Dontcryformejanhrdina

I was looking forward to this week so much, I had planned to go out fishing Monday in Elephant Lake for musky and pike, then Wednesday I was going to go on a musky charter in Moira Lake with Stacy Ash from Protackle here in Belleville, then Friday after work I was going on a fishing weekend on the Trent River in Trent Hills. I was excited and confident I would get my first musky after trying all summer with no luck. Or at the very least a new personal best pike. Well my father had a stroke recently and was in pretty rough shape. Last weekend though he was walking around, starting to eat solid foods again, it looked like he would make a recovery. But when I visited him in the hospital on Monday his health had taken a turn for the worse. He passed away Monday night. Well needless to say this week has been the toughest week of my life. It seemed to drag on forever and I had no quiet time to be alone with all the family around and things to do. I cancelled all of my plans to go fishing of course, just had no desire to anymore. The funeral was on Thursday, and seeing all of my extended family helped cheer things up a lot. But on Friday I decided I needed an outlet of some sort and quiet time to think. I was going to just spend the weekend with my family but the noise got to be too much with all the kids around. I love my nieces and nephews but I'm not used to having kids around 24/7. They are exhausting! So I decided to go on the fishing trip, try to enjoy myself after this week. Well I met a buddy of mine from work and we headed to the cottages after picking up his boat Friday afternoon. The weather was gorgeous this weekend! After launching the boat, unpacking our stuff and saying hi to everybody we took the boat out for a bit of a fish. Went to the first spot very close to the docks, stopped in a weedbed near shore. My friend was casting towards shore and caught a nice bass in the 1-2lb range after only a few minutes. I started casting an orange bucktail towards open water, retrieving back to the weed bed we were sitting in. Couldn't have been more than 10 casts in when I get a big hit, right away I knew it was a nice fish, fought pretty hard and was staying down so I couldn't see it until I got it close to the boat. My buddy starts to grab the net but my other rod had a lure caught in it. So he grabs this tiny little net no deeper than 12". I'm fighting the fish at boat side and tell him "just unhook the lure it should come right out, they don't stick in that net." so after about 30 seconds more than it should have been (but seemed like a lifetime) we get the fish in the net. My first musky! I was shaking I was so excited! Since we were so close to the docks my buddy starts trolling slowly towards the docks while I'm unhooking the fish in the net (still in the water). I manage to get a picture of it with my cell while some of the guys come down to see it. I forgot my tape measure on my scale broke so I couldn't measure it and I just wanted to get it back into the water quick seeing as how hot it was. I was a little worried at first because she wasn't moving much but after about 4-5 minutes of gently rocking her side to side she started to kick her tail and off she swam. What a sight! I'll never forget that moment. Even though I never got another musky all weekend (I did get 1 more hit from a musky and 3 pike follows, including 1 pike that kept turning on a figure 8) I was certainly glad I went. Thanks again to all the people here who gave me friendly advice on how to land that first musky. Here She is: First Musky

This gives me hope. Congratulations, the rush of getting that first one is incredible.

Exactly. It has to be one of the worst companies, just ahead of underground sex trafficking and right behind black market organ sales. They pay their employees low wages (or $2 more an hour if you're friends with whoever hires you), they treat their employees like crap, it's a joke. When Belleville's store went to a supercenter, they payed for renovations by cutting into their employee's profit sharing cheques (going from around $1500 a year before, to $400) and would do so for the next 10 years, but they didn't cut into the profit sharing cheques of the managers, who get a bonus of tens of thousands of dollars. I can't believe I wasted a year of my life working there while I was going to college.

Years ago my aunt worked at a restaurant and one time she walked into the bathroom and saw a woman who had just changed her baby, holding a diaper full of crap about to spread it on the bathroom wall. My aunt just said to her "Go ahead and do it, but you're cleaning it up!" She preceeded to walk over to the garbage can and throw it in before leaving. Timmy's cups are really annoying though because you see them everywhere.

I was in Stoco for a couple hours on Sat, the water is very murky there right now. I ran into Stacy Ash from protackle when I was leaving (he was actually waiting for Theo Fleury to meet him there to take him on a musky charter), he said bright colours (orange/green) would work well. Something highly visable in the stained water. He also said it's a good time of year for bucktails. I like using them because you can burn them over top of the weeds without getting hung up all the time. Of course, I have yet to catch a musky so I'm not the best person to give advice, but at least the pike seem to like them. What Irishfield said about dark water=dark colours and vice versa makes perfect sense. Think about the colour of the fish you catch in different waters. When I catch fish in murkier waters, they're always darker. In bright crystal clear water they're very light. It's always good trying to duplicate what they're naturally feeding on in that particular body of water while fishing for any predatory fish.

Well, skunked again. I was on Stoco before 5:30, tried working some weedlines around an island, tried a little deeper water around rocks, the mouth of the Moira river, etc.. I didn't get a hit or see a fish. Then the fog hit, it got so thick I couldn't see 20 feet in front of my boat, so I came back in at 8am (could only have stayed until 9 anyway). Hard to fish a brand new lake when you can't see a thing at all lol.

I can't thank everyone enough for all the helpful advice and tips. I know most fishermen like to keep their secrets to themselves but everyone here has been very generous with their knowledge. You're a great bunch of guys. Thanks again. I'll try my best to put all the advice to good use and I'll let you know when it pays off for me.

Yeah, I'm not really complaining about the price (especially since it's his boat, his equipment, he takes you out for lunch), it's just I've spent a lot of money on just fishing related stuff this year, I'm not sure if I should be spending more. I'm trying to save money too afterall. I'm setting money aside for it though and it's not like it will break the bank. It's just a slippery slope lol. For those of you who troll, what lures do you find most effective? I usually troll from 1 spot to the next with bucktails since they don't get hung up on the weeds as much. I've never had a hit while trolling, it's not really my favourite kind of fishing. Would my 9.9 be quiet enough for musky trolling? I've heard they can be spooked easily, but I've also heard you can catch them right in the prop wash, so I'm not sure what to believe. One thing I like to do (when the wind cooperates) is just drift down large weedbeds. It allows me to cover water while at the same time fishing the spots thoroughly, but still no luck. I'm definetely going to try Stoco this fall, I've heard good things about that lake. I might make that the lake I go to if I book a charter. Thanks again guys for all the advice. It's really, really helpful and encouraging.

I have talked to him a few times, he helped me out with lure selection, gave me some advice. I'm thinking of booking a musky charter with him if I haven't caught one by october but it's $300 per day, that's quite a bit if I still don't catch a single musky. Thanks for all the advice guys. I really appreciate it. I'm going to keep at it for sure, I guess I'm just not very patient. It's hard enough finding people to fish with me for 10+ hours in a day like I want to, but I don't know anybody who fishes musky, except the guys at protackle but I don't really "know" them, either.

Hi everyone, I'm looking for some advice if possible. I grew up with bass fishing but after buying a boat this year I got into pickerel and more recently pike and musky fishing. Well I've caught some pickerel after over 10 years without catching one, plus I've caught my first pike ever in late June, which remains my biggest yet (30" out of the Trent River). I've also caught my PB bass this year, so this has been by far my best fishing year. Plus, the first weekend of trying for musky I hooked into one that jumped right in front of me and shook the hook. It wasn't huge but if I had to guess I'd say 36", by far my biggest fish had I landed it. Well, I was confident I'd be getting some musky after that close call but....nothing since. I haven't even seen any follows from musky, let alone hits. Since getting at least 1 this year has become almost an obsession of mine, it's been frustrating. I live in Belleville but I've fished the Trent River in Cambellford most often because that's where my fishing buddy goes and that's the water I'm most comfortable with. I've tried Baptiste up north a few times, always getting skunked (not even getting a pike there) and recently Elephant lake a few times, getting skunked the first day but getting some pike the last couple of times. I'm going to try Moira Lake for a few hours Saturday morning before work, hoping a new lake will bring me some better luck. I can't understand why I'm not even getting follows though. I often use bucktails, hellhound, plugs, topraider, sledges, soft plastics. I try to vary the speed, casting angles. I focus on deeper weed beds, around islands or sunken rocks, mouths/shoulders of bays, rock ledges, etc... basically structure I can see because I don't have a fish finder and after all I've spent this year on gear, it's not in my budget lol. I figure 8 after every cast, I just don't get it. I knew it would be tough and take time, but I'm quickly losing confidence. Can somebody please give me some tips I might be overlooking? I've never fishing for musky before this year and I don't even know anybody who does, so I'm very green and any help would be appreciated. Also, does anyone know which bodies of water have good numbers around Belleville? I'm not looking for trophy fish yet, I'm just trying to get a few under my belt and get a hang of it. Keep in mind I only have a 14' aluminum with a 9.9 so weedy areas are no problem, but I can't be running accross big lakes all day long. Any info would be great. I'm not looking for secrets but like I said, I am VERY new to this kind of fishing and obviously with the lack of follows I'm not approaching it correctly. Thanks.

I agree 100%. To take it a step further, I hate when some amateur athletes in Canada complain about lack of funding from the government, and I've seen stories about these poor, poor athletes who actually have to work real jobs in order to pay to go skiiing or whatever. Oh no! Heaven forbid adults have to support their own hobbies. I don't ask anyone to buy me new fishing gear to support my dreams. Kids are one thing, adults are even worse. Also, I'm not going to feel sorry for any kids who can't afford to play hockey. There are bigger tragedies in life. Charity is good. Spoiling people with something they absolutely don't NEED is something different.

3 pounds isn't a huge bass, don't feel bad about keeping it at all. I've had a guy say "What are you doing, cleaning bait?" when I was cleaning 14-15" bass in a fish hut. Some people just need to mind their own business. What did make me angry was when I saw a bunch of bass (a couple at least 4lbs) with their heads chopped off laying in a boat launch at Baptiste lake last year. Why the hell would somebody kill bass then just throw the bodies in the water?

Thanks everybody for your help. My last few planned fishing days have been sidetracked so hopefully I can just enjoy an entire day on the water.

Pick a lake lol. Seriously, there's pretty good bass fishing in almost any lake of decent size in that area, can't really go wrong. As for the York river, I've never seen anybody fishing it or even heard of anybody fishing there. It's supposed to be pretty polluted, I've known kids who got sick from swimming in it.

Hi everyone, I'm heading up north and am planning on fishing Baptiste Lake on Monday. I've fished this lake for bass several times in the past but I'm trying to get into musky fishing now. How's the musky fishing in Baptiste, are there good numbers? Or would I be better off targetting pike? I also hear Elephant Lake is good but I've never been that way and don't want to spend time looking for a public boat launch when I could be fishing. Thanks in advance and enjoy the weekend!

I don't have photobucket or any pics online and they were just taken quickly with a cell phone but I could send ya an email if you really wanna see. Also, Apparently I'm not supposed to say I've caught a nice fish out of a specific lake on this board, either. I never gave a specific location in a fairly decent sized lake. Besides, to clear things up it's not like I'm reeling in lunkers on every cast. I grew up right near Paudash, had to have fished there over 1000 times over the years and I never caught a bass bigger than 5lbs until this year, and even this year I've been skunked. The reason I caught some nice fish is because I've put a LOT of time in there. But I'd be lying if I said it was a waste of time fishing on that lake, it's a pretty good lake. as are MANY other lakes in that area. It's not like Paudash lake is some untouched secret and I just blew it for everybody who ever fishes there. There's tons of cottages on it now and it's pretty well known.

It's a really good bass lake, lots of largemouth in there but you want to get into shallow bays away from the cottages to catch them. I caught a bass over 7.5lbs out of there this year, plus about 8-10 more 4+ lbs, the 2nd largest being just under 6lbs, all thrown back. There is pickerel and lake trout in there but I've never fished for them in Paudash so I couldn't tell you where to go for them. I've fished from shore there literally hundreds of times over the years but never caught as many big bass as I caught there this year. Usually it's good action, but most under 15" with the occasional nice one thrown in. Worms work great for the bass there but you also get a ton of rock bass if using live bait. When the fishing is hot there, it's almost non-stop action, bass after bass after bass. I've also had luck with a husky jerk or spinnerbaits on days when the fish are more active. One thing I've noticed is that every single perch I've caught out of Paudash in the past 10 years or so are all wormy, regardless of the time of year and it's always just the perch, I don't get it.

I used to be strictly a spinning reel guy, didn't want the hassle of learning how to use a baitcaster. I liked using a spinning reel, it's what I grew up on. But last month I gave in and bought my first baitcaster for musky/pike (abu garcia revo toro winch) and I love it. I'll probably buy a baitcaster for bass fishing in the future but I've already got 2 good spinning reels for that right now so I'm not in a rush. I wanted to get into musky so I kind of had to give in and give a baitcaster a chance and I'm glad I did. I shouldn't have been so closed minded lol. It takes a bit to get used to casting one but it's much more fluid motion. I do like spinning reels for jigging though, just feels comfortable to me. Just make sure you feel comfortable with whatever you go with, try it out first if you're able to.

I hate trilene, like mentioned already it has terrible memory. I only use braid for bass fishing, 50lb power pro usually. It's strong as hell for pulling fish through the weeds or if you get snagged, plus I find it very sensitive too. If you tie it right it's almost impossible to break. I've snapped brand new hooks in half many times without my line breaking. I wish I could explain how to tie a good knot for braid but it's hard when you can't show how, I'm not even sure the name of the knot I use.

I've had days (not often) where I literally caught 20 bass in 1 hour, but only 3-4 of them were bigger than 14" and nothing larger than 3lbs. Then earlier this year I went fishing and only caught 1 fish which was my biggest bass ever, a 7.5lb+ largemouth. 3 Pickerel in the morning/evening is good for me, too. I only fished for bass growing up since I never had a boat and I lived close to lakes that only had bass. This year I finally bought a boat and I'm getting into musky and pike fishing in the last few weeks. I still haven't landed a musky but I hooked into one a couple weeks back and jumped out of the water right in front of me and got off. I was pretty heartbroken lol but I later caught my first 3 pike that day, biggest was 30" so that helped out a bit and turned out to be a pretty good morning. Unfortunately I had to leave the cottage we rented that afternoon. A normal day bass fishing would be about 3-6, if it's literally all day than 10 or more, but anything over 4lbs is a treat since it usually doesn't happen. I better get used to being skunked though, since I'm planning on casting for just musky until I get one (maybe I'll still try for some pickerel) and I'm still learning. This year has been my best year of fishing by far, and it's not even over.