MuskyBill
06-12-2009, 03:47 AM
I'll begin this report from last Fall.
I'll do this because that's when things started the downward spiral for me.
Sometime in mid-October 2008, I charged up the boat on a Friday night, then drove an hour to the lake & spent the usual 30 mins. to get 'er rigged & ready to rock.
Dropped the boat in the water only to find she won't start... :angry2:
Put 'er back on the trailer & went home madder than Hell. The very next week I wound up getting a Pilonidal Abscess on my tailbone that required 2 minor surgeries to repair, along with 6 loooong weeks off work.
Unfortunately, during this time I was in too much pain to get the boat to the mechanic, so the rest of my season was over & I'd have to get it fixed this Spring.
Fast-forward to this Spring & I merrily made my way up to my marine mechanic, where 6B's was going to reside for a couple weeks while parts were shipped in.
I picked it up 3 weeks ago & was told it was ready to go! With me getting things around the house all caught up, I found myself too busy to give the boat a water test.
Well, the first time on the water was last Saturday, Musky Opener & the first day of my week-long vacation. The boat ran great all day long, but once it was back on the trailer, I discovered a gas leak inside the motor housing... :shout:
So, took Sunday off & once again dragged the boat to the mechanic on Monday morning. I told him I was on vacation & Musky season had just opened so he sped up the process & called me this morning.
Finally, I picked it up at 3:30 & was on the water by 5:00. At the dock I ran into an old friend that guides for Musky & he told me green/Perch baits were getting the action.
There was a storm brewing in the air, & history & experience tell me that's a great time to be fishing.
I headed out to a new area to me, where another good friend of mine likes to troll. I slowly drove around looking for some green weeds & once I spotted some, I shut 'er down & started casting a large green boo-tail.
After a dozen casts I switched up to a green jerkbait for another 10 casts. I then threw on a topwater for 3 casts.
That's when I decided to ignore the advice I was given at the dock & go with a brand new bait I picked up at this years Musky Odyssey, a bi-annual trade show. It's a 12" Hawg Teaser, in 'Burnt Orange Sucker' flavour.
I was just about to drift out of range of the weedbed when I tossed it out. After 3 pulls, I was thinking how well the bait was working. On the 5th pull, my rod nearly got pulled from my grip!
There was a huge boil on the surface, but I didn't yet see the fish. At one point, she was hugging bottom & actually pulling my boat along!
As I turned to see where the net was, she jumped but I missed it. I was just happy she was still pinned to my bait!
As she got closer to me, I was struggling to see her, & how big she was. She went into the famous Musky 'death-roll' & even with her near bottom, I could see her belly, giving me an idea on her size. My knees started shaking, & it was about this time I was wishing I had a partner with me.
Fortunately she cooperated & found the bottom of my net on the first pass. I was so relieved. I went all year last season without a 40"+ fish, & I was positive this fish eclipsed that mark.
The second thing I noticed was her belly! Why on Earth a fish this well-fed would pound on my jerkbait is beyond me, but pound on it she did. Without proper hook cutters, this fish probably would've died. The front treble was buried right in the corner of her mouth, with only one point sticking through to the outside. That was my first cut.
One of the points on the middle treble had snagged the fish near her fin. That was my second cut.
I was very impressed with how docile she was. Keeping the fish in the net while still in the water really is the best thing for these beasts.
I was now able to get my hand inside enough to get her mouth open, & this is when I made the third & fourth cuts, & my bait was now free.
Two of the points fell to the bottom of the lake, while I used longnose pliers to grab the other to points dug deep in her jaw.
Now she was ready to be made famous. First up when taking pics by yourself is to take a practice shot...
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k266/muskybill/firstof09001Small.jpg
Yup, I'm in the right place, & so is the digicam...now, let's see her!
42 FAT inches of Bog Beauty... :good:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k266/muskybill/FuryizedMusky1Small.jpg
I wasn't sure if there was too much glare, & since she was still spunky, I did a second pic...
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k266/muskybill/FuryizedMusky2Small.jpg
She was still so green, I couldn't get a release shot. She took off in a hurry!
I did however take a pic of the lucky bait, & the tools used to perform a little surgery at boatside...
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k266/muskybill/firstof09006Small.jpg
Before I could celebrate, I felt the first raindrop. I've got a great rainsuit, but being alone means a lot of work at the dock to put the boat on the trailer & cover it. More work than I was willing to do, so I high-tailed it outta there...
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k266/muskybill/firstof09007Small.jpg
My new goal is to spend more than an hour chasing these bad girls... :dirol:
So, after spending the majority of my vacation waiting for a phone call to tell me my boat was finally ready, & $600 later, only one word comes to mind....priceless.
By the time I was pulling onto the highway, the skies had opened up & I was still dry.
And very, very satisfied.
Tightlines y'all.
I'll do this because that's when things started the downward spiral for me.
Sometime in mid-October 2008, I charged up the boat on a Friday night, then drove an hour to the lake & spent the usual 30 mins. to get 'er rigged & ready to rock.
Dropped the boat in the water only to find she won't start... :angry2:
Put 'er back on the trailer & went home madder than Hell. The very next week I wound up getting a Pilonidal Abscess on my tailbone that required 2 minor surgeries to repair, along with 6 loooong weeks off work.
Unfortunately, during this time I was in too much pain to get the boat to the mechanic, so the rest of my season was over & I'd have to get it fixed this Spring.
Fast-forward to this Spring & I merrily made my way up to my marine mechanic, where 6B's was going to reside for a couple weeks while parts were shipped in.
I picked it up 3 weeks ago & was told it was ready to go! With me getting things around the house all caught up, I found myself too busy to give the boat a water test.
Well, the first time on the water was last Saturday, Musky Opener & the first day of my week-long vacation. The boat ran great all day long, but once it was back on the trailer, I discovered a gas leak inside the motor housing... :shout:
So, took Sunday off & once again dragged the boat to the mechanic on Monday morning. I told him I was on vacation & Musky season had just opened so he sped up the process & called me this morning.
Finally, I picked it up at 3:30 & was on the water by 5:00. At the dock I ran into an old friend that guides for Musky & he told me green/Perch baits were getting the action.
There was a storm brewing in the air, & history & experience tell me that's a great time to be fishing.
I headed out to a new area to me, where another good friend of mine likes to troll. I slowly drove around looking for some green weeds & once I spotted some, I shut 'er down & started casting a large green boo-tail.
After a dozen casts I switched up to a green jerkbait for another 10 casts. I then threw on a topwater for 3 casts.
That's when I decided to ignore the advice I was given at the dock & go with a brand new bait I picked up at this years Musky Odyssey, a bi-annual trade show. It's a 12" Hawg Teaser, in 'Burnt Orange Sucker' flavour.
I was just about to drift out of range of the weedbed when I tossed it out. After 3 pulls, I was thinking how well the bait was working. On the 5th pull, my rod nearly got pulled from my grip!
There was a huge boil on the surface, but I didn't yet see the fish. At one point, she was hugging bottom & actually pulling my boat along!
As I turned to see where the net was, she jumped but I missed it. I was just happy she was still pinned to my bait!
As she got closer to me, I was struggling to see her, & how big she was. She went into the famous Musky 'death-roll' & even with her near bottom, I could see her belly, giving me an idea on her size. My knees started shaking, & it was about this time I was wishing I had a partner with me.
Fortunately she cooperated & found the bottom of my net on the first pass. I was so relieved. I went all year last season without a 40"+ fish, & I was positive this fish eclipsed that mark.
The second thing I noticed was her belly! Why on Earth a fish this well-fed would pound on my jerkbait is beyond me, but pound on it she did. Without proper hook cutters, this fish probably would've died. The front treble was buried right in the corner of her mouth, with only one point sticking through to the outside. That was my first cut.
One of the points on the middle treble had snagged the fish near her fin. That was my second cut.
I was very impressed with how docile she was. Keeping the fish in the net while still in the water really is the best thing for these beasts.
I was now able to get my hand inside enough to get her mouth open, & this is when I made the third & fourth cuts, & my bait was now free.
Two of the points fell to the bottom of the lake, while I used longnose pliers to grab the other to points dug deep in her jaw.
Now she was ready to be made famous. First up when taking pics by yourself is to take a practice shot...
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k266/muskybill/firstof09001Small.jpg
Yup, I'm in the right place, & so is the digicam...now, let's see her!
42 FAT inches of Bog Beauty... :good:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k266/muskybill/FuryizedMusky1Small.jpg
I wasn't sure if there was too much glare, & since she was still spunky, I did a second pic...
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k266/muskybill/FuryizedMusky2Small.jpg
She was still so green, I couldn't get a release shot. She took off in a hurry!
I did however take a pic of the lucky bait, & the tools used to perform a little surgery at boatside...
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k266/muskybill/firstof09006Small.jpg
Before I could celebrate, I felt the first raindrop. I've got a great rainsuit, but being alone means a lot of work at the dock to put the boat on the trailer & cover it. More work than I was willing to do, so I high-tailed it outta there...
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k266/muskybill/firstof09007Small.jpg
My new goal is to spend more than an hour chasing these bad girls... :dirol:
So, after spending the majority of my vacation waiting for a phone call to tell me my boat was finally ready, & $600 later, only one word comes to mind....priceless.
By the time I was pulling onto the highway, the skies had opened up & I was still dry.
And very, very satisfied.
Tightlines y'all.