Fisherpete

Beauties Mike!

A few nice ones there Mike!

Here's a few quick thoughts of mine on muskie fishing. 1) Rod - for casting 8' is good, 8'6" is better, 9' is best. I started out 11 years ago with a 7' and have moved my way up. Longer, easier casts, much better figure 8's are the biggest benefit. If you are only going with one rod for now, I would go with at least a heavy action rod that can throw up to 6 or 8oz baits so that you can throw all lure types up to and including big plastics with it. My go-to rod is a 9' St. Croix Big Nasty, I use it for virtually everything except for jerkbait type lures. Not cheap at nearing $400, but I love it. As I mentioned in another post, I think the St. Croix Premier line offers great value for the dollar. I have not tried the Muskie Mojo line, but have compared them to the Premiers in stores and like the Premiers better for the little extra you will pay. 2) Reel - don't cheap out here. Yes, you can get away with using a reel like an Abu C3 6500, but if you plan on throwing big inlines like twin 10's then spend the extra money on a reel that is designed for the task. Abu Revo Toro Winch or NaCl, Shimano Calcutta D are two of the good ones. You will spend $300-400 on one of these reels, a bit less if you manage to find a good used one. If money is no object ($500+) the Shimano TranX is THE reel for muskie baits 3) Line - for Kawartha applications go with 80lb braid of your choice. I like tried and true Powerpro, and it has never failed me. Even though I spend the majority of my muskie fishing time in the Kawarthas, my casting rods are rigged up with 100lb, as I head to Lake of the Woods every year, and other fisheries where true giants swim. My trolling rods have 80lb. 4) Leaders - another key component - and not to be cheaped out on. I use 130lb or 150lb florocarbon leaders with Stay-Lok swivels and snaps. I make these myself, as it saves money in the long run and you can also customize them to whatever length you desire. For casting I prefer 12", for trolling 18-24". If trolling on very clear bodies of water then I go even longer (48"). There are plenty of tutorials on Youtube on how to make these. Store bought are fine too, but can be pricey. 5) Lures. I used to be a total tackle junkie, and by many people's standards still am... but in the past few seasons I have found that I generally use 3 colours of any given lure. Something bright (ie chartreuse, orange), something natural (ie perch, walleye, silver) and something dark (black, dark brown etc). You can pretty much cover all the different light and water conditions with those in my opinion. You don't need to buy mountains of lures to catch fish. Stick to proven fish catchers like Jakes, Grandmas, Shallow Raiders and you will figure out which ones run the best for the lakes you like to fish. Dadson's, Kelly Kustoms and Handlebarz are among my favourite inlines, with other good producs being offered by Mepps (H210) and a few others. I am actually not a big fan of the original Cowgirls although many people use them. You will soon develop confidence in certain lures or colours - run with it. Confidence is key. If you think you will catch fish on a certain lure, you will fish it well... and presentation is very important... 6) Fishing locations. When you do catch a fish, look at the location that you caught it and figure out why it was there. Check the depth, weed type/growth, other structure like rocks... baitfish... use these pieces of the puzzle on other parts of the lake to try and repeat the pattern. Some fish are roamers and are in a location for no apparent reason, but more often than not, muskies are there for a reason. Cover and availability of food are key. When fishing a lake for the first time, break it down beforehand on a map and look for spots that you think might be fishy. The first time I fished Sturgeon Lake, I did just this, and boated 8 muskies in an afternoon! There is also plenty of information online that can help you figure out lakes. Boards like this and PM's are also very helpful Another good idea is to pick a lake that is known to have lots of muskies, and fish it hard until you build your confidence and refine your techniques... then go exploring. 7) Weather. I have found that certain lakes totally shut down when the weather is nice - bright sun and bluebird skies - you might as well pack up and go somewhere else! Others are just the opposite - the fish can be on fire in these conditions. Water clarity, weed growth and other factors all determine which lakes are good in the different conditions. In general, I prefer overcast skies with a a slight chop on the water. 8) Bite windows. I have had days when I am raising fish all day long, but they just won't eat. You go back there later in the day, maybe if the weather changes or as the sun is going down - and they just start smashing your lures! Muskies certainly seem to feed during these windows, dawn and dusk being big ones daily - but even things like moon phases and barometric pressure play a part. My theory - if you see a fish worth catching, go back to it several times that day as conditions change. You should always try and put yourself in prime locations for the peak times when muskies eat. My best has always been dusk. 9) Good release tools are a must. Big net, bolt cutters, jaw spreaders and long pliers are all essential tools. In the past two years, I have really started cutting hooks with my Knipex cutters instead of pulling them out with pliers - it is far better for the fish, and often speeds up the release process dramatically and is safer for the angler as well. I keep a supply of 3/0, 5/0 and 7/0 hooks in my boat. In the grand scheme of things they are very inexpensive, and it only takes seconds to put on a new hook afterwards. 10) Photos. Keep the camera close by, always check your batteries before every trip and make sure that everyone fishing with you knows how to use it! When you catch your first trophy, you want to capture that moment well! If you plan on fishing solo, come up with a system to take good pictures - and practice beforehand! I have used a tripod before, but they don't do well in a boat when it is choppy... I smashed a Nikon camera a few years ago to prove it! My system these days - I have a seat post on the front deck with a camera mounted on it at a good height. I have the self timer set to 10 seconds... I grab the muskie out of the net, press the button and get to my spot. Minimal out of water time for the fish, and pretty decent pictures most of the time. Putting it on video is also a good option as you can later take stills out of the video... 11) Network. OFC, Muskies Canada... the more muskie fishermen you talk to and fish with the better. Each will offer you something that you have never seen before... 12) Almost forgot to mention figure 8's! DO THEM! That is all! Many muskie experts catch up to 75% of ALL their fish on the 8. Not kidding. Be patient and have fun along the way... it can be the most frustrating species to fish for, but also the most rewarding. Giants await you! Cheers Pete

I'm going with Mike's guess of 8-9lbs... he catches a lot of walleye!

Hahaha I like it Andrew's first and only 50+ happened to be a dreadnaught! Guess he was a star soldier and jumped ranks! I'm now in the battleship class.

For a few dollars more you can put together a combo like this: Shimano TDR Rod - $35 or so Okuma Convector 30 reel - $95 or so Can handle anything from bows to lakers to full size Lake O kings. Buy it when SAIL or LeBaron has their no-tax sale on and it's a combo that can't be beat for $120 tax in. Cheers Pete

No worries John - family always comes first! I'm sure we will get out again soon enough. Tom - they are in there for sure, I have seen pics of more 50+ Kawartha skis in the past two years than in the ten before. I certainly think the 44" minimum size limit they imposed a few years back has helped, as well as improved awareness by anglers. The MCI "know the difference" campaign certainly helps. I'm hoping that when I finally do get my K-50 it will be a nice looking fish - not one that is on it's way out the door... Some of the big ones I have seen were not exactly the sexiest of specimens haha...

My guess is that the Clam shelter broke, and he tried to make skis to pull the sled easier with... Thru 2+ feet of snow apparently lol!!!

My last four trips have produced: Kawarthas - 45" Kawarthas - 44" PB tiger muskie Lake of the Woods - 48.5" followed by a 51" PB - my first fifty incher St. Lawrence - new PB with a 53.5" Hit a Kawartha lake last Sunday, was going with John (cowanjo) but a last minute family issue made this a solo mission. Had a follow mid morning, and then caught this pretty girl trolling in the early afternoon... 48". First time using the new net - Frabill Big Kahuna - absolutely LOVE IT. Had one other follow and a few other incidental species catches. Haven't had a crazy numbers day yet this year, but I will take quality over quantity any day! I'm going to try hard this fall to put that first Kawartha 50 in my boat... stay tuned! Pete

Beauty - nice clean fish - a 44" with that girth would be right around the 20 to 21lb mark. Must have been a blast on a bass setup!

Aikmans in Mississauga 3010 Novar Road (905) 277-3595

Late June-mid August is typically the best time, you will catch some into September From the bluffs head west and fish the "drop off", look at your charts and you will easily figure out where it is... Productive depths vary depending on bait location and water temperature, find the bait clouds and you will usually find some fish hanging around it In years past I have done well in deeper water (180-220') but this year 90-120 was good and 60-80 as September approached and the salmon headed in shallow to stage for spawning As for dipsies, I use the #1 size, on a 3 setting. If the bait is up high, or down low I run my dipsy accordingly. My main line is 80lb Powerpro. Hope this helps! Cheers Pete

Never tried them for lakers but most of my bigger salmon on Lake O seem to come off my dipseys. Pete

Wow. Just wow.

Anyone tried using the composite 2x4's for this application? My brother put together a small casting deck made from them for the front of his 14' Legend and it sits in the weather all summer, every summer and still looks the same after 8 seasons! It is heavy as heck (80 lbs or so), but the front of his boat ran very high anyway and it has helped reduce porpoising when only one person is in the boat. Too much flex maybe to be used as a bunk board?

44" tiger muskie 51" muskie which I beat again a month later with a 53.5" First sheepshead

Love my Elite 5 as well, also have the portable pack for the winter

Thanks Lew and moxie Lew I remember that 2-tone you caught with Mike a few years ago - still one of the more unique muskies I have seen...

PM sent Jimmer

Welcome to the addiction bud. Just wait till you land your first giant - it gets even worse. I'm already jonesing for my 2015 LOTW trip...

As annoying as it is, I do the same - empty everything out of the boat every time. Years ago I stopped for lunch once for an hour at a friend's cottage and thieves took all the rods, tackle and even the worm box and anchor! Ridiculous. At night if I leave the boat at the dock, the boat gets cable locked to the dock, and a second cable runs thru both my seats and the gas can onto the first lock... if someone wants it that bad they will still cut the locks and get it, but it will take some effort.

Brutal bud, sorry to hear

I put mine in my bow Mike - beside my trolling motor battery. The starting battery at the stern is always charged by my outboard.

Spring cats, carp and crappie were great Bass fishing has been average Muskie have been awesome Lake O salmon slow, getting ok numbers but no really big ones