Handleing Musky (more Pic added)

[Walshskie]

First before I post I think I should tell a few things about my self. One of the many reasons I love fishing is it can be done at many different levels of financial commitment, ranging from 25$ rod from and reel from Canadian Tire a lawn chair and a can or worms to bass pro with an 80,000$ boat and 1,000’s $ in gear. It’s all just fishing. I took aquaculture at Fleming for 2 years and I sent 2 summer guiding at Kessagimme, and have been a hard core musky guy for 15 year.

 

In this post I will use brand names theses are not the only companies that make these product these are just the ones I use.

 

With what a said first in this post musky fishing is different, this is not snobbery but if you respect the fish and want to do it right then having the right release tools is a must, and it does cost some money.( rods, reels and lures you send what you can afford but if you do it long enough you will end up sending lots of money) If your just getting into it and you not sure you want to make that commitment, have a buddy take you out to find out if you like it or hire a guide join a musky club.

 

The right tools bolt cutters and long needle nose pliers are a must, there are other tools as well like jaw spreaders, hook picks and grabits, I don’t have them but I have been told they work very well. Tools that come in handy split ring pliers and long nose cannel locks. I carry back ups because I drop things. Tethering tools to your wrist or the boat is a good idea.

 

A net or cradle, large enough to handle a musky, with a rubberized basket. Pick the one that works best for the size and type of boat or shore fishing that you do. I don’t use a boa grip and I’m not a big fan of them

 

Measuring- a bump board, floating ruler marking on your cradle, and a soft tape for girth.

 

And a camera

Before you even start fish for the day, talk with your fishing partner(s) about the plan on how to net and land the fish, if your net folds make sure they know how to open it practice. By doing this hopefully it eliminates the panic that can set in when a fish especially a big fish is hooked, it will also increase your odds of landing the fish. I believe that having a plan and having everyone on the same page is the key.

Ok you have the biggest fish you have ever seen in the net. This is why I like a large net and salties leave the fish in the net and in the water while you get organized have your tools ready and handy. Leave the fish in the net and in the water while you remove the hooks, if the hooks don’t fall out in the net I cut them it safer for you and the fish. Hook are cheep. Hooks are out measure the girth in the water if you want not all fish needs to be girthed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holding a musky slide your fingers inside its gill cover being carful no to grab the gills until they reach the notch in the lower jaw. Pinch your thumb tight against the outside of the lower jaw and against the pressure from your fingers. And hang on. Your other hand supports under the fish. Vertical hold are NOT good for the fish. Try to keep the fish as horizontally as you can. If you are not comfortable holding a big fish or a younger anglers lay the fish across your lap it's better than dropping it. If you are going to measure the fish have the bump board ready and wet, a quick measurement is all that is needed. ¼ and ½ inches are not that important big will show up in the picture.

Have the camera ready I like to use the sport setting and just fire of as many pic in as little time as I can. (I’m not an expert when it comes to pictures so if anyone has advice please post it.) Keep the fish out of the water as little as possible, if it is a PB or your fist musky and you want more pictures put it back it the net so it can breathe for a minute then take more pictures. Smaller fish I won’t take pictures of or measure. Cradles are nice for releases the fish can rest while being supported or hold on to the tail and keep the fish up right until its ready to go you’ll know when its ready. Now is the time for high fives but don’t take to long because the bite on and the windows are small.

 

 

 

I think the most important thing is to have a plan that works for your fishing situation that has the best interestes of the fish in mind. I know things happen and fish die but if you are taking all precautions and have the best interests of the fish in mind then that’s all anyone can do

 

 

I may have missed something or you have different ideas please post them so we can all learn.

 

Edited November 23, 2012 by Walshskie

[Andrew Grant]

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Edited January 30, 2014 by XxX

[Snidley]

Great post. Protecting them so other anglers can enjoy them is true conservation.

[BucktownAngler]

good post. thx

[Rich Clemens]

Yup Great Post. The other thing I use are landing gloves. Not sure if others use them or not, but I do find them much easier when lifting the fish from the net. Hopefully to avoid dropping the fish as I maneuver her out of the net for a pic - and she decides to thrash around a bit.

Edited November 23, 2012 by Rich Clemens

[Gregoire]

A good detailed post. I would add that it is generally ok to take the fish out of the water for a picture, put the fish back in the net and take the fish out again to measure it or reverse that order. If the fish does not appear to be in obvious distress once you have removed the hooks than it should be ok in the net for a few minutes. Just make sure that your net is large and deep enough so that the entire fish can stay submerged while you leave it in the net.

I find that it is handy to secure the net on the cleat at the side of the boat while you are removing hooks. That way you do not have to worry as much about securing the net. It makes it much easier.

Removing hooks is a one man job. It is ok to have someone watching you while you do this, maybe telling you what hooks to cut, but I only want one set of hands in the net. Most of the time the person who nets the fish takes the hooks out when I fish. I find that the person who catches a fish is excited, and hook extraction is best done by a calmer individual.

[Walshskie]

A good detailed post. I would add that it is generally ok to take the fish out of the water for a picture, put the fish back in the net and take the fish out again to measure it or reverse that order. If the fish does not appear to be in obvious distress once you have removed the hooks than it should be ok in the net for a few minutes. Just make sure that your net is large and deep enough so that the entire fish can stay submerged while you leave it in the net.

I find that it is handy to secure the net on the cleat at the side of the boat while you are removing hooks. That way you do not have to worry as much about securing the net. It makes it much easier.

Removing hooks is a one man job. It is ok to have someone watching you while you do this, maybe telling you what hooks to cut, but I only want one set of hands in the net. Most of the time the person who nets the fish takes the hooks out when I fish. I find that the person who catches a fish is excited, and hook extraction is best done by a calmer individual.

 

 

Great points I've had very experienced guys say they would like to take the hooks out only to reach into the net see all the hooks and teeth and say never mind you do it.

[Dontcryformejanhrdina]

One tip about taking pictures (and could be forgotten in the excitement of landing the fish/in a hurry to get it back in the water) is to position yourself so the sun is in front of you, not shining behind you. Or you could have a crappy picture of your trophy and not even be able to tell it's you.

[Andrew Grant]

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Edited January 30, 2014 by XxX

[glen]

If you have lots of pics maybe you don't need anymore. I shake a lot off in the water. This would be the way to go if you forgot / don't have a big net.

Edited November 23, 2012 by glen

[esoxansteel]

Maybe some guys on TV should gather some info before they pursue Muskies or any other fish for that matter, holding them out of the water for extended periods of time

Just watched the Fish TV guys fishing LSC with a guy who guides there, and vertical holds with Bogas grips, were common on the show with each fish of any size been held out the water hanging off a Boga so the viewers could see that Leo and Ron can catch Muskies, im not sure what happened to some of the many fish that were caught after they were released but i have a pretty good idea. The net that was used was also inferior, and looked like a typical Salmon net, with nylon mesh, and a handle extention, and not the treated mesh variety that is preferred by most seasoned musky fisherman, to help protect the muskies protective coating, and to reduce or eliminate hook penetration into the mesh which helps to speed up the release, and is safer for the fish and the angler. It is rather alarming that a Charter guy who makes his living by taking people out to catch muskies, doesnt have the proper equipment to do a safe, quick and proper release.

[landry]

And don't use Boga grips!!!

 

I disagree. The boga is a great tool to be used IN the net to help unhook fish but it should never be used to lift a fish. My boga cuts down on the dehooking time considerably and keeps my hands safe. I hooked myself badly once and the boga has been a great purchase since.

[Walshskie]

A boga used in that way and not to lift fish, could be helpfull.

[Andrew Grant]

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Edited January 30, 2014 by XxX

[NAW]

 

Before you even start fish for the day, talk with your fishing partner(s) about the plan on how to net and land the fish, if your net folds make sure they know how to open it practice. By doing this hopefully it eliminates the panic that can set in when a fish especially a big fish is hooked, it will also increase your odds of landing the fish. I believe that having a plan and having everyone on the same page is the key.

 

 

So you're trying to say that simply screaming "PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE....PLEASE PLEEEEAAAAAASE!!!!" at your fishing partner to net the fish is NOT the correct way to handle the situation?

 

 

In all seriousness though, great post, and great advice. I'm glad you took Lew up on his request to create this post.

[BucktownAngler]

I disagree. The boga is a great tool to be used IN the net to help unhook fish but it should never be used to lift a fish. My boga cuts down on the dehooking time considerably and keeps my hands safe. I hooked myself badly once and the boga has been a great purchase since.

 

this is a great point.

 

keeps the hands away from the hooks and teeth

[Pigeontroller]

Excellent post!

[Walshskie]

It is also intented for guys with lots of experiance to share and so we can all learn. All ready I've learn somthing new about the Boga. That when its used in the net to help controll a musky I think in this way it could be very usefull tool.

[SlowPoke]

If I can add a couple...

 

On a deep hook, I usually cut the split ring and often find it much easier to remove the hook with the lure out of the way.

 

Keep eye protection in mind while using cutting tools.

 

Once the fish is in the net, disengage the spool with the clicker on or loosen the drag all the way off a non-clicker reel. This can prevent a hook in the hand if you or someone else bumps the rod.

 

Cut down and retie/crimp your frayed trolling leaders and using them for casting leaders. (Thanks for that tip Mike)

[gordy28]

Great post- as someone who loves to fish for muskie but has yet to land a big one this is really informative

Kudos to you and others for sharing the knowledge - I plan on printing this post and add it to the binder we keep in the boat-articles, fishing logs, regs, maps and other useful info

Cheers

Gordy

[glen]

Crappytire has the long pliers on sale right now. They come in handy on other fish too.

[cram]

Great thread. Wish I had read this when i started fishing.

 

A couple of more that you might add

- pay attention to water temps. If it's really warm, the fish is going to be far more delicate and you'll want to really limit out-of-the-water time.

- good practice in general is to limit out-of-the-water time to the however long you can hold your own breath.

[Rich Nelson]

Great post! As for the boca grips... The cheap ones dont have a rotating handle which can also cause damage when the fish rolls in the net. If you arent comfortable handling Musky and feel the need to use a boca, use a good one with a rotating handle. And if you need to weigh your fish, do it in a cradle or large net, and subtract the weight of it. St. Clair guys will catch on eventually...( when the fishery is half of what it is today.)

[Walshskie]

Good one with the weighing in the net or cradle. And the rotating handle on the boca.

[SlowPoke]

St. Clair guys will catch on eventually...( when the fishery is half of what it is today.)

And I suppose you can paint an entire room with one brush stroke?

Catch and release took a long time to get where it is today. Proper handling and awareness will take time too. It's not just St. Clair; it's just easy to point fingers when 2 out of every 3 fish caught are trophy caliber and it attracts so many anglers.