The Thrill of It All!

February 2, 2013

This day, perhaps the last having open "big fish green" water prior to ice up this winter, a warm gem of a day a bit odd for late January, added to the excitement and potential thrill of landing a big fish, perhaps a fish of a lifetime.  After a week of temperatures hovering in the teens and low twenties, having to deal with fog emerging from thirty four degree water complete with floating ice, proving the comfort of the weather would be experienced more positively from our point of view, not necessarily as well from the point of view of our quarry, the mighty toothy muskellunge, Esox masquinongy.

After catching some smaller muskies like this one, I was ready to break my personal best.

We launched my aluminum sixteen and a half foot fishing vessel, sporting a jet drive outboard for navigating through or around skinny water, optimistic as ever despite the sudden loss of the use of my depthfinder.  Musky fishing is hard work, but we were ready, my fishing friend Ed and I, to bring a toothy monster to our net on this day, and more if we could.  This post isn't a fishing report, but a description of one encounter with a beast, one that I would play over and over again in my mind.

This picture is from a prior trip where it was so cold, ice was forming on our rod guides, and leaving interesting sculptures on our reels.  This fishing day started off much warmer and more comfortable.

I had tossed large heavy duty lures all day long, some of which weighed three quarters of a pound or more on stout tackle and heavy line.  Such tackle is necessary for many reasons, the most important to bring the mighty musky to the boat quickly to protect the fish for a clean, safe release, and also balanced to toss lures that imitate the large prey items that muskies deem delicious, fish that many anglers would consider large to catch on an average fishing day.

The names of these large musky lures are interesting enough in their own right, arising from a culture of musky hunters across North America.  Names like Poe's Awaker, Boo Bling or Squirko prove to be foreign to the vast majority of anglers in our neck of the woods, but these are just a few examples of many such names that may reside in the massive tackle boxes of the average musky angler.  Even more foreign to local anglers is the sight and sound of these lures making that huge splash that would send just about any type of fish fleeing for it's life.  When local anglers observe us tossing these massive baits, I often wonder if those weird leers were those of disgust for spooking their fish, or just plain bewilderment, or a little of both.

Big baits like this Medussa might  help you catch a big fish, but they definitely will put your muscles to the test.

My arms, back, and shoulders ached.  Tossing big baits like this takes its toll on an aging frame like mine.  But potential rewards are worth the effort. Concentration and perseverance are key.  The day may seem long and the water fishless, but one must maintain as much focus and concentration as possible on each and every cast, for any one could result with the fish of a lifetime on the other end, and you'd better be ready.

You'd lob a cast toward your secret spot, one that changes each time depending on various factors like wind or current, with that cast placed with the pure intention of targeting that musky that you know calls that spot home, whether it is there or not.  That's the hope though, that your cast puts your lure right through his living room and it would get his attention.

The routine is the same with slight variation depending on the type of lure that you use.  Cast, crank it down a little, twitch, pull, make the lure dance, and as it nears the boat, guide the lure in a figure eight pattern, large enough that a big musky may turn, chase and attack the lure.  It doesn't have to be a figure eight, it could be an L shape, or oval, just something that changes direction.  And do it every cast, whether or not you're tired.

Focus and watch both under and behind your lure for any hint of a musky following your lure.  And if he does, pay close attention to his behavior.  Is that fish coming in hot after your lure or is it a lazy follow?  And be ready to adapt or make some sort of move to trigger a strike...you might get lucky.  It's tough to focus after a long day without action, and easy to daydream, but keeping your mind on your goal helps you overcome the odds, and put them in your favor.

So back to the encounter.  It was one of many many casts, following the same routine with this particular lure, a large relatively deep diving crankbait.  Cast as far as you can, crank it down, stop, twitch, let it rise, twitch some more, crank some more, and finish with a figure eight.  Only on this cast, when I cranked it down, two twitches and I had a fish on.  I set the hook hard once, then again twice.  It wasn't just a musky, it was a nice one.  This fish felt both strong and heavy.  Would it break my personal best, or "PB" as its known in the fishing web forum world?

Compared to most musky anglers, at that time, my personal best was rather small at thirty nine and a half inches.  I hadn't broken the forty inch club yet.  So a forty plus fish would be extremely sweet.  Any musky is sweet, but to catch your biggest one?  Words can't describe that feeling.  And I was due.

At that time, this was my PB, or personal best, at 39.5 inches.  This fish isn't big by musky angler standards, but I felt good about it.  Now it's time to improve on that.  Maybe on this warm January day.

The beast hit my lure a good distance away, and the fight took a while.  My fishing pal was ready with the net in plenty of time.  It was a big fish, and with muskies, the females mostly produce those large sizes at the mid-forties and above.  Such fish push the scales to twenty or thirty pounds, or maybe more.  I imagined this fish to be a big female.

She was quite strong, and I'd say that my heart was pounding from the excitement, but in my mind I imagined it being completely stopped.  What a fight!  She turned my boat around with her strength.  I wondered if I needed to quickly pull up my trolling motor, but thought against it for fear of giving her any slack at all to spit my hook.

Just as suddenly, she changed direction, moving around my boat from left to right, so my fishing buddy positioned for the net job on the other side of the boat.  I thought I was guiding the fish to him, but she wasn't done.  In fact, we still hadn't seen her.  She was deep and not giving up.  The head shakes were as strong as any fish that I'd encountered...ever.

Then, she decided that her current path was not the best way to proceed, so she bulldogged and shook her head, staying under the boat.  All I could do was keep the pressure on and my rod tip up.  I remained calm, just knowing that she'd soon be in my net.

A couple more hard head shakes and my line went slack.  My crankbait floated to the surface.  My lungs emptied like a child's balloon suddenly becoming untied.  I had an empty feeling in my stomach now, and it wasn't hunger.  My fishing buddy was in shock almost as much as I was, but my knees were knocking after all that, and my hands were shaking as if I'd been sitting in a freezer all day.  It was that sickness of losing the fish of a lifetime.  I lost the battle, and she won.  Who was in control after all?  Apparently, not me.

But what a thrill.  That's what it's all about, the thrill of it all.  I know where she lives, and I'll pay her a visit again some day.  Until then, I'll replay that moment time and again, hoping that I'll be out there soon.  That's what drives me.  Musky fishing is just plain difficult and challenging, and I'm up for the challenge.

My Musky Addiction

Esox masquinongy, or muskellunge, affectionately known as musky or muskie, often seems like mythological creature to many anglers.  After all, it's also known as the fish of ten thousand casts.  I've only caught a few of them over the years, mostly by accident while fishing for bass or walleye.  Although I've always been fascinated by these magnificent predators, it wasn't until recently that my fascination turned into an infatuation, and even more recently, into an obsession.  And, I think that before long, it will be my next addiction.

One year, my buddies and I planned a trip to the French River in Ontario for a week, and I purchased my first musky rod and reel combination along with a few musky lures.  I didn't get a musky on that trip, but my friend Bob caught one that went about 54 inches long.  A few years later, my brother Kyle decided to target walleye and managed to catch several muskies.  He introduced me to that type of fishing, and that began my infatuation with muskies.  Until recently, we targeting other species and muskies were bonus fish, but our tactics didn't change.  We still fished smaller baits and lighter tackle because, quite frankly, we liked the action that bass and walleye gave us.  Walleye were on all of our minds at the time, but the toothy bigger muskies had my attention too.

My brother Kyle with a musky caught from shore while targeting walleye.  It's his fault I'm currently obsessed with musky fishing.

Can you target musky with that tackle?  Yes, but maybe the answer is that we shouldn't.  Catching them by accident is one thing, but targeting them with light tackle is another.  We owe these powerful fish a better chance at survival, and light tackle just isn't going to cut it.  They are not a particularly durable fish, and it's not worth wearing them out just because we can, and just because they will bite smaller baits.  If we use smaller lures to target these beautiful fish, they should be teamed with beefy enough tackle to bring them to the boat quickly and efficiently.

In the past, my lack of success catching size and numbers of musky directly resulted from two factors, logistics and tactics.  With regard to logistics, having access to good musky water is a huge benefit, and in my area having the right kind of boat makes a huge difference.  The first step is to identify the waters local to you that hold muskies and fish from a boat that is appropriate for that environment.

Another option would be to fish from the bank or wade.  Although it's possible to catch them this way, to be effective you'd have to fish prime musky holding water, and there aren't really that many good holes to go around.  There are some though, and savvy shore bound musky anglers have caught some dandy "skis".  Kayaks and other small craft can solve the access issue, and they catch their share of these mighty fish.  If you can find a kayak that allows you to stand, you'd be able to do figure eights, which are touch to do when seated.

My brother with a musky caught on a Rapala Husky Jerk while fishing for walleye from his kayak.

From my point of view, what prevented me from catching more of these fish was a flaw in my tactical approach.  The tactics that I used treated musky as a secondary target, and for me to be successful at catching them, I had to change my tactics.  When the logistics were right, I still brought tackle to fish for other species, ones that bite on smaller baits, like walleyes and bass.  I'd bring some musky tackle along, but rarely used that big stuff.   Why?  Lack of confidence mostly, and without confidence, your musky lures won't be in the water long enough.

I'd typically have good success fishing for bass or walleye, or whatever was biting.  Since those species have higher population densities, and often bite regularly, it was easier to be more successful targeting them.  Like many anglers, I hated getting skunked.  And that was the reason I didn't catch more musky on a regular basis.  To catch more musky, you need to risk getting skunked.  Let's face it, getting skunked is failure adn nobody wants that, not even dedicated musky anglers.  But, when a musky hits and you land it, that makes it all worthwhile.  A good day may consist of a follow or two, perhaps a hit, and even better, a fish to the boat.  Is it worth it?  I say it is.

That said, anything can happen.  My buddy Howard, while we were walleye fishing, hooked and landed two muskies in about five minutes on a Rapala Husky Jerk while fishing from the bank for walleye!  We were targeting walleye, quite unsuccessfully I might add, when these fish made his day.  Unfortunately, for me, I had a run in with the skunk monster.  Yet, those fish made a huge impression on me.  I wanted one, and I've been determined to become a real musky angler.  But this type of success also could lead one to believe that this is the most effective way to fish for them.  But again, it's not that we can't catch them using light tackle, the question remains, should we?  For the benefit of the fish, we should use tackle matched to ensure their survival.

My buddy Howard with one of two "twin" muskies caught on nearly back to back casts while fishing for walleyes from the bank.

When I started musky fishing a few years ago from my buddy's boat, I decided to dedicate trips targeting them, and left the smaller tackle at home.  If you only bring musky gear, and that's all you can toss, then your chances go up.  And mine did.  On my first trip out, I set out to catch a "lunge" and I did.  I forced myself to use the musky tackle, and it paid off.  So now, my confidence is much higher.  Success breeds success, right?

Not a huge musky, but one that caused my current obsession.  This fish engulfed a Musky Innovations Realfish in the sucker color.

I haven't had much experience fishing correctly for these fish.  And honestly, I hadn't researched it all that much.  On that trip, looking back, I did a lot of things wrong.  I didn't work the baits the right way, and I had some preconceived notions about these fish that just weren't the case.  I didn't realize that they were all that active on colder water, and how wrong that was.

On my next trip, I learned another valuable lesson.  When using large musky lures and heavy tackle, and even though my chances were much better to catch a musky, there's no guarantee that you'll catch one, or get a bite, or even get a follow, even though you're fishing prime water.  The trick is to obviously learn these fish, what they react to, and how to work your baits in such a way as to provoke a strike.  Going into both trips, I knew that these fish aren't easy to catch for a reason, and I risked getting skunked so that I could learn.

The real learned lesson was that sometimes your big lures catch big fish of other species.  My biggest walleye to date, my personal best, was caught on a twelve inch nine ounce lure!  The lesson was that big lures catch big fish, of all species, even those you aren't targeting.  Now, every bass angler is fully aware of that concept, but it's tough to imagine many fish hitting a twelve inch lure, but they do.  Many a musky angler could easily boast about catching huge largemouth, smallmouth or walleye, on musky tackle.

Using huge musky lures led me to catch my personal best walleye, a fat twenty six and a half incher, not a musky, but a heck of a consolation fish!

My buddy also learned a valuable lesson on our first trip, and believe me, I did too.  At one point, later in the day, we were fishing a spot that we had musky follows in the past.  We knew that muskies liked this spot, and we worked it thoroughly.  My buddy was using a Rapala Magnum X-Rap jerkbait, and had a musky follow it to the boat.  The musky stopped and sat there, staring at his lure that was still dangling in the water.  Had he moved it a foot more, it would have hit.  He's yelling, "Kevin, do you see that?  Do you see that?", as loud as he could yell, not hearing me simultaneously yelling back, "Figure eight!  Figure eight!".  By the time he heard me, the fish sank below the boat.  We tried desperately to raise that fish again, but to no avail.

So, the lesson he learned was to use the figure eight at the end of the cast.  The lesson that I learned was, to do it after each and every cast, not just when you see a musky follow.  Had I done that figure eight at the end of my cast, the musky may have seen my lure and hit it even though he had pulled his from the water.  That way, you can tag team these fish.  Now, I always do a figure eight or some other boat side maneuver.

I was watching Joe Bucher on the television yesterday, and he made a huge point about teaming up on these fish.  If the guy at the front is using one type of lure that draws a follow, often the guy in the back of the boat using a different lure, especially a bucktail, will get that following fish on a figure eight when the fish ignores the other guys lure after his figure eight.  These fish are not shy by any means.

Ed Lewandoski with a 45 1/2" beautiful musky.  You'd be hard pressed to find a more dedicated and knowledgeable amateur musky angler than Ed.  Photo courtesy of Ed Lewandoski.

So, what is all this about my addiction?  Is it the challenge, the fact that they are tough to catch?  Is it the fact that they are one mean toothy predator, and just plain cool to hold and to make for awesome photographs?  Or is it because you can chuck lures that weigh as much as the fish that most people catch and these apex predators will chomp on them readily?  I'm sure that as I grow in this segment of the fishing world, that my addiction will grow accordingly.

At fifteen to twenty dollars a pop, or more, amassing a collection of lures to target these things will be quite an investment, not to mention the other tackle and tools that I'd require.  That's an addiction all its own that I've fallen victim too, the tackle buying addiction, that is.  After all, I find it just plain cool to open up a package and pull out a lure that weighs about a pound.  I'm like a kid at Christmas!

At one time, I didn't have that many chances to be on the water chasing these magnificent creatures simply because I didn't own a boat and had to rely on my buddies that did.  Now that I own a boat, my logistics problem is partially solved.  The rest of the logistics problem centers around finding time to get out and away from the everyday things that keep me off the water, and to balance that time with other types of fishing that my fishing pals prefer.  But right now, all I think about now is solving the tactics problem.  I'm learning as much as I can about fishing strategies, on the internet, magazines, television shows, and fishing forums.  I've been fortunate to meet some great musky minds, like Ed, and have learned greatly from them.

Now that I've caught one while targeting them, I'm hooked.  I've had a good start, and have since caught quite a few (but never enough).  I'm excited about learning more and more about these amazing toothy mystical creatures.  And, as I learn more and my addiction grows, I'll share those adventures and things that I will learn along the way.  It's all I think about, all day, every day...