Fisherpete

Hey Mike. 1. Reels. Ok so if you ever plan on throwing twin 9/10/13 blades (which you should, they really work), then you should think about getting a true blade capable reel. There are indeed times when small bucktails are effective, but the big blades are a staple bait and should see a lot of water. In low profile, the Abu Revo Toro Winch (4:6:1) is an excellent reel but is not easy to burn baits with due to the low gear ratio. The Abu NaCl in a 5.4:1 might suit your needs better if you are set on a low profile. I have also heard good things about the Daiwa Lexa in 300 and 400 size. I love my TranX, both the high and low gear, but they are a very large and heavy reel. The Shimano Calcutta 400D is also an excellent all around reel, but is a round reel (although slightly lower profile than most round reels). Tom mentioned the Abu Beast, and if budget is not a concern, this is the low profile reel of choice. They have both a high and low gear available. 2 and 3. Leaders. For dasting 12-14" floro in 130-150 lb. I started using wire for jerkbaits last year after taking the advice of one of my friends who is an excellent jerk fisherman and have done better on them since - not sure why, the action in the water seems very similar to when I used floro, but hey I won't argue with results. 4. Barbless. Some days you fish all day to get one bite - I personally will not decrease my chances of landing that fish by going barbless but that's a personal choice. I cut almost every hook anyhow. And on that topic - go buy a pair of Knipex cutters. Again, I'be used everything out there, and nothing compares. Mine are 7 years old now and still cut thru a 7/0 like butter. Yes, they are expensive ($60-80) but really in the grand scheme of all things muskie, that's cheap. Two lures lol. 5. Types of muskies. All 4 are in the Kawarthas, with spotted being the least common. I think I have caught 5 spotties over the years, most from Scugog. A friend caught a 45" spottie on Pigeon last year. 6. Figure 8 for pike - I've caught a couple on the L, not on the full 8. Lots of massive hits right at boatside - always finish every cast, even if just going into an L not a full figure 8. You never know what lurks below! Fish often follow in just deep enough to be out of your visibility in the water - and rocket up at boatside as their dinner seems to be getting away... 7. Smaller lures for pike. I've caught pike already this year on big muskie sized plastics, twin ten blades and even an 11" crankbait... they don't always want small baits, I think it depends on the body of water and bait population. Hungry fish will chase whatever is offered... if the water body has a ton of small bait then maybe better to be a bit closer to 'matching the hatch'. 8. GTA tackle shops. Tom mentioned a bunch of the smaller shops, and Bass Pro, SAIL and Cabelas have some lures also, but in all honesty each shop might only have a couple baits worth buying at any given time. There are also many custom bait builders out there that make some incredible lures. I've been doing most of my ordering online the past few years, and yes it hurt the wallet with the exchange rate, shipping and sometimes duties. But the selection down there is 10x what you can find here. I think getting a solid all-around rod and reel combo should be plan A - keep some lures in mind that you want to throw with it while choosing - then worry about building up a tackle arsenal. What are you currently using? Rod/reel/line etc? What is your budget for new? I'd be happy to take you out in my boat for a day of muskie fishing and let you try a bunch of my gear out before you make any decisions on buying gear yourself - it can be an expensive and daunting experience with all the choices out there. You will be able to see first hand the differences between all the different reel types and gearing, rods, lures etc. First thing you have to throw is a pounder bulldawg haha... kidding... hopefully we would get into some fish and take some of those awesome MJL pics! Just send me a PM. Hope some of this info helps! Keep asking away - tons of knowledge on this board, and again as Tom mentioned - the learning curve will shorten! Cheers Pete

25 largies (biggest 3) and 1 smallie (3.5) today in 3 hours throwing Senkos. Colour didn't matter

I had a 16' riveted Tracker, it started leaking like a sieve after it was just over a year old. Bass Pro fixed it, and within a few months it was leaking badly again. Never again. My 16' Legend Pro Sport, while not considered a 'higher end' boat has served me very well in all kinds of water, and has had zero issues after 6 years. Pete

Lol

I would go 80 lbs thrust and 24V Adam. I've seen underpowered pontoons struggle badly in any wind. Pete

Lol... Yes he is kidding... You will see! And did you see the post by "pump knows" about his first muskie on the jointed live target? Very similar to the Rapala J-13...!

Very nice fish - especially for your first!

Hahaha yes they do! Jaws snapping in mid air! That fish was a maniac. Was cool to catch him on the follow up cast with the spinnerbait!

They will hang out in shallower water at times, more than pike for sure, but I would say the best spot to find numbers of Kawarthas skis would be deeper weed edges and beds in the 8-14' range.

Muskies, despite being large toothy beasts are wusses when it comes to long, drawn out fights. Especially in warmer water. The fight takes so much out of them that they can and do die. The heavy rod, reel and line is designed to cast and retrieve huge baits properly, but just as importantly shortens the battle. Having proper muskie gear also gives you a fighting chance to land that fish of a lifetime when she decides to chomp your bait. The huge nets are are for the same reason - to keep the fish in the water for the unhooking process. They are a low population density predator - and treating them with care is important for the future of the fishery. The Kawarthas are an exception to most muskie fisheries in that there is a pretty healthy population in there, but still - treat them with care and they will grow up to be giants. Cutting the hooks is yet another way to expedite the release process - and not tear the fishes jaws up. At a bare minimum - I would say these are the essentials : long pliers (11"+), hook/bolt cutters (look up Knipex, expensive but there is no better) and a large net. Large means large - not bass fishing large! Keep that fish in the net for the unhooking, and if the fish looks stressed at all keep it in the water until it has regained it's strength before any photos. As for lures in the Kawarthas - that you can cast on your current setup - try these lures before going nuts and spending a fortune... a Mepps #5 inline spinner tipped with a 3 or 4" twister tail, a Rapala Super Shad Rap in perch (although this lure would push the limits of your setup) and a Rapala J-13 in your favourite colour. Also have a Northland Reed Runner spinnerbait in some sort of bright colour. You don't always have to catch giant baits to catch big fish! Let us know how it goes! Pete

I did Mike - even used the alarms/pager one night as we slept in the cottage - ran down the hill more than a few times that night!

A Kawarthas 40 with that build is 15-16, so your estimate is in the ballpark. I used to weigh a few back when I started muskie fishing. Very nice fish - I'm sure it was quite the battle on that gear! My first good muskie (45", 23 lbs) was caught on a 7' Ugly Stik lite with a 2500 Stradic while walleye fishing too...

We gotta do that again soon Mike - my brother is up there this weekend and said there are tons around.

Thanks all. Might sneak out somewhere tomorrow morning to try get another!

Thanks guys, it was a short cat season for me this year but fun as always!

Wow that's a ton of chrome Mike and Pete - well done!

Always love the gar reports Bunk - been on my bucket list for a while now. Great photography as always! Love the boat pimp too - I pretty much did the same with my 16' Legend Prosport. Having floors was the key, mine had a livewell and lights as a bonus. I'm still tweaking it after 5 years! Might just have to do up a report too to show what I have done to make the "Muskie Whisperer" into my fishing machine. Pete

Excellent fish! Well done. Love the dark green.

The May long weekend means two things... opening up the family cottage, and catching piles of carp! The water was a bit cool on the Friday, but heated up steadily over the weekend with the hot weather and so did the fishing. The carp count - Friday 3, Saturday 11, Sunday 27 and Monday 15 in half day. I'm sure the steady chumming I did contributed to the increasing numbers too... Biggest was around 22 pounds, and the first two were back-to-back mirrors! I'm not sure who has more fun... the kids catching giants or me helping them to do so! (ok, it's me ) 16.25lb mirror make that back-to-back mirrors! double trouble! big one for my brother Will's 9 year old son Callum (don't you dare trying help him bring them in on his turn!) Where's his teeth daddy? My brother Paul's dog Winston will stand in the water in this pose until you throw something... anything... for him to chase! All day long Will with one Sophia's turn! Gotta kiss'em! Hey! I took a turn lol Teaching catch and release... She gone! 22 singin my Baby's on the Level... (c'mon... the White Stripes...) Andrew, Mike C and his bro Pete came up the following weekend and got into a few on their centerpins - now THAT is a battle!

Sheldon - sorry for posting this so late - and thanks again for your generous donation to the FFT event. It was a blast and an honour fishing with Mike and yourself and while the action wasn't fast and furious, we got into a few nice ones. Cheers bud! There is no better way to bring the boat out of hibernation than chasing big channel cats in Dunnville. But before you can do that, you need bait... cutbait to be exact... and that's where my little man Tyler comes in. The sucka slaya, that's what they call him in the playground. He pulled one in that tipped the scales over 5 pounds - not bad for a 5 year old! A productive afternoon was also had fishing with Sebastian (moxie) and son... where a shopping cart was laden with sucktastic bounty and wheeled outta Oshawa creek in front of some wide-eyed onlookers... (Seb if you have the pic please add) On to the kitties... no crazy numbers days (think best was 20), but steady action and lots of quality fish in the 15+ pound range. I managed a 20.5 as the best out of my boat this season. Here's the pics. Sheldon & Mike on FFT trip My bro Paul and Dave Roach Demon Dave on the prowl hahahaha Best pic of the season, amazing colours GIANT 20.5 pounder

After a very very very long wait, it was finally slime time... opening weekend... and there on the Saturday, I sat in class. Whaaaat? Yes class for my apprenticeship program. Sigh. For the long-term good I suppose. After a few setbacks on Sunday morning, the boys already out and into a bunch of fish, I decided to head out solo for the afternoon. Didn't see a single fish until some nasty weather approached... and as the old saying goes, muskies will eat before a storm! This fish inhaled an entire magnum bulldawg - do you think she was hungry? Getting good solo pics is not the easiest but these turned out pretty darn good. 47" is actually my best opening day fish ever. Gallie - thanks for the tip - this might have just been the fish you guys saw! Cheers Pete

Sad news, rest in peace Steve.

I'll have some pics to add after this weekend ?

Just bought a pair of Shimano Baitrunner 4000 OC 's when SAIL had their 15% sale on. They are incredible. Think it worked out to be $163 each all in. I spooled them with 150 yards of 40lb braid - plenty of line capacity.

Pfffffftttttt stop cheaping out Mike and drop the $2500 for a self-deploying Ulterra Oh yeah they break often also Nevermind lol