bigcreekdad Posted September 7, 2007 Report Posted September 7, 2007 This is my personal best muskie to date....50", and estimated at 40lbs by guide and lodge owner. Fish hit in a high odds spot....back end of a small bay with strong NE winds blowing onto a beach. Fish hit 10' off the beach on an orange on black bucktail, with an orange rabbit/marabou trailer. I about died when I set the hook and the fish came to the surface. This is the same fish with my guide, Trevor, holding it. He wanted the photo as it was his best guided muskie so far this season. Spent one day fishing for smallmouth in a hike-in lake where the lodge keeps a couple boats. Used nothing but a flyrod and small poppers. Easily the best smallie day I've ever had. No idea how many fish, but I guessed at 10 an hour for 6 1/2 hours....so, a lot! Ove half we over 14", with the best at 18.5". The fish pictured is an 18 incher....I didn't photo the bigger one as it ws my second fish caught andI though I might do better....prtty cocky eh? Trip was a spur of the moment deal. My son is an avid muskie fisherman, and has been in Iraq with 10th Mountain Division for a little over a year. He's due home by Thanksgiving. While he and I haved fished the French River since he was 10, I thought I'd look for a new muskie spot for him and I for next summer. Started scouting the net, and came across Crow Rock Lodge out of Kenora. My wife OK'd a 5 day fishing trip ( what a wife!) and I called up there and made a resevation in mid August o fish ove Labor Day weekend. Instead of driving 18 hour by myself, I flew to International Falls, and rented a car for the 2 1/2 hourdrve to Kenora, where I was picked up for the 35 minute boat ride to the lodge. Crow Rock has been run by the same family for almost 50 years, and is a great place. Cabins and main lodge are clean and very well maintained. In addition, food is great, guides are quite good, and boats are 16.5' Crestliners with 50hp Yamaha 4 strokes. As you can exect, Lake of the Woods is huge, and has over 15000 islands. For this reason, and since I was alone, I chose to take aguide 4 of the 5 days ( the oter day I was in the smallmouth lake). I'm glad I did, but I feel I know my way enuf around now that I will take my own boat next time. Although I caught my PB muskie, and had the awesome smallie day on the fly rod, the trip was typical in that 2 of the 5 days I could only account for 2 pike in total, but that's typical fishing in Canada from my experience. Besides the big lunge, I lost at least 2 others ( thatI could see....fortunately they were not big guys), and had several other follows and surface strikes from lunge. In addition, I landed 8 or so nice pike up to 38". Overall....damn good trip! Off to the FrenchRiver for my final trip of the season on the 16th.....this retirement gig is going tokill me!
Toronto_Angler Posted September 7, 2007 Report Posted September 7, 2007 Congrats on the PB! Great Muskie and report.
fatherof3 Posted September 7, 2007 Report Posted September 7, 2007 congrats on the pb and sounds like a good trip
Mike the Pike Posted September 8, 2007 Report Posted September 8, 2007 Yup i want to go there beauty muskie eh MTP
Rich Clemens Posted September 8, 2007 Report Posted September 8, 2007 Congrats BCD .... Do I smell a 51" from Cranes Lodge coming up ???????
mcallister.grant Posted September 8, 2007 Report Posted September 8, 2007 Nice Ski!!! It's a monster!!!
mattyk Posted September 8, 2007 Report Posted September 8, 2007 very nice PB, thanks for sharing it with us!
scuro Posted September 8, 2007 Report Posted September 8, 2007 Awesome muskie. Tell a little more about the battle.
lunkerbasshunter Posted September 8, 2007 Report Posted September 8, 2007 great report and one monster muskie! cheers!
Golfisher Posted September 8, 2007 Report Posted September 8, 2007 Awesome fish! Congrats on your PB!
dustink Posted September 8, 2007 Report Posted September 8, 2007 Wow...smallies on a popper would be blast!! Congrats on the PB! dk
bigcreekdad Posted September 8, 2007 Author Report Posted September 8, 2007 Battle was short and sweet. Since we were in shallow water it couldn't go deep, and after running under boat and one short run we netted it. Fish really hadn't begun to fight. Fine with me as the hook fell out in the net, and also helpedwith a pretty stress free release for the fish.
fishindevil Posted September 8, 2007 Report Posted September 8, 2007 Awesome fishing trip !!!!!! congrats on your PB muskie,very big fish.. ..nice pics as well,thanks for sharing...cheers
huntervasili Posted September 9, 2007 Report Posted September 9, 2007 Awesome report man, and WTG on that muskie... Looks like ya had a great time and thanks for sharing your trip with us
brickNblock Posted September 9, 2007 Report Posted September 9, 2007 Very nice PB indeed BCD. I, as all others, hope your son's responsibilitys and duties are over shortly and you be sure to get him one of those big muskies. Thanks for sharring that.
Guest Johnny Bass Posted September 9, 2007 Report Posted September 9, 2007 Man a fish like that must really get the heart pumping and the adrenalin going. Nice job!!!
Clampet Posted September 9, 2007 Report Posted September 9, 2007 10 Feet from shore, eh? I bet you weren't expecting that. Thanks fer sharin' LOTW experience.
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