Otter Tail River Adventure

I made it out fishing Friday on the Otter Tail river, and it was definitely a day to remember. The day started off well when I caught this pike while targeting a bunch of buffalo and carp holding in the shallows, early in the morning. At first I thought it was a big carp, especially after a couple of blazing runs that made my reel scream. I tried to my hardest to keep this fish out of the main channel, otherwise I knew I'd lose it. After about 15 minutes, and at least 4 solid runs, I finally tired the fish enough to land it near shore.As I was fishing by myself from shore, I decided to keep the fish in the water and not handle it to reduce stress. I measured 38" alongside the fish. I'm sure a proper measurement and tail pinch could have gotten me another inch or two.
I had a few more strikes and runs similar to this after I caught this fish. I caught another fish of similar size, but after the strike, he spit the hook and lodged it in the dorsal fin area. Once the fish broke to the main channel I broke the line off, since I knew it would be near impossible to land it without hurting it.
I managed to catch a multitude of species throughout the day: walleye, smallmouth bass, green sunfish, bluegill, common carp, freshwater drum, mooneye, channel cat, etc. I was catching so many channel cats, that I was almost getting tired of taking them off the hook. It was definitely one of my better days on the river, and one to remember for quite some time.