JonnyButts

We run an Ulterra year around . When away on trips in the fall / winter it gets brought in at night, it does require some forward thought into using it in cold weather as parts can freeze but that being said it has been just as bullet proof as the Terrova. There is a brand new Terrova sitting in the shop as a back up but it we have yet to open the box. The over all convenience of the Ulterra is great . I think it depends on your boat and the style of fishing you do. When I was up on LOTW this September we left the Crestliner behind and were fishing out of a couple of friends boats with Terrova’s for Musky. Do you think I could remember to stow the motor? Everytime I need a reminder up front lol. If you run and gun the Ulterra definitely makes life easier. I’m a big fan of the ipilot networking but that only helps if you are running Hummingbird graphs . 
 

At the end of the day I just think it comes down to how you fish. I’ve heard a lot of stories on bad experiences with the Ulterra but that hasn’t been my own experience. 

Was up there this past weekend. Stop in at the bait shop on the highway , the owner is a great source of information. If you are towing your boat be prepared to pay . Cost us $75.00 each day to pull in and out and park. Fishing was alright but it’s much better up there in the fall. Any questions shoot me a pm 

 

I was out a week ago and on Sunday. Fish have pushed and all our fish were in 65-90 fow . Had good luck on the kings with body baits . Jigged for lakers and lost 2 boat side , 1 coho on the jig as well. Launched out of Port Dalhousie and dropped lines just past Port Weller , fished to the bar 

On 1/10/2022 at 9:02 AM, Rizzo said:

Thanks for the report, great pictures and sharing the information about your father's battle and advice. Condolences to your family.

Thanks for the kind words Rizzo 

 

23 hours ago, akaShag said:

Condolences on the loss of your father.  I think his words of wisdom to you are good ones.  And 71 is much too young! 

Thanks for the report.

Doug

I agree Doug 71 is much too young . Thanks for the kind words 

19 hours ago, misfish said:

Sorry for your lost brother.

When I seen the title I was thinking, here come the big brown pics from Del.

Nice fish non the least. And ya had a good friend to fish with and take some load of yer mind. Good on ya Clive.

Thanks Brian. I’m still chasing them browns, hopefully have a report soon! 

 

4 hours ago, gordy28 said:

Sorry about the loss of your Dad, having gone through a similar experience in 2021 I can empathize 

A great season of musky fishing!   In my experience they are a worthy adversary so kudos to you 

cheers

Andrew 

Thanks Andrew . I’m sorry for your loss as well. 

 

1 hour ago, mamona said:

Sorry for your loss... Gorgeous report, keep the coming!

Thank you and I’m cooking up a report over the winter , just gotta get some better temps out since I’m not a hardwater guy anymore 

Howdy folks , thought it was time to do an annual report . I’m always on here and appreciate everyone that takes the time to post. 

 

2021 is a year I’ll never forget and not because of the fishing but we will get into that . 

 

Started off the year doing my normal Winter steelheading and trout chasing . Nothing really to report there . Some cold days and some warmer than usual , lost a ton of streamers but that’s how it goes sometimes . 

 

Had one Pike outing with Mepps but we didn’t dial them in , new waters and all but it was fun . 

 

Since I’ve caught this Musky bug all my focus and preparation has gone into getting ready for June. 

 

We did a scouting mission the end of May and made some great observations and put down a few pins . 

 

Just as things were about to get fired up , I got the news that my old man had stage 4 terminal cancer . One of the many downsides to this pandemic is that the lack of Dr appointments, virtual appointments and delays in testing and they just aren’t catching things in time . 

 

It was a tough blow and I packed up and headed to Peterborough to spend the last 3 months he had with the old man. I gotta give props to the Peterborough hospital palliative care team and also Hospice Peterborough . Those people and what they do are the true Hero’s of our communities. 

 

I managed to get a couple of trips in whenever Pops would tell me to take a day off . Caught one small juvenile ski on a shadzilla jr. on a day trip . 

 

Really gotta thank Mepps for the support during that time and getting me out to fish and just clear my mind . 

 

It was a way too short battle with cancer and I am grateful I had the opportunity to be with him everyday till his last . Rest In Peace Pops , I know you are looking down on me. 

 

With the funeral taken care of and his affairs settled I headed back to Niagara and back to life , the family and chasing Muskies . 

 

Mepps and I got back on schedule and usually were out once if not twice a week working the spots we had success at last year while discovering new structure and techniques. 

 

Thanksgiving Monday we took our first of a few trips down to Lake St. Clair , it was so warm we were in T- Shirts . Insane for Turkey Monday. 

 

We entered the lineup of 60 other boats that morning trolling the mouth of the Thames . The water was a chocolate brown and reminded me of the chocolate milk we got as kids in school. 

 

Managed to catch a decent pike trolling a jointed believer in the prop wash. Snot rocket went nuts boat side and wrapped itself up good in the 65 lb braid . 

 

Come early afternoon we packed it up and took the short run to the Detroit River , got a decent fish on the troll, she smashed a Supernatural Headlock towards the end of our run. 

 

Spent a couple of days down on St Clair In October and November but the constant poor conditions didn’t lead to much luck in the ways of boating fish . Last trip down there the water temps had hit 37 degrees and it was a long shift of trolling to come up skunked. Safe to say Lady St. Clair still hasn’t come through for us lads lately.

 

Back on the home waters I had much better luck the month of November , multiple hook ups and ended up landing 5 decent fall fish .

 

Mepps and I sure did put the time in. Learned a bunch and figured out a couple of good runs , I finally felt like we were building a pattern . 

 

Let me just say that jigging for Muskies in fast current is not for the faint of heart. You catch a snag and if someone doesn’t get on the main motor quick you will find yourself spooled . Happened to me once or twice lol. 

 

December hit and any pattern We thought we had just shut down , dang Muskies changed it up on us . 

 

The weekend before Closer we had a monster storm roll through on Erie , I’ve never seen the water that stained in the river . Sure did make fishing tough , we put in long days the last 2 days of season to only see one fish on the end of Mepps line .

 

Ended the season not too successful but when I looked back on the season as a whole I did better than last and learned a ton . 

 

The one thing about being out with Mepps is we are always talking , analyzing our last trips , sharing knowledge and pushing each other to be better Anglers . It sure doesn’t take fish to have a good fishing trip , you just gotta have the right people around ya. 

 

2021 is a year I’ll never forget , one I’m both happy and sad to put behind me and as I settle back into steelheading and chasing trout , I’m already dreaming and scheming for this June. 

 

Life is short , my Fathers advice to me at 71 , only 6 years into his retirement and stuck in a hospital bed fighting a losing battle was “ Don’t wait on doing anything you want to do, get out and live your dreams now. Don’t waste your life busy working all the time.  When you reach to the end of your time here , all you have is the memories you made with the ones you loved. Always put your family first and yourself second “  Words I’m trying to live by now. 

 

Thanks for reading and tightlines everyone. 

 

I buy lots of lures off small lure makers on Instagram . I think you would do well on there. 

Great report . Enjoyed reading through the adventures , hopefully as the world moves forward we end up with a stellar end of the year report from ya as well! Tight Lines 

Hey guys , bought this reel for $350 , it’s a right and I’m a left , thought I’d try adapting , put it on a rod , felt awkward , replaced it with a Diawa Prorex Lefty. Asking $300.00 PM me 

Looks great @lew The price of PT is crazy. Over triple the cost since Covid hit. I’ve been posting all our tear outs on Kijiji and have had someone come pick up the old lumber , saves me paying the dump to take it and paying one of my guys to cut it up. 

I’d call any local cabinet shop . My cabinet guys always have that stuff in stock 

This is the post I was waiting for. Thanks for sharing the journey and those 13 points at the end with us. What a ride. Also don’t feel so crazy spending this off season researching as much as I have been, clearly it pays off.  Great read as always ! @Moosebunk

11 minutes ago, akaShag said:

This may take a while...........

I’m in for catching a 50” and not shaving too . Respect that beard @akaShag I’m sure that’s years on years of growth! 

10 hours ago, mepps said:

Figured I'd share the lure that was most productive for me and Johnny this season. Hooking 8-10 musky on the Niagara and LSC. It isn't a lure I've seen in other muskie boxes. It's not a bait that I would have purchased personally, but Johnny had one, and I tried it out and landed a muskie on the second cast! I went on to get another muskie on the first cast a couple of weeks later, and then another on the second cast at night fishing LSC. We each bought 5 more!

Live Target Golden Shiner - 8 inches, 5oz - Comes in gold and silver blue (the blue worked at LSC) and costs around $20 CAD

It has a cool magnetic hook system, with super strong hooks despite their smaller size. We ended up replacing the back hook with bigger hooks on a few baits. The action is a slight wobble, with quick tail vibrations (very little body roll compared to other soft baits like Shadzilla and Restless Riders. It casts very well and can be fished at speed in shallow water, or nice and slow in deep. The hook system is pretty good in the weeds too! The only down side is the tail get ripped off on several baits, more so than other soft baits I've used.

Man did these guys produce this past season. One of those fluke purchases that turned out. I would recommend getting some “Mend It” to repair the tails after. Like Mepps said they don’t hold up well after an encounter with a Gator. 

It was a great season bro! The highs and the lows , wouldn’t trade it for nothing. With all the craziness this year it kept me sane... Well as sane as I can be. This lockdown and lack of Muskies has me going stir crazy ! Doc says I’m still sick , with the Muskie Fever, the Missus says it might be terminal.... Great Report! 

47 minutes ago, Rizzo said:

when I lived in Barrie, a skunking wasn't so bad as I was only driving maybe an hour to an hour and a half to get fishing. Now that I am in Guelph...3 hours from St. C and 3 hours from Kawarthas....I really really hate the skunking. The drive seems soooo much longer when you smell as fresh as when you headed to the lake.

I feel you Rizzo, on those 3 hour drives I go through so many mixed emotions lol. You should try Niagara . It’s only an hour and a half from you and there is quality fish in that system! 

22 hours ago, lew said:

Once you figure out the pattern and the proper baits for the time those 50 inchers will be jumping in your boat LOL

Thanks Lew. I think what I’m enjoying the most is the learning I’m doing hunting after these fish. Still got lots of figuring out to do ! 

16 hours ago, Moosebunk said:

What Lew said.

And what Laz says, is that "nothing is more valuable than time spent on the water."

Clive can show ya the ropes, he's got talents, but you're off and running now so good job!

First fall season, 2009, seven outings, 38 hours, Ottawa River only, one small fish.  

2010, ten outings, 6 fish and first 40 incher.

2011, four outings, Ottawa River, no fish.

2012 went to St. Clair first time, easiest muskie fishing anywhere, 3 days and 15 muskies with 8 more missed.

Some things I've learned... well, it's coming in a BIG report soon but stick with Clair to build confidence and no, you don't need a tonne of lures, just a few of the right things for the few styles you'll likely fish in the places you fish them 

 

Thanks Bunk, I’ll take the advice and keep learning and spending as much time as I can on the water . Looking forward to the big report . 

16 hours ago, mepps said:

While I'm happy with the number of fish I got this season, the highlight of 2020 was reconnecting with you, bro! Looking forward to getting back out there with you!

You know it was my highlight too. Thanks for showing me the ropes. 2021 is going to be a great season. Looking forward to the trips we have planned. 

9 hours ago, Rizzo said:

great read...keep at it! We have all had some rough outings, just suck when they come back to back

Thanks Rizzo! It does suck when the rough ones come back to back but I still manage to enjoy myself when I’m out there . Guess fishing isn’t always about the catch . 

Another stellar report. Always enjoy reading your stuff Bunk. Looks like you had a great season! 

Figured with season closing it was time to file a report on my 2020 musky season. I haven’t targeted these fish much in the past , the odd cast in the Kawartha’s and a few days 15 yrs ago when I lived up on Quinte was all I really had under my belt. 

 

During these crazy times this year I was glad to have fishing to fall back on as my time to get away from life and unplug . 

 

 

From spring to fall the past few years I’ve been either playing or coaching baseball and fishing really only picked up for the salmon run and again for the browns and Steelies. Playing indoor softball in the winter kept me busy most weekends , but with baseball being removed from my life ,I was stoked to reconnect with my old friend  Mepps . Anyone that knows Clive knows he is passionate about Esox fishing. Our first trip out we met up with another angler and got caught up and as I casted a tube looking for a smallie he started showing me pictures of his last season catches and talking Musky, somewhere in that trip I caught Musky Fever... 

 

I think it was a month later before we got out again. By this point I had bought a Entry level Shimano broomstick (heavy rod) and also Abu Revo Toro Beast and a few lures. I didn’t connect with any fish that trip but man did we have fun . 

 

The next time we went out I finally hooked into a decent Musky, that fish was enough to keep me going all season long. 

Our next trip out , I had upgraded the rod and picked up another Abu Revo. I lost 3 fish that day , one that will haunt me to the grave . A massive Niagara Musky that was able to rip line off that Abu reel with the drag buttoned down and looked as mean and as big as I had been dreaming about . Clive turned to get the net and in one beautiful out of the water head shake she spit the lure and swam away. Remember breaking up with your first girlfriend  .... It was worst than my teenage heart ache and probably wound up costing me more than my first divorce . 

 

I then entered Musky Maniac mode and out came my addictive personality . I bought a few more rods , another reel and more lures. Swimbaits , glide baits, top water , bucktails. Suicks , grandmas and jakes , my collection was starting to sound like a Hillbilly family reunion . 

 

Fall was quickly approaching and I was frantically preparing to hunt down a 50” 

 

Fall fishing in Ontario and Monster Musky is usually associated with 2 bodies of water , not that other bodies of water don’t have them but in all my research and talking to experienced Musky anglers , LSC and the Larry always came up. 

 

We planned on hitting LSC a few times and if an opportunity came up to fish the Larry we would be on it like white on rice. I was excited for the Musky Factory and the stories of multi fish days and upper class 40 “ fish and those 50”s being caught had my thoughts consumed. 

 

I entered swimbait mode and bought more rubber than the GoodYear plant in Napanee. 

 

I’m lucky being self employed and have some good guys working for me that taking a day off during the week is no issue. 

 

That first trip we got down to LSC and started fishing at 10 pm , a nap in the car and a few stops for food , we would finish fishing at 7pm the next day . This is how our next 5 trips to LSC would look. 

 

We fished through rain storms , snow ,winds, cold temps , warm temps , whatever Mother Nature threw at us , we grinded it out. 

 

Changing spots after minor and major moon phases , cycling through swim baits and throwing everything we got . 

 

Clive caught a few nice fish on our trips . I acquired the stench of skunk on me that still hasn’t washed off and achieved Master level status as a Net Man. 

 

I think I can safely say I put in 80 plus hours fishing LSC and all I caught was other peoples lost tackle ,bait and on our last trip the most albino walleye I’ve ever seen hit my 10” Poseidon . That fish would be my only fish from LSC and a musky has not been on the end of my line since Sept 7th. 

 

I met a lot of great guys out fishing on LSC , the vibe amongst most Musky anglers is great and other than one mishap ( Clive’s story to share ) we had a great time each and every trip. Visiting pet stores that sell Musky gear, buying lures being locally made and visiting towns I’ve never seen. 

 

I thought maybe this drought would have discouraged me, maybe made me think about sticking to the fishing I’m more experienced with . At one point Clive offered to buy all my gear for .50 cents on the dollar and for a spilt second I entertained it . 

 

I would be lying if I said it didn’t get into my head , every trip home analyzing everything I was doing , spending hours on YouTube watching videos, listening to Musky podcasts while at work and every trip down to LSC determined to catch a beast , only to repeat the process over again .

 

Mama didn’t raise no quitter and if anything it has fuelled me to spend more time chasing Musky come June 2021. 

 

The gear is still piling up , the tackle boxes getting bigger(those special mate 13” sure are sweet) and come June I hope to start putting more fish in the basket than I did this year ... I don’t think it’s going to be hard to beat but then again I can still smell the skunk as I sit typing this out . 

 

I’ll be out this winter doing the usual trout fishing but you better believe all I’m dreaming about is the day I land that 50”! 

 

 

 

Hey fellas , just wanted to update. On Lew’s advice I emailed Rapala (Nordstrom) they responded and I got a replacement lure and some stickers and a hat in the mail yesterday. Good to see a brand stand behind their product. 

Great Report DanD . I just missed ya as we got there late Tuesday night. Saw Ian launching his boat Wednesday Morning taking a couple of guys out. There were 22 of us bombing casts across the river when we left at 6:30 last night. Still blows me Away all the Muskie that get caught on LSC. 

Little guy looks like he was having a blast 👍🏻Thanks for the report! 

6 hours ago, mamona said:

Looks like you had a fun anyway. I was in Muskoka this weekend, it was brutal.

Weather bad up there or the fishing Mamona? 
 

5 minutes ago, lew said:

Been about 3 years now since I quit fishing but I still miss those big hit's

There really isn’t anything like it Lew. I’m still on the hunt for that 50” this season. 

7 hours ago, Rizzo said:

good read nice you got into some fish....those dang musky can be so frustrating though

They are the most challenging fishing out there in my opinion but when one explodes on a big lure , ain’t nothing like it in fresh water fishing! 

 

1 hour ago, misfish said:

Nice few days. The weekend was not bad as they called for. Rain did not start here til around 10 am.

Yup,I was looking at the neos yesterday and dusted them off.

 

 

Gotta love the weather man eh Misfish, only job where you can be wrong all the time and not get fired for it. What Union do they have 😂 ?