Tale of two fish

Most local anglers have a big fish story.
Usually the tale involves a titanic struggle between angler and fish—be it bass, walleye, or northern pike.
Fourteen-year-old Colin Barton’s big fish story is a little different, though.
He recently was enjoying a beautiful summer’s day fishing for walleye on Rainy Lake with his father, Clint. The pair were jigging a 10-foot reef near Redgut Bay when Colin felt a tug on his line.
Immediately setting the hook, he began reeling in the catch.
Judging by the relatively small amount of tension on his line, Colin guessed it was a small walleye. But as he reeled the fish in, the situation started to change.
“It [the weight on his line] was just light and after a while it got heavier and heavier,” the teen remarked.
Soon Colin’s rod was bent completely over the side of his father’s boat as he struggled to reel in what obviously was no longer a little fish. What he thought had been a small walleye now felt more like a big northern.
For the next five-10 minutes, Colin struggled to get his fish close enough to the boat to allow his dad to scoop it up in the net.
“I’d get the fish up and he’d just drag more line out, and I’d have to reel him all the way back in again,” he recalled.
Colin finally managed to pull the fish alongside the boat and Clint netted it expertly. It was then the pair discovered the peculiar circumstances surrounding the fish.
Colin’s first instinct had been correct—he had caught a small walleye.
But while he was reeling the catch into the boat, a massive northern had taken the smaller fish between its jaws and refused to let go.
“He was just hanging on to the walleye,” Colin said.
“I was just excited. It’s probably the biggest fish I’ve ever caught,” he added.
The pair separated the fish and Colin hoisted the roughly 15-pound northern pike out of the net for a few pictures before releasing both fish back into the lake.