hutch4113

We were pretty stoked. I told Matt it was - really an amazing result - 3 guys, each with a Muskie, on new water, in late fall. I hope to get up there again before end of season, but will see. Want to try the South end next year. Really a nice body of Water.

First off, I want to thank everyone that chimed in and offered tips/advice for our outing yesterday. It is one of the reasons I really like this board, compared to some others. Going to a lake for the first time can always be a bit nerve racking - but all the suggestions made it much easier. To the Fish To set the scene, my Buddy who just got into fishing about 5 years ago, has decided he wants to try for Muskie. So he called me up Wednesday, to see if I could go out Friday - bit of short notice but still doable. However I did mull it over - I am going away this Winter and need to save my Vacation days - I have also gone 3 to 4 years probably, without getting a sniff of a Muskie - which has been getting depressing to say the least. So - do I go - or not. Logic won over (a bad day fishing is better than a good day working) so off we went. Sharing with him all the info we had gathered, the 3 of us set out: Mark - a gentleman who is an avid Hunter, but not a Muskie fisherman. Matt - A novice, but quickly succumbing to the fishing disease - figure it is 90% over for him now...lol. Me - by no means an expert, but the only one of the group to catch a 40+ Muskie. Even then it was by accident. We were going for Muskie, but got bored when nothing happened and switched to a Bass presentation - so of course I caught a Muskie. My advise to them - pretend you are fishing for Rock Bass, Sunfish, etc. That way a Big Muskie is sure to bite. The Dawn To get the idea of how much Matt is into fishing now, the start time changed - from leaving Barrie at 7:30Am - then to 6:30 - and finally 6AM. He did not want to miss a minute on the water. We were the first ones to the Launch, and it really was a beautiful morning. Everything was frost tipped, and dead quiet. And so the preparation began for an 8AM Launch: That is Matt in the background, and his friend Mark. We were going out in a boat smaller than I am used to - I had offered to take mine, but we were possibly going to a much smaller lake, that I would not have been able to launch in, so to keep it as an option we took the little tinny. While it was tight - and Matt and I tangled lines - oh at least 3 or 4 times, it worked. The Start We headed out towards Big Island, trolling down the Channel. The water was actually pretty rough for that time of the morning - Big Rollers, and a wind out of the North. But nothing too extreme, and because we were going with the Wind it was ok. The hunt began. We went down the West side of the Island - while we had a depth gauge, we had no charts, so had to kind of eyeball it, target water at least 15 feet deep, looking for drop offs, humps, etc. As we were coming around South Birch Point, we had our first strike of the day (around 11 AM) that went to Mark. Really a beautiful looking fish, right in the depth we expected (15 to 20 feet). It got us really excited, and we hoped that the bite was on. But after trolling around the same area for at least an hour - nothing. And so it was time to move on. The Afternoon We started making our way North, towards Hurricane Point, up the Back Channel, alternating between trolling and casting. By this time the wind had died, the Sun was up, and even though there was a definite Fall chill in the air, it was truly glorious. We hit Hurricane point, and while seeing several areas of nice structure - no Fish. At this point I had probably thrown 10 different lures, from Spinners to top water, to deep diving cranks, just to see if we would get a follower. Then our 2nd strike - this time the honors went to Matt. Not a big one, but at least it was a catch (as he commented - at least he did not get skunked). This was at about 4PM. The wind had changed (now coming out of the South), and we all were getting a little tired at this point. I have to honestly say, while I was happy for them both, I was starting to get the feeling of disappointment. The day was drawing to a close, and it looked like I would be shut out - Again. The Last Attempt We knew we had at least 2 hours left to fish, so we decided as a group to head back to South Birch Point, and try again. Then we would troll back up the West side to the Launch. But this was proving to be about the same. As time went by it looked more and more like I would be going home empty handed. I had thrown/used just about everything we had, so "borrowed" a Lure from Matt. They were using jointed cranks, with brown/red/white - he only had one more with the same colour, but not jointed - but I figured at this point colour was more important. As the sun set into the Horizon, we started our journey back up the West side of Big Island - when we got our 3rd and final strike of the day (with about 1/2 hour of sun left) When it happened, my brain was in numb/depressed mode. I really thought I had just hit a rock and/or weeds. But Mark was yelling from the front of the Boat - Fish On - and boy was he right. I had forgotten what a Big Muskie feels like - basically a tank. I had a really good Rod, so knew I could keep the pressure on, but it was not moving. After a bit, Mark saw the flash of a tail, and muttered - oh - its a big one. And yes - it was: Now - a little about the Picture. First off - I look like a knob (will get that out of the way). Being in the middle of the boat, I had to lean back just so Matt could get it all in the picture. So I look like I am having an episode (come to think of it I probably was). At any rate, my heart was still pounding, but thinking of the Fish we did a quick measurement (at least 44 - possibly 45) and got it back into the water. Had to help it for a bit - but it was gratifying to see it swim off - with a tail flick in my face for good measure (always deserved). Weight - not sure - but it was heavy. Aftermath Fishing is always a journey of ups and downs. But I had to remind myself as the day went on - I was out in Creation, with friends, on a beautiful day. Regardless of the results, there are not many that have that opportunity to see how gorgeous our planet truly is: Everyone was stoked - we did not get skunked - and for 3 guys, a small boat, and a unknown lake, did pretty good.

Nice looking fish...especially the Tiger Muskie - I always find them neat looking.

Ok..so on Highway 36 - I turn left onto Bass Lake Road (we will be heading North on 36 - at least I think it is North). Trying to get my directions on Google Maps.. I see a couple of resorts on Bass Lake Road....but not sure if we launch there - or if there is a Public Launch on Bass Lake Rd itself?

Thanks everyone. I also forgot to ask - any recommendations on where to Launch? Coming up from Barrie. I suspect we will probably fish the North end of the Lake.

Heading up with a Buddy to Pigeon lake on Friday. Any tips/things to watch for? Never been on the lake before. Heading out in a Tinny - but lake does not look to big. Most likely targeting Muskie. PM me if you like - and thanks in advance. (Sorry - don't have time to search posts, which I am sure contain a lot of relevant info - will try later tomorrow).

There were a number of relievers that needed work. Hendricks had not pitched in 4 days. Hawkins - think it has been a week. Tepara - maybe a week and 1/2 (and it showed). Gibbons is getting an idea of who he can rely on, and who he can't. Did make it a litte hairy, but I would rather find out now, then in the playoffs.

Nope - no VW's in my household.

Ok. Did not realize we were down a team. Too bad...I was all setup (no....not really....)

Got mine last week - 2014 RAM. Will be at the dealer on Friday for a different issue. Will bring the notice with me then I guess.

2008 Smokercraft Pro V 182. 18.2 feet, with 8 foot beam. Powered by 115HP Mercury Optimax. With 2 people, and full load of gear/tank, I have had it as high as 42MPH - WOT. Or course it was as smooth as glass that time. Average is more like 40 to 41 MPH, via the GPS. RPM's show 6000 - but I doubt that gauge. There is supposed to be an over speed warning at 5800 (or so) and a limiter at 6000. Running a 3 Blade 21P. Thinking of going to a 4 blade 19P, maybe next year.

Looking forward to your post. I have tried twice there now, and come up empty - of pretty much anything. But it was most likely due to time of year (October long weekend), cold fronts, and turnover. The one year I was really excited as the weather had been good, water temperature took a massive dive over night, which turned everything off (I did have a Pike follow but that was about it). Having said that - I probably had a Muskie strke in the Bay before Captain Allen's Strait. Something hit, but I thought it was a snag, or a weed. When I pulled in 1.5 inches of the plastic tail I was running was missing - sliced off. Going to guess it was a Muskie that attacked and missed.

Ignore whoever PM's. Going to guess they are jealous. I love the reports.

So went up to see Ernie. He plugs it into his boat - motor works fine. Test Gauge also lights up showing remaining battery power, etc. From what I understand the motor only needs 12 volts to turn, but 24 to run the prop. Ernie suspects the plug on my boat may need to be replaced - possible metal fatigue. I am also going to look at my batteries - they are brand new, but will check them as well - maybe I lost one? Plug should be easy to verify too.

Looks like an awesome trip. Reminded me of when I was out there - boy do I want to go again now....

Thanks for sharing - not just the pictures but what you were trying. I have tried those kind of Jigs, but never had much success. Good to see they work.

They should put those down by the Tiffin Boat Launch.

Nice looking fish.

The other factor to consider in your towing weight, is tongue weight on the Hitch. Also understand that for the 3000 pounds, that is most likely with 1 person in the Vehicle (door sticker should indicate if that is true or not). Reason I mention this is a bought a 18 foot smoker craft - that came in under the 3000 pounds. While my old tow vehicle handled it ok, I never thought about how many people I would have in the CUV - along with how much gear I might have packed in the back. If I had to do it again, I would have bought something that was well under the tow rating/tongue weight for the vehicle (Not a problem now, as I upgraded to a Truck - what a difference when it comes to towing).

Sure...what are the details on it (costs, etc.).

Good article on how the "luxury tax" in MLB works -> http://www.sportingcharts.com/articles/mlb/explaining-the-luxury-tax-in-major-league-baseball.aspx. I had not really understood it myself. Now I get why the Yankees were so big on reducing payroll.

Neat colors on the Bass. The black really stands out.

Took a friend of mine and his son Collins out fishing today. Wasn't really planning on much - figured once we got past the insanity of the Tiffin Boat Launch (it was worse coming out), that we would just jig for Perch (Worms!!!) or troll. We tried jigging for a while, but there were two problems: 1) The perch were exceedingly good at take the worm. 2) Boat traffic was nuts. So I decided let's troll for a bit. I have few spots, though to be honest I never really expect much in Kempenfelt (unless going for Lakers - which I have not tried yet). Little guy was so excited - every weed hit - frankly just the wobble from the the crankbait as he was trolling, was a fish. Actually made my day, listening to him being excited - and then I would hear "oh man" when there was nothing on the hook. We had been out for - oh I would say 3 hours, when it happened. I had missed a couple of fish - nothing big, but I really wanted to get something in the boat for him. It was the strangest hit - more like a "thunk" and then nothing, but when I pulled the rod tip up, the fight was on. I told him to grab the rod, but I knew this one was too big to play around with. So he "helped" me by holding the rod, as I reeled in. As it got closer to the boat I knew I would have to take over, but left him holding the rod (with my help) as long as I could. And this is what we landed (I told him since he had helped, it counts as his first fish) ​ ​ Anyway - Dad was happy - son was happy - and the Captain (me) who really had no idea what he was doing was happy (Bass and me - still can't figure them out).

I was sent this by a Friend, who said I would want it. And yes - I do: http://i.imgur.com/MWmTVN2.gif

Looking forward to the playoff run. I have tickets for the 29th - bought them 2 months ago before all the hype. 100 level, 3rd base, 1st row. Should be awesome.