Musky report

[Rizzo]

Have had a good season for numbers of muskies in the boat this year, but not many with decent size. We were real excited to get out Saturday after a few days of stable weather and a beauty full moon. The day started out like the rest of my season - small fish and missed opportunities (when will I learn to figure 8 every time!!!) My partner had a 35 inch or so fish hit a grandma that couldn't stay submerged. We were trolling in approx 20 feet of water at "summer speed" - for me that's close to 10 miles per hour - to see if we could still trigger some fish with speed. Not many baits can run true while the boat is on plane! At one point we had dang jetskiers trying to jump our wake while trolling. Anyway, his Grandma was having some difficulty staying down, every once in a while was rolling up to the surface, skipping a couple of times and then going for a quick dive before resurfacing. He was frustrated and wanted me to slow down (we had previously trolled at a more moderate speed without success). I told him just a couple of minutes more, but not to worry since I had caught a fish the last time out when I had a supershadrap on that couldn't take the speed. While I'm telling him this, a musky comes flying through the air chomping down on Grandma during one of its surface runs! Didn't land the fish, but both had a real good look at it. Next was my turn, another dink on, another dink lost. I'd have to put this one on the rack to even get him to 30 inches! The little ones sure can jump though. This one went airborn right beside the boat with a 24 inch vertical, and spit the hook. If my partner had any reflexes he probably could have caught it in mid air. When I commented on his sluggishness, he remarked that the fish would have slipped through the gaps in the net...I guess I deserved that one. And then, just when it seemed like another day of small fish, this beaut came to pay us a visit

 

 

This fish measured 48 inches with a 20 inch girth, and came trolling a storm thunderstick in 20 feet of water. Its an area of boulders not far from a 10 foot weedy flat on one side, and 30 feet deep on the other side. Its a spot I found earlier this summer while driving around randomly. First couple of times I fished it produced nothing. Frustrating when you find what looks like the perfect spot, behind the backs of the guys casting the weeds, but the fish don't seem to be there! Being stubborn, I didn't give up on this spot, and good thing because the last 3 times there I've contacted fish! A 42 a few weeks back, the 35 incher referred to earlier, and then this 48. Now if only I had a GPS so I could more easily find it each time instead of lining up the brown cottage on this shore, with the willow on the other shore, with the...

[Joey]

Beauty report Rizzo, that is one beauty ski!!!!

 

That must have been awesome to see the other ski going airborne for the grandma

[Rizzo]

Joey it reminded me of ocean fishing where they troll a bait that just skips across the surface - they don't even make an attempt at getting it submerged

[rufus]

Beauty!

[irishfield]

Very VERY Nice Roger!!!

[mercman]

Nice Musky my friend Seeing a lot more musky reports in here lately.The feedbag must be on this time of the year.

[Rod Caster]

24 inch vert! That's cool, even if its the little guys.

 

The big one is a prize indeed!

[Pigeontroller]

NICE ONE!

[lew]

Atta boy Roger, she's a beaut for sure !!

 

You put in your time, you got your rewards !!

[ehg]

After many, many years of fishing musky in the Kawarthas 46" is my best.

 

I remember you caught a 48" last year as well. Very well done!

You are doing something right.

[Rizzo]

wow, good memory ehg! I did get a 48 last year, just can't seem to break that barrier

[fishindevil]

nice ski bud !!!

[jbailey]

wow nice fish! congrats!

[johnnyb]

Beauty fish, Rizzo....my biggest ski came out of the Kawartha's at 47"...didn't have the girth of that one....curious about one thing though: Had you slowed down by the time you got the big guy?

[Rizzo]

hey jb, the two smaller fish were contacted at great speed (boat on plane), the big one was at a more of a moderate pace

[ccmtcanada]

If my partner had any reflexes he probably could have caught it in mid air. When I commented on his sluggishness, he remarked that the fish would have slipped through the gaps in the net...I guess I deserved that one.

 

Slipped through the net?? LOL

 

I'd never have guessed to troll while on a plane at 10mph!!! Sounds pretty exciting though when the fish come up so aggressively!! Beauty muskie there Rizzo!

[Harrison]

Nice fish and great report!

[mistyriver1]

Nice fish Rizzo, congrats !

[mistaredone]

Wow 10 MPH? I've had trouble with baits at 6 mph. Nice fish man!!!

[Rizzo]

the only bait I have that can handle it without added weight is a storm thunderstick. Cheap bait but man can they swim. Grandmas and supershadraps do pretty good up to a certain speed, but after that they kind of roll up to the top, bounce across the surface until the lip hits the water, kick to the side, dive down a few feet, roll up to the top again etc. At a "slower" (5mph) speed a Grandma probably dives 18-20 feet or so, the way we were fishing his Grandma was never getting down more than 2 or 3 feet. Was driving my buddy nuts because he'd never seen a fish hit a lure that's porpoising and not swimming right...now he has! I tell you what though, fishing like this takes a toll on your gear! make sure all the screws are tight because action like this will shake a few things loose.

[Terry]

10 mph

 

is that what I'm doing wrong

10 wow

 

and nice going

[irishfield]

The rocks come up, on GBay, fast enough at 5 or 6 Terry!

Edited September 14, 2011 by irishfield

[Terry]

you've got that right

[Rizzo]

to be more precise the GPS my buddy had for the day was telling us 9.2 mph. I don't always fish this speed, especially now that the water is cooling I'll be slowing it down, but definitely not afraid to give it a shot, especially in the summer. Luckily it was still working for us on Saturday with the water being 69. I used to think 5 or 6 was fast until this past summer. We were at Little lake in Peterborough trolling some heavy spinnerbaits at a good speed when we came up on some weeds. As a bit of a joke to my partner (who already thought I trolled too fast)I put the hammer down, got the boat up on a plane and we watched our spinnerbaits skip across the surface to get away from the weeds...well don't you know it...a 39 inch musky nails this guys spinnerbait as it jumps across the surface, blades weren't even remotely submerged! That day I realized it is next to impossible to go too fast, and I've been at least trying out anywhere from 5-10 mph each time I fish. Don't be afraid to try it..plus the looks you get from people when they realize you have lines in the water is quite funny. "Moron" is probably a common thing they say

[Handlebarz]

nice going sometimes you have to mix it up to get them to go I know way to many people who will not change there speed as they have caught all there fish at one speed. Fishing from 2.8mph-7mph is the norm in my boat give the fish what they want and see where it gets ya.

 

Very nice looking ski and the best part is you still have a 50" to look for once you make that mark its kinda sad as you then want a 54" and that is just crazy.