://www.1max2peche.com/le-classement-des-plus-gros-brochets-records-de-france/
Useful information
- What is the size of the record pike in France? 140 cm
- What is the weight of the biggest pike in France? 21.64kg
- What is the world record borchet? The approved world record pike is 147 cm (58 cm around the belly) for 31 kg. This pike was caught in 1983 in Germany and has since been nicknamed Hecht (pike in german)
- What is the size of the biggest pike in the world? The largest pike ever measured and confirmed is 152 cm long, 60 cm belly for 28 kg. He was captured and released in May 2004 in Lake Apisko in Canada.
Useful links to complete this article dedicated to pike fishing:
About The Author
Rodmaps
Rodmaps is above all the story of Nicolas and Matthieu, two friends passionate about fishing. Since our childhood, our passion drives us to travel through France and to travel around the world in search of adventure and trophy fish. Through Rodmaps, we want to share our passion for fishing with as many people as possible and make people discover the joys of this sport around us, because yes, fishing is a sport!