Gregoire

NIce setups. I have a patriarch 9525 that I have on a st. croix avid, but am not really happy with it. Have you had the spinning rod on the water yet?

Vince from Entourage says the Bluefin are going extinct, and if a celebrity says so, especially one who plays a character based on Marky Mark, than I am in support of him. In all seriousness I do not think you will get someone to change their mind by coming off as a know it all. Although I am a bit concerned that this species seems to be at risk I think A better response might have been to inquire whether catch and release was going to be practiced or not, although it is not your business. If a person is fishing legally it is slippery slope to call their actions into questions. Don't forge that there are groups and organizations out there that would like to see recreational angling banned.

Some good info posted here, and I'm sure some better sent via PM. I was out last night and got skunked, only one knock off. I wish I could help you out.

I don't pay much attention the these issues as I can't just choose when I can get on the water. If I had the freedom to choose when I went out I would definitely pay more attention to this.

I know they are starting to stage right now. I don't target them in tribs but good luck.

I think we can all agree that it is better for the fish to hold it in a net or a cradle until the hook is removed, and then take a quick picture. Placing a musky on the floor of a boat, regardless of the surface, is not ideal for the fish. I also think that we all remember the excitement of catching our first musky, if I did not have an experienced musky angler in the boat when I caught mine I probably would have completely screwed it up (and maybe pooped myself). Asking for guidance is the right thing to do, let's try to give good advice and avoid getting distracted.

Nice catch....you never forget your first time.

Wow, nice hog

NIcely done. Some healthy looking fish there.

I think the original poster has gotten an answer to his question. Now it just seems like people, including myself, are in a pissing contest. I have to admit that I was a little angry at what people had posted, but Terry made a good point that insulting someone will not get them to change their mind. I was lucky that I learned how to fish for musky with an experienced angler. Not everyone has that privilege. Mike I do not think you are going to change anyones mind. The majority of musky hunters support your view. You don't need to keep banging your head on the wall.

Terry I respect your point, but I'm just wondering what would happen if a person who was targeting musky with bass hear hooked into a large fish that was below the minimum size for the area and fought the fish for so long that the fish died. I know it is unlikely but could a CO who for whatever reason became aware of this situation charge the person with wasting a gamefish as the fish must be released?

I think people are losing focus of the question asked: Would a spinning reel and a medium action bass rod be appropriate for targeting musky? The answer is a resounding no. You can argue all you want about whether a spinning reel is appropriate for targeting musky...I think most musky guys who said no did so with the assumption that a bass size spinning reel was going to be used, not a larger saltwater reel. The key is to use appropriate size equipment for the species you are targeting. For me that means planning to catch the biggest fish in the lake. So all you guys arguing that mh bass gear is appropriate are wrong in my opinion. As Musky Mike pointed out, truly large musky are rare in the Kawarthas, although it is unlikely that you will catch a 30+ pounder it could happen, and you will be woefully unprepared to land and release that beast alive using anything short very heavy gear. That type of logic really angers me. Maybe it is that attitude that makes trophy musky rare in the Kawarthas because people target them with bass gear and end up killing them. I believe it is lactic acid that builds up in musky, not adrenaline that builds up in a Musky after a long fight and can cause a fatality.

While it is true that everyone does have a right to an opinion, not everyone's opinion should be considered equal. If you don't agree with me, ask yourself if you would want your mechanic to give you a vasectomy, or your doctor to fix your breaks.

The reels are new this year, and the drag pulls pretty even and steady, so I think they are working properly. Got out tonight. Nothing but shakers except for a teenager on the leadcore, which we hardly ever use. It was lucky that we used it tonight. Numbers were good though, as we released at least 15 fish. We just didn't get the screamer like we were hoping for. Thanks for all the tips as I have learned a lot from this thread.

Seriously just give it a bump, stay positive and post pics of fish, if anyone has any info they may pipe in. I have never fished the lake and don't target walleye often so I am no help to you.

I'm glad Harper did the right thing and offered a state funeral. One of the few things I agree with him on...besides some of his fiscal policies.

I agree with Garry. No need to go to big, especially if you are planning on casting a bunch, as you will get really worn out. Try to find a combo that balances out nicely, otherwise you will get tired very quickly. My casting rod for musky is a 7 ft compre paired with a daiwa plutoon. I can cast and pull anything I want with this combo, actually find it is better at handling bigger baits that my abu toro, especially stopping from free spool. Granted I do not use double cowgirls. I started salmon fishing this year and was impressed with the Okuma convectors that my buddy was using on his boat, so I ordered some left hand ones that I am going to rig up with some heavy action trolling rods, and use those primarily for trolling. I hope they hold up, not sure if the drag will have enough stopping power, as that is my only issue with the pluton. This winter I think I'll be customizing it a bit. Since you already have a rod why not bring that in to a store and try matching it up with a reel?

Thanks dude. Hopefully we'll hook into something decent. Ill try to take a pick or two.

It definitely was a tough lesson to learn. We've been a bit to casual up to this point in terms of setting the drag and using the boa to help us fight the fish. Definitely will by trying some new things on the water. I know that we did a few things wrong with the fish, but I'm not sure if we would have tightened the drag up earlier he wouldn't have straightened the hook or simply ripped it out. It is two days later and I'm still in awe of the pure power of the fish. Even if we would have done everything fight we would have been lucky to bring him in, if he was the monster that I like to think he was. Here are the changes I am planning on making: 900 feet of line Increase the tension on the drag while in he rod holders Adjust the drag before taking the rod out of the holder if it is a screamer Put the boat into neutral Start a slow turn to 90 degrees towards the fish if it feels big Is there anything else you guys would suggests. We are heading out tonight. Just wondering Dan, if you keep your drag pretty tight, and also what pound test you use on your dypsy setup for your leaders, and what types of knots you use on the hooks, as we have had some problems there as well. Oh yeah, if you keep your drag tight do you find that you get hooks straightened, or torn out?

If you don't have the release tools I would definitely spend a little less on the reel and pick up a good net, cutters, long nose pliers and a special glove or even better two for handling the beasts. If you haven't already done a site search for musky release and handling technique and you want to learn more do one. Oh yeah, if you are using rod holders while trolling I would recommend that you buy a round reel vs a low profile, as the round reels fit much better into the rod holders.

Prayers and best wishes to you and your family.

Some really good advice there. I will definitely look into using the methods you recommend. Thanks

How are you attaching your flies and spoons to your spin doctors? And are you talking about spiny fleas on your line?

Thanks for the video link. We are running snubbers. In order to take the tension off of the drag of the reel we are attaching downrigger clips to the line and leaving the drag a a very low setting. This was allowing us to have the drag set low so that it was easier to take the rod out of the holder, and preventing the clicking, or losing line when cornering, or speeding up. However I think that the tension on the spool was set gat too light. Tomorrow night when we go out I'm going to be increasing the drag on our dipsy rigs. Obviously we haven't quite figured out the correct setting between too tight and too loose. As far as making the fish work for every foot, I like to set the drag pretty light and thumb the spool. I know I have to increase the drag a bit if the fish is peeling so much line that it is burning my thumb. I know this may sound like an overly cautions approach, but I think it increases the likelyhood of landing a big fish if we are lucky enough to hook into one.