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On Kijiji Ontario, I just saw a new in box Shimano Tranx (top notch quality Musky reel) for $250....and also a St.Croix Premier Musky rod for $175.

Leah and I took her guest into town today to get her on her way home. Lakeland's houseboats were coming in at the same time and while wishing our guest a safe drive home I kept looking at this guy on the street beside his jeep and boat on a trailer and he at me. He finally said "Wayne?" and walked over. Chris took the high road, shook my hand and apologized for the nonsense that the two of us got into a few years ago and I reciprocated and thanked him for same. A great but short meet up, but was good morning as life is way too damn short for grudges!

Just seeing that nice fish on your 1st trip makes it worthwhile and it's something you'll remember for a while, some guys go all season without seeing one. The north end of Pigeon is far better than the south just for all the different types of structure available. It's a big lake and takes some time to figure it out but you'll get there and feel comfortable and confident moving around from one structure type to another.

Yep...a favourite haunt of big predators. Up in North West Ontario they call Musky....Cabbage Dragons

Full moon top water ….. nothing like it !

You can get at Princess Auto as well. They carry Reese line.

Whoa whoa this particular Fairweather fishermen catches fish!!!!! 🤘

My advice fwiw is to buy a new (or used) decent quality rod and reel. If it turns out that you just can't get into Musky fishing, you can always sell it and usually recover a good percentage of your investment. And if it turns in to an addiction, you've got something that will serve you well, without thinking that you need to immediately upgrade. If you buy something "cheap"...you're not going to enjoy using it...and since it's of low value you'll have a difficult time trying to sell it, if you decide to move up to something better or it turns out that Musky are just not for you. So even though you initially spent less, you end up eating the $$. Just my experience when it comes to fishing gear...and frankly a lot of other things too.. I have run many businesses over the years, and this philosophy has always served me well.

Im just going to call it out for what it is...fair weather fishermen, dont catch fish. Get some rain gear and get the heck out there.

That's exactly what you're supposed to do. You'll get bite eventually!

My finder has been wonky so reading changed erratically.. another thing to buy this year! judging by my hand, I'd say 72 to 74 on the surface. I was reeling fast. I was trying to stay above the weeds before the lure would sink below the weed line and get hung up with weeds.. love that spinnerbaits don't get hung up as much.

It's basically prime time muskie now through the end of Sept, especially in the Kawarthas. I was out with a buddy last year and we put 8 in the boat and I raised a really nice fish earlier in the day. I went back with something completely different and she ate on the first cast. To me, seeing a fish is as good as catching one. That's half the battle. How warm was the water? At this time of year when the water is in the mid 70s, you can't reel too fast. Great time to burn bucktails and cover a lot of water. If I was fishing the Kawarthas, I'd be either looking for giant cabbage flats, or weeds that drop into deep water (weeds in 8-15ft, dropping into 20+) You'll get fish moving in and out of this cover daily. Also never be afraid to make a cast to the Canadian side of the boat (The deep side) One of the biggest muskies I've ever raised in the Kawarthas came doing exactly this. Good job and keep on casting!!! Also Crowman, Gagnons has 30% off St.Croix musky gear during the Muskie Odyssey. I got three rods this spring, with the discount I got my Premier glass/graphite trolling rod for free

Yes, I lightly thumbed when casting each time...Don't have to do this with the Black Max but the Ambassador would be a hot mess if I didn't thumb. The Ambassador is really hard to adjust. There's that dial you can turn to make the lure drop more easily when you engage the reel.. I usually set it so it drops fairly quickly but doesn't bird nest when it hits the water. That's easy to do with my black max.. I can't seem to make this adjustment with the ambassador. I am going to take my time with this.. Not going o go out and drop $800 for a top notch combo just yet. I used to do that kind of stuff.. I really need to figure out if musky fishing is something I really like. I love to fish for general species, pike, bass, etc.. there's more action and your arms aren't sore by the end of day. I bet if I hook into a 40" fish I may like it a lot more! But there's definitely less action. We will see. I will go out a few more times this year - maybe as it cools further, and maybe the fish get more active. The thing is, if your'e musky fishing, that is generally all you're fishing for (although I hear people accidentally catch other species). I didn't see a bass all day using those big lures and I know that lake has a lot of bass as I fished Pigeon years ago and caught tons of smallies.. Thanks for the tips..

And that’s musky fishing for ya. good effort and sounds like you’re doing the right stuff. You’ll tie into one eventually. I use a palomar knot to tie to the o-ring. it takes some practice but placing your thumb and on the spool/line and applying little pressure when casting will reduce your birdsnests. Follows: Don’t pause before the figure 8, make it a fluid motion at the end of your retrieve. Sometimes you just can’t get them to go. Return to the spot later or try a different lure. Im too poor to buy cheap is my mo. lol. Buying quality gear will be dependable when you need it to be and will hold up over time.

Palomar Knot for heavy braid to O ring. Yes....return to the spot at dusk or early morning or under different weather conditions. Also try another presentation....glide or jerk bait...or big rubber like BullDawg or Medussa or Red October Tube...and of course sometimes just a colour change I just picked up a St Croix Musky Mojo rod and Lexa 400 reel (like I really need another outfit, but that's part of the addiction) for $600. Not the cheapest choice, but good value...and you can certainly spend a lot more..Especially with Musky gear, I find spending a little more for quality will serve you better in the long run...because you will quickly be unsatisfied with something really cheap

I hear ya Pete, chasing muskies in total darkness was a real passion of mine for years and I think maybe I enjoyed it more that daylight fishing.

One day maybe 15 years ago they were calling for a nasty thunderstorm in the evening so I said to my bud we should head out just before the storm hits as that often turns them on. Once we could hear the thunder approaching we jumped in the boat and headed for a favorite spot a mile down the lake. I think it was the 3rd cast and I got this guy. We took the picture and ran back to the camp as the lightening was flashing around us. My wife asked why we didn't go fishing and I told her we left 20 minutes ago, got a fish and now we're back. You can see the storm behind me and although it wasn't a big fish it's always fun when a plan comes together LOL

Muskies don't care if it's raining, they're already wet.

Dave told me yesterday that he was heading to Whitehorse My daughter and her children and dog got out on a flight today Her husband is doing the drive. Sorry to inject this into Dave's thread but I fished with him a couple times.