the-instructor Posted June 12, 2010 Report Posted June 12, 2010 Ok so here is my story... I been fishing since I was a kid like most but only recently (I am 27 now) I started taking fishing alot more seriously. I just purchased my first bait caster and equipped myself with what I believe to be some good muskie lures based on the hours and hours of reading I have done. Btw, I bought a 7' shimano compre with a shimano citica 200E equipped with 20lbs power pro braided line and a 75lbs 12" titanium leader. I was using a large Jitter bug (frog colors) with the jointed ass end. I was fishing on Big Cedar lake which is right near stoney lake. Fist time heading out to target muskie. Hit the water at 7:30ish and decided to hit one of the bays which I thought could be holding a fish. Keep in mind I have no fish finder. Conditions where nice, sun from the west but was being shaded by a talltree line, winds was blowing soft bu't from the south so I was pretty sheltered. Water was warm, prolly 70's? not to sure. Prtty glassy aswell. 30-40 casts and bingo! Huge fish flying out of the water, my heart was racing like never before. He had completely comped on this bait I gave a good firm hook set and the fight was on. About 35-40 min later and 3 flipping jumps out of the water I finally was able to grab him/her. Was a successful release ( i was trying to be VERY careful ) took a bit to revive. I was all alone so this was the best I could do for a pic, and he ripped a hole in my old crappy net LOL. I will never forget this fight and I plan to target these huge fish more often from now on.
Joey Posted June 12, 2010 Report Posted June 12, 2010 (edited) Well your reading paid off, very nice fish man!! Now you need a proper net, stronger line (so the fight is not so long - better for the fish) and a few more musky safe release items and you're good to go. Joey Edited June 12, 2010 by Joey
fishinfool Posted June 12, 2010 Report Posted June 12, 2010 Ok so here is my story... I been fishing since I was a kid like most but only recently (I am 27 now) I started taking fishing alot more seriously. I just purchased my first bait caster and equipped myself with what I believe to be some good muskie lures based on the hours and hours of reading I have done. Btw, I bought a 7' shimano compre with a shimano citica 200E equipped with 20lbs power pro braided line and a 75lbs 12" titanium leader. I was using a large Jitter bug (frog colors) with the jointed ass end. I was fishing on Big Cedar lake which is right near stoney lake. Fist time heading out to target muskie. Hit the water at 7:30ish and decided to hit one of the bays which I thought could be holding a fish. Keep in mind I have no fish finder. Conditions where nice, sun from the west but was being shaded by a talltree line, winds was blowing soft bu't from the south so I was pretty sheltered. Water was warm, prolly 70's? not to sure. Prtty glassy aswell. 30-40 casts and bingo! Huge fish flying out of the water, my heart was racing like never before. He had completely comped on this bait I gave a good firm hook set and the fight was on. About 35-40 min later and 3 flipping jumps out of the water I finally was able to grab him/her. Was a successful release ( i was trying to be VERY careful ) took a bit to revive. I was all alone so this was the best I could do for a pic, and he ripped a hole in my old crappy net LOL. I will never forget this fight and I plan to target these huge fish more often from now on. Very nice fish!! Congratulations. How wide is your boat, just to get an idea of length?
the-instructor Posted June 12, 2010 Author Report Posted June 12, 2010 Very nice fish!! Congratulations. How wide is your boat, just to get an idea of length? I believe its just a normal size tin boat with a 4.5 on the back lol. its like really old but works so I can't complain and it was free i am going to guess and say its like 4 feet wide? maybe 3.5 feet?
the-instructor Posted June 12, 2010 Author Report Posted June 12, 2010 Well your reading paid off, very nice fish man!! Now you need a proper net, stronger line (so the fight is not so long - better for the fish) and a few more musky safe release items and you're good to go. Joey yeah i absolutely plan to go out and buy a nice big net some jaw spreaders and some long pliers. heavier line i most definitely going to be put on. although I feel the fight was soo long due to lack of a proper sized net and me being really nervous and excited. this fish had soooo much power it was insane. i dunno if you would want to pick up a huge musky that still had power in him i watch fishing shows often and alot of the guys will handle fish way longer then i think they should but i never see then kill a fish. so i dunno. also he was only out of the water for like 30 seconds before being released.
TroutnMuskieHunter Posted June 12, 2010 Report Posted June 12, 2010 (edited) Wow....that poor Muskie almost looks dead and VERY stressed out .... "About 35-40 min later and 3 flipping jumps out of the water I finally was able to grab him/her"....why did it take so long for you to reel this fish in if you were targetting Muskie to begin with????...I'm very surprised to hear that you were able to revive that fish and even if you did, the chances of that fish surviving is very LOW!!! Get yourself some heavier line so you can keep your drag set tight without a line break-off, a GOOD Muskie net, some bolt cutters and most importantly: If you plan on targeting Muskie then I suggest you do a lot more reading and research...I would also suggest joining a Muskie Club such as Muskies Canada so you can educate yourself a bit more.. http://www.muskiescanada.ca/ Edited June 12, 2010 by TroutnMuskieHunter
BillsTheBassMan Posted June 12, 2010 Report Posted June 12, 2010 First Off, Nice Fish! Second Off, even after what appears to be a successful release, you often have to circle back around the area a few times to make sure the fish isn't on the surface, barely living. Then, you'll need to spend more time reviving the fish (provided you have a net to grab it again). It sounds to me, that despite the fact you were Musky Hunting, that you didn't really plan on catching one. Make sure you're better equipped in the future (and it sounds like you plan on that). Use 80 lb test. Just remember, they're big, they're rare, and they're very fragile.
the-instructor Posted June 12, 2010 Author Report Posted June 12, 2010 Wow....that poor Muskie almost looks dead and VERY stressed out .... "About 35-40 min later and 3 flipping jumps out of the water I finally was able to grab him/her"....why did it take so long for you to reel this fish in if you were targetting Muskie to begin with????...I'm very surprised to hear that you were able to revive that fish and even if you did, the chances of that fish surviving is very LOW!!! Get yourself some heavier line so you can keep your drag set tight without a line break-off, a GOOD Muskie net, some bolt cutters and most importantly: If you plan on targeting Muskie then I suggest you do a lot more reading and research...I would also suggest joining a Muskie Club such as Muskies Canada so you can educate yourself a bit more.. http://www.muskiescanada.ca/ i sure the fish was stressed as any fish being caught would be, second being a smart ass on a community forum is nothing more then a self promoting ego boost. clearly it would of been nice to catch and release the fish alot quicker, but through nerves and a tough fight it took a while. The fish swam off and seemed fine.
the-instructor Posted June 12, 2010 Author Report Posted June 12, 2010 First Off, Nice Fish! Second Off, even after what appears to be a successful release, you often have to circle back around the area a few times to make sure the fish isn't on the surface, barely living. Then, you'll need to spend more time reviving the fish (provided you have a net to grab it again). It sounds to me, that despite the fact you were Musky Hunting, that you didn't really plan on catching one. Make sure you're better equipped in the future (and it sounds like you plan on that). Use 80 lb test. Just remember, they're big, they're rare, and they're very fragile. i spent the next hour in the same area to ensure the fish wasn't floating back to the surface.
Raf Posted June 12, 2010 Report Posted June 12, 2010 congrats on your 1st. don't waste your time on jaw spreaders they are pretty much a useless piece of equipment when dealing with large fish. get some quality cutters. read the link in my signature if you want to know more about muskie c&r. there's a link under articles->muskies that you might find an interesting read too (starting muskie).
TroutnMuskieHunter Posted June 12, 2010 Report Posted June 12, 2010 i sure the fish was stressed as any fish being caught would be, second being a smart ass on a community forum is nothing more then a self promoting ego boost. clearly it would of been nice to catch and release the fish alot quicker, but through nerves and a tough fight it took a while. The fish swam off and seemed fine. There's nothing "smart ass" about my reply lad. ......I was giving you some constructive feedback based on your post and based on my experiences as being a fairly knowledgable Muskie angler...
Weeds Posted June 12, 2010 Report Posted June 12, 2010 (edited) I'd respectfully disagree with Raf, who no doubt catches way more Musky than me. Jaw spreaders are a worthwhile investment, probably the cheapest bit of Musky gear you're likely to purchase. They make releasing the smallish guys easier and hook cutters are really no substitiute. Although I've never caught a big Musky so he may well have a point there. Congrats on your first Musky; feels awesome eh? It's a learning curve, try and take the criticisms positively. Oh yeah, and tape the jaw spreaders so they ain't all pointy. Edited June 12, 2010 by Weeds
Guest Johnny Bass Posted June 12, 2010 Report Posted June 12, 2010 WOW! What a way to break the cherry! My first musky was about 1/2 a pound.lol I'm thinking it may have felt like 40 minutes, but I doubt it took you that long to bring it in, and it sounds like it swam away nicely. Sounds like you have done your research and the musky guys are just trying to give you a heads up in the right direction. Anyways congrats on your first musky, she's a beauty and thanks for sharing!
fishindude Posted June 12, 2010 Report Posted June 12, 2010 Wow! First musky, on a topwater too! That's awesome, congrats man. Welcome to OFC
fishinfool Posted June 12, 2010 Report Posted June 12, 2010 WOW! What a way to break the cherry! My first musky was about 1/2 a pound.lol I'm thinking it may have felt like 40 minutes, but I doubt it took you that long to bring it in, and it sounds like it swam away nicely. Sounds like you have done your research and the musky guys are just trying to give you a heads up in the right direction. Anyways congrats on your first musky, she's a beauty and thanks for sharing! Well said Johnny Bass.
fishinfool Posted June 12, 2010 Report Posted June 12, 2010 (edited) Wow....that poor Muskie almost looks dead and VERY stressed out .... "About 35-40 min later and 3 flipping jumps out of the water I finally was able to grab him/her"....why did it take so long for you to reel this fish in if you were targetting Muskie to begin with????...I'm very surprised to hear that you were able to revive that fish and even if you did, the chances of that fish surviving is very LOW!!! Get yourself some heavier line so you can keep your drag set tight without a line break-off, a GOOD Muskie net, some bolt cutters and most importantly: If you plan on targeting Muskie then I suggest you do a lot more reading and research...I would also suggest joining a Muskie Club such as Muskies Canada so you can educate yourself a bit more.. http://www.muskiescanada.ca/ I guess the first few you caught were perfect catch and release specimens too eh Troutnmuskiehunter? Not once in your post did you congratulate your fellow fisherman for catching such a nice fish. I for one came on this site to learn and share my experience with others, not just blow people out of the water with your so called awesome experience. "sandwich a negative comment between two positive comments" and you will go a lot further here. Stan Edited June 13, 2010 by fishinfool
fishinfool Posted June 12, 2010 Report Posted June 12, 2010 Ok so here is my story... I been fishing since I was a kid like most but only recently (I am 27 now) I started taking fishing alot more seriously. I just purchased my first bait caster and equipped myself with what I believe to be some good muskie lures based on the hours and hours of reading I have done. Btw, I bought a 7' shimano compre with a shimano citica 200E equipped with 20lbs power pro braided line and a 75lbs 12" titanium leader. I was using a large Jitter bug (frog colors) with the jointed ass end. I was fishing on Big Cedar lake which is right near stoney lake. Fist time heading out to target muskie. Hit the water at 7:30ish and decided to hit one of the bays which I thought could be holding a fish. Keep in mind I have no fish finder. Conditions where nice, sun from the west but was being shaded by a talltree line, winds was blowing soft bu't from the south so I was pretty sheltered. Water was warm, prolly 70's? not to sure. Prtty glassy aswell. 30-40 casts and bingo! Huge fish flying out of the water, my heart was racing like never before. He had completely comped on this bait I gave a good firm hook set and the fight was on. About 35-40 min later and 3 flipping jumps out of the water I finally was able to grab him/her. Was a successful release ( i was trying to be VERY careful ) took a bit to revive. I was all alone so this was the best I could do for a pic, and he ripped a hole in my old crappy net LOL. I will never forget this fight and I plan to target these huge fish more often from now on. Awesome fish the-instructor!! Try not to judge this site by the negative comments you recieve because there is always someone who will crap on your glory. Again, well done and go out and get another one. Stan
Pigeontroller Posted June 12, 2010 Report Posted June 12, 2010 (edited) Some good advise given! It takes some experience to successfully and quickly land and release a Muskie, especially a large one. I'd say you've got the right attitude! Nice fish and welcome to a very expensive(and rewarding)(and frustrating) hobby! If you're near Peterborough I highly recomend checking out a Kawartha Lakes Chapter(Muskies Canada) meeting, its a great way to meet other Muskie nuts and learn more about catching(and safely releasing) these amazing fish! http://www.muskiescanada.ca/chapters/kawartha_lakes.php Edited June 12, 2010 by Pigeontroller
Ron Posted June 12, 2010 Report Posted June 12, 2010 Well done Instructor! No criticism here on this end. I find it ironic that the critics here give advice but none of them offer the best piece of advice. That advice would be to go out with anonther muskie nut. So here is my offer for advice.... If you ever want to go out muskie fishing and learn a few different techniques and hopefully some C&R methods, send me a PM and we will try to set something up. I won't be able to get you out until some time in mid July though. Cheers, Ron...
TroutnMuskieHunter Posted June 12, 2010 Report Posted June 12, 2010 I guess the first few you caught were perfect catch and release specimens too eh Troutnmuskiehunter? Not once in your post did you congratulate your fellow fisherman for catching such a nice fish. I for one came on this site to learn and share my experience with others, not just blow people out of the water with your so called awesome experience. "sandwich a criticical comment between two positive comments" and you will go a lot further here. Stan My bad Stan!!! ...congrats to "the-instructor" for netting your first Muskie
wankerjohn123 Posted June 12, 2010 Report Posted June 12, 2010 Nice fish! And you did all alone to boot.
wankerjohn123 Posted June 12, 2010 Report Posted June 12, 2010 I think everyone's first big catch looks tired... My wife looks tired.
wankerjohn123 Posted June 12, 2010 Report Posted June 12, 2010 (edited) . Edited June 13, 2010 by Broken Bobber
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