TroutnMuskieHunter

nice report and fish...you gotta love when you can fish out your back door and get consistent results..

I had the pleasure of driving a BMW 750i V12 that Budget rented to me while I was in Germany on business.....I was able to get that black beauty up to 255kph (~160mph) on the autobahn one weekend while I was driving from Munich to Saltzburg....even at that speed, the car handled great!.... And BTW...I wasn't speeding ....the autobahn has stretches of highway with unlimited speed restrictions...

Josh, I've been pretty successful this season for Lakers and I've gone back to old school basics using Leadcore line...(haven't used the downrigger yet this year).....use your sonar to locate bait balls and then try to get down to a depth where your bait/lure is just above....The other weekend I was letting out full 10 colours, plus I added a 1 1/2oz snap weight in order to get me down to the depth I was spotting bait at... Your other option is to jig for them...I prefer using braid for this method because of the use of heavy jigs and you don't get the line stretch like you would with mono...get yourself a good size selection of jigs...Crippled Herrings work great...my preference is the nickel blue colour and weights sizes from 1 1/2oz right up to 5oz...The weight selection will depend on the wind conditions and how quick your boat is drifting...you want your line to go straight down from the side of your boat and not on an angle...this is where a line counter reel comes in handy too... Good Luck!! Steve

Awesome report and pics....you're a lucky man to have a wife that likes to fish (and out fishes ya ) ...

That is one gorgeous Muskie!!! thanks for sharing and congrats on your PB .....you'll have memories of that one for a long time!!

Great report and pics Bud ...congrats on your PB Pike

Gary....I read your response..then looked at your pic under the post and thought...wow, I can almost imagine you thinkin' bout all the trucks you've owned while sittin' there in your boat seat without a worry other than havin' a fish grab your line!!! I'm counting the days until vacation time comes through!!....takin' the whole month of August off this year.....Thanks for givin' me that moment of solitude looking at you pic...I CAN HARDLY WAIT TO BE OFF And....I won't be thinking about trucks!!!

Just put my daily 3 votes in.....Joey's still at 8th position

I'm on my 3rd Ford pickup....had a Ranger, then 2000 F-1504x4, and now the "lemon" 2004 F-1504x4...I used to really praise Ford but I now have to question their quality... Around the 10,000Km mark I started hearing a whistling sound....took it in for a check and Ford had to replace the pinion bearing in the rear differential.... Last year (June 2007) I noticed that the steering was a little stiff and I got worried seeing how we were heading up to Iron Bridge for a week long fishing trip...the truck only had 48,000kms but the 3 year warranty period had expired by 2 months..I took it back to the dealer and after an hour of being looked at I was advised that the ball joints were shot, the tie rods were shot and that the lower and upper bearings in the steering shaft needed to be replaced ......needless to say I FREAKED OUT Thank God I deal with a small town dealership and that I took my truck there for all the main service checks...The owner of the dealership authorized a "goodwill" warranty so instead of paying $2000 in repairs, I paid the $100 deductible for that warranty I talked to the service manager and asked what was up with the premature wear and tear on the front end parts....his reply was "Ford has many of their parts MADE IN CHINA"....that was all that I needed to know!!

my 3 votes are in as usual...

great report....what a nice healthy lookin eye!!

wow....those are some great lookin' fish!!!

great report ehg!!...man does that Muskie ever look healthy...nice colour to her!!

congrats on your PB!!

Hope you get a chance to catch a laker JB...one thing is for sure....these lakers that we've been catching fight hard!!...When they hit, the rod tip bends right into the water and then it's head shake after head shake all the way up from the 100' depth they were caught in

10 colours + a whack of backing line + 2oz snap weight ......where's Turtle Island????

I woke up at 5:00 this morning antcipating the nice day ahead (according to last nights weather forecast ), only to see the dark clouds rollin' in..... so I thought should I cancel going for Lakers and try for Muskies instead??.... ....I gambled with the weather and loaded up the gear and headed out for some Laker action....Sure glad I made the right decision!!! It drizzled a bit on the way up but stopped in time for me to launch the boat and get the gear set up....the rest of the morning was on and off with a few showers... Missed 2 but also netted 2, one being a real beauty that gave me a good lil fight!!... Here's some pics to share with you all.....

nice fish lads!!....great pics and report

just put my 3 in....

great report and what a NICE perch!!...congrats to the wife for the PB

wow...what a great lookin' day you guys had to be out on the water ...nice pics!!

It's been a little more difficult this year locating the fish because of the higher than normal water levels due to the amount of rain we've been gettin', but still not bad fishin!!! I've been having a great season so far but just takin a bit longer out on the water!!.....inland lakes for Specks, Rainbow and Lakers have been all good....Lakers are still biting but you have to get down to the 120' depth now....a buddy of mine went out to our honey hole yesterday and caught a 13lb laker down 120' in 180' of water...he caught and released 12 Lakers within 4 hrs!! Muskie hunting has been good as well....1 at 49" and another 44" as well as 2 misses in 3 outings....

I'd be more worried bout the younger ones than the adults....they are the ones that seem to always get a scrape or cut here and there ....they also tend to inhale more water then us when playin in the Lake...

nice smallies for sure!!....great pics

Welcome to the gang!...lookin' forward to seein' LOTS of pics and reports