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Posts: 154
| “Caught” my first muskie this year after trying for a long time and have really been thinking if This fish tried to take my bait or I snagged it. I was using a red October working it with a pull pause and I hooked this 36incher. When I got it in the net I realized it was hooked in between the pectoral fins under the head (blue area). I looked at my bait and noticed some cuts in the bait, I didn’t fish the bait much and don’t remember having a fish on before unless it was what I thought to be was a snag. I foul hooked him with what I believe to remember as the front bottom treble so I have a hard time comprehending how I could snag a fish on the underside with a hook that’s on the bottom of the bait without him at least attempting to eat the lure. Just looking to see what you guys think happened, did he eat the bait and I just hooked him funny or did I snag him? Should I count it?
Edited by MNFisherman 10/12/2019 8:08 PM
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Posts: 20180
Location: oswego, il | The fish ate the bait and in fighting the fish the other hook lodged there and the front hook became unhooked. I once caught a musky that was hooked in the mouth and the bait walked all the way down to the dorsal by the time we netted it. Seen it do it.
Edited by ToddM 10/12/2019 6:53 PM
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Posts: 154
| That would make sense because some of the tentacle things are also slightly cut on the very end which would mean the fish nipped at it and got the back treble then the bait swung and hooked him there |
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Posts: 1080
Location: Aurora | What Todd's really trying to say is that no fish count unless they're over 45 inches, with a picture of the fish on a legit bump board with you in the background holding that particular day's newspaper with the date clearly visable. |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | If we say, 'NO, it don't count' will you keep trying? m |
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Posts: 154
| I dont know if I would or not lol, only get to a musky lake once a year and trying to get some opinions to make me feel better about myself. I’m just curious to see people’s opinions on if they think the fish attempted to eat the bait. In my book if a fish attempted to hit a lure and is hooked anywhere around the head it’s a fair catch.
Edited by MNFisherman 10/13/2019 10:45 AM
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Location: Athens, Ohio | A long time ago, my son Jon and I were fishing with a well-known guide. We were trolling and the rod went off. The guide handed the rod to Jon and had him step up onto the back deck of the Ranger. When he did, Jon said he suddenly didn't feel the fish any more so he jerked up the rod and set the hook again.
The fish came to the surface abt 10 yds from the boat and something was wrong. The bait was pulling the tail of the fish towards the boat. The guide had Jon ease the fish upside of the boat and into the net with little resistance. Apparently, the bait had come loose and got re-set - right at the fish's anus. It was a 39" and Jon 'counted' it as his first.
Hope that helps. m |
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | MNFisherman - 10/13/2019 10:25 AM
I dont know if I would or not lol, only get to a musky lake once a year and trying to get some opinions to make me feel better about myself. I’m just curious to see people’s opinions on if they think the fish attempted to eat the bait. In my book if a fish attempted to hit a lure and is hooked anywhere around the head it’s a fair catch.
If you’re counting it in your book, who cares what others opinions are? |
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Location: Vilas | Count it! And good luck catching many more! |
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Posts: 154
| Think I’ll count it. Wouldn’t have caught that fish if it wasn’t for this forum either. Learned a lot on here doing this by myself with no help besides this. Everybody on here is very helpful and informative! |
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| Dont count it and go out there and keep pounding your next cast could be the new state record |
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Posts: 612
| Try hooking one in the tail, leads a one hell of a fight. The only time it counts is most records don't count with a foul hooked fish. I get concerned it it lands in the gut or gills - gill rakers, then it will likely die. |
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Posts: 2279
Location: Chisholm, MN | It counts |
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Posts: 4269
Location: Ashland WI | Count it.
Congrats on your first muskie. Hopefully the first of many. |
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Posts: 255
| it counts. I know that muskie are so thick in some lakes you just snag em, but I'm going to go with my gut feeling on this one: it struck, it tried, it missed or sorta missed, but you got hooks in it and you caught it. I had one gut hooked one time, but felt it strike, and on the turn of the strike I must have pulled the lure into the fish. Thought I had a monster, but was 36. |
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Posts: 454
| Book it. |
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Posts: 1209
| Count it |
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Posts: 32798
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | yep |
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Posts: 21
| On my recent fish, I definitely saw the fish rocket from 10+ feet away and strike the lure. When I got it in the net, it was only hooked on the side fin just behind the gill. So, the fish must have come off from the initial strike and been hooked in the fin. Until this moment, I never gave it a second thought. I counted mine and you should count yours.
Brian |
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Posts: 571
Location: Germantown, WI | Count it..... |
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