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Posts: 70
Location: Winfield,IN | How do you guys do it? I work a odd scheduel and most often can't get a buddy to go with me. I go salmon fishing a lot by myself and that is a pain sometimes trying to drive the boat and set lines. Not to mention landing a big green king or steelie most often I lose them at the boat. I haven't gone by myself musky fishing for this reason I'm not completly confident that I could safely land and quickly release a big guy with just myself in the boat. Any tips? |
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Posts: 2097
| Always be sure to have your net already extended and within reach. |
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| Clean boat, wear a lifevest of sorts. Fish alone a bunch, really enjoy it. |
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Posts: 815
Location: Waukee, IA | Having an organized boat helps a ton. Having a net that is big enough, yet light enough for one arm use is also very important. I pretty much always fish alone, it's very possible if you are very careful about safety and have everything set up for yourself before the first fish strikes. |
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Posts: 566
Location: Elgin, IL | Be patient, methodical. Go slow. Organize your gear so that you can reach things easily.
I would just concentrate on boat control and casting, not trolling. Maybe drifting with a sucker and casting. Try those steps first. Be safe, get a good floatation device also.
It's also very important to be comfortable with yourself...a lot of guys are not.
It is a very rewarding way to fish. I love it. Good luck if you go. |
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Posts: 1405
Location: Detroit River | If fishing by yourself you need to be organized. Have everything you need to land/release the fish within arm’s reach. Also make sure you know how to operate the self-timer on your camera. Take some practice pictures using the self-timer before you head out just to make sure you know where to stand/sit with the fish in relation to where you place the camera. Be sure to wear gloves when handling the fish because you don't want to get hand-cuffed by the hooks when fishing by yourself.
I fish by myself a lot on LSC & the Detroit River in a small boat. I have a Stowmaster net that has a long handle extension, which helps a lot when landing a fish by myself. The netting is not the best because it wraps up in the hooks but it goes through the water easily, which is a plus for landing fish by yourself. I recently lost a monster that was pushing mid-50's when trying to net it by myself but I sort of redeemed myself the following week by netting a 50 (took 3 tries to get her in the net).
Fishing by yourself can be VERY relaxing & enjoyable. It's a nice change of pace from not having to put up with my buddy & his annoying cigarette smoke.
Edited by Zib 10/15/2014 7:50 AM
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Posts: 158
| Best tip I ever read for fishing solo was to find a way to lock/tie your net handle down to the boat so you can scoop the fish and then secure the net so you can take a moment to gather yourself and get everything ready without having to worry about the net falling in or the fish jumping out. I drilled a hole through my net handle, ran a length of rope through it and put a caribeaner on the rope which I then clip into a few different areas on the opposite side of the boat from where the fish will be. Works great and makes unhooking a fish solo much easier. |
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| Can't stress this enough! Have a good set of hook cutters like knippex WITH you. Nothing worse than cutting your fishing time short & driving home with an 8" believer stuck to your arm. You get some weird looks with your arm resting on the window at stop lights. not to mention it's a bit stressful holding down an active pike while trying to remove the lure from the fish and line hoping it don't take a huge chunk of flesh from you. |
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Posts: 1023
| I know that the net is an issue...and I get it. I end up fishing alone some of the time. And personally, the last thing I need is another picture of a 30-42 inch fish. I would fully recommend water releasing fish when you are alone. Get a long nosed pliers. Get the fish to the boat, drop the rod, grab the line and your pliers and shake the hook out and watch the fish swim away. Easy on you, easy on the fish.
Now you get a bigger one? Then certainly be ready with the net if you want a quality picture of the fish.
Just a suggestion.... |
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Posts: 4269
Location: Ashland WI | vegas492 - 10/15/2014 8:36 AM
I know that the net is an issue...and I get it. I end up fishing alone some of the time. And personally, the last thing I need is another picture of a 30-42 inch fish. I would fully recommend water releasing fish when you are alone. Get a long nosed pliers. Get the fish to the boat, drop the rod, grab the line and your pliers and shake the hook out and watch the fish swim away. Easy on you, easy on the fish.
Now you get a bigger one? Then certainly be ready with the net if you want a quality picture of the fish.
Just a suggestion....
Not a bad idea. If you want pics, take them of the fish in the water. You could even get one of the floating measuring sticks to check length. |
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Posts: 239
Location: Elroy, Wisconsin | I fish alone sometimes because of my old musky buddies are gone now. All the info above is right on. The key is having the net ready to go. If you can get to quiet water it helps a lot. My biggest 51 1/2" came when I was alone. Its a lot better to share a moment like that with a good musky buddy.
Your mileage may vary,
Mudpuppy |
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| One last thing, I am barbless. Probably the best thing I have ever done going solo. BR |
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| ^ good call. Best for man & beast. |
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Posts: 33
Location: Ontario, Canada | BenR - 10/15/2014 10:12 AM
One last thing, I am barbless. Probably the best thing I have ever done going solo. BR
I have often considered this for safety as I fish solo approximately 40% of the time. If I may ask, how is your hook up to landing ratio? Assuming you have barbed experience to compare the two.
Excellent solo advice in this thread. |
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Posts: 1198
Location: Walker, MN | Your boat cleat may just work great for holding the net with a fish in it, try it out before hand.
Set up your camera before you start casting. Something like a Go-Pro is obvious but for years I used a point and shoot on a spotting scope window mount. I can get a picture in about ten seconds.
Definitely carry a good hook cutters. |
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Posts: 2097
| If I have a shot at trophy fish I want a barb. If the water has no shot of holding trophy fish I can care less. |
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Posts: 441
| I fish solo, 95% of the time.
Great advise, above.
I use the cleat to hold the net.
Don't try to net fish, when it's still green.
I don't fish at night, too much, when fishing solo.
I like fishing solo, now. I can concentrate on what I'm doing, and keep focused on every cast. The guys that come out, occasionally, don't muskie fish that much. That makes it a challenge, to them up to snuff. My one fishing buddy never shuts up! He can't make it 30 seconds, without saying something. It's hard to focus, with that! |
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Location: MN | If you have a smart phone you can prop it up, take a video then take snap shots of the video for your photos. Just don't stream music on your phone until it's dead then not be able to take a pic. Pulled that one this year.
I fish solo a lot. The best solo days are usually when your buddies give you a BS reason why they can't make it.
Have all your tools and a way to hold your net and you are set. |
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Posts: 1969
| expanding on a good point by bucknuts.. fight the fish a little while longer (than if you have a partner), do not go for the net too early, muskie become quite dormant when they are "done" - going to be under a 2 minute battle anyway, try to enjoy it. You will lose fish trying to net them green - solo. |
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Posts: 123
| I fish solo a lot. This is what I do. Keep ALL tools near my feet at front of boat. Setup bump board in back of the boat in case I wanna measure it. Keep net handle easy to reach while standing up. If I decide to net the fish, I net it when it's done being crazy and then sit/kneel on the net handle while removing the hooks. This actually works really well. Then I have this app on my iPhone called Photo Timer+. This app is awesome. It lets you take (for example) 10 pics in a row, 5 seconds apart (these settings are all adjustable). So I set it on my pedestal seat cup holder, hit go, pull the fish out, and then pose for the picture. Release fish, and then text the picture to all my a-hole buddies who didn't fish with me that day.
Lot's of small fish never hit the net, or if they do (cause sometimes I think it's easier to deal with them that way) I just dump them back in the water after the hooks are out.
God I love musky fishing. |
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Posts: 1901
Location: MN | For those of you that fish solo fairly often I would consider that Robo-Handle the little guy was selling at the shows this spring. I bought one for the few times that I fish alone, which I love to be able to do. Just makes controlling that big net more manageable, you can actually wield it aggressively when you need to, which is very difficult to do with the standard handle and the net being extended. Works like a charm. Goes on and off pretty easily too.
http://robohandle.com/ |
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Posts: 1168
| vegas492 - 10/15/2014 9:36 AM
I know that the net is an issue...and I get it. I end up fishing alone some of the time. And personally, the last thing I need is another picture of a 30-42 inch fish. I would fully recommend water releasing fish when you are alone. Get a long nosed pliers. Get the fish to the boat, drop the rod, grab the line and your pliers and shake the hook out and watch the fish swim away. Easy on you, easy on the fish.
Now you get a bigger one? Then certainly be ready with the net if you want a quality picture of the fish.
Just a suggestion....
This^ x100
If I don't have to do surgery on a fish getting the hooks out when fishing alone it doesn't see the net. If you don't have to net them it eliminates one more step that can be messed up. The net is still ready just in case.
I fish alone most of the time and a considerable amount of this is done at night. I bought a set of halogen auto lights (the little alien eye ones) and wired them into a 12v plug and plug it into a socket that's on a switch. I mounted those lights on a RAM plate so I can adjust it to light up what I need to see. When fishing at night I have that set up at the ready and once a fish is hooked I reach over and hit the switch and the entire side of my boat where I'm bringing the fish is lit up so I can see. Headlamps are useful but having more lighting than one of those can provide has helped a ton in staying safe (can see better where hooks are hung up) and has resulted in more efficient releases after dark. |
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Posts: 52
| PM'ed you offline |
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Posts: 427
Location: Planet Meltdown | I also fish solo a lot. I have considered going barbless but have not done so yet but that's really good advice. Everything has been touched on pretty good but a few things I will add is that if you do plan to net the fish, make sure you have a deep bag so that the fish is completely submerged. I tuck the hope section of my net closest to the front of the handle under my boat cleat and let the fish chill out before I start working on them. Feisty fish will chill out if you turn them upside down (tonic immobility.) Also, when I'm trolling solo in the fall and it's windy out, I keep my ipilot deployed but leave the shaft about half way up. When I get a hook up, I grab that rod, put the boat in neutral, and hit spot lock on my ipilot. Keeps the boat in one spot while you fight and work on the fish. Lots of docked boats where I fish, the last thing I want to worry about is getting blown into someone else's boat.
Edited by brianT 10/15/2014 5:00 PM
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Posts: 410
Location: Wakefield, MI | BenR - 10/15/2014 10:12 AM
One last thing, I am barbless. Probably the best thing I have ever done going solo. BR
That's a good idea. I've been giving row trolling a try with my old utility boat, planning on getting an actual row trolling boat over the winter, and need to figure out the best way to do it. Setting up a couple dedicated lures with barbless hooks might be the way to go.
I also do water releases most of the time, a good pair of lineman pliers give you a really good grip on the hook for this.
Edited by milje 10/15/2014 5:40 PM
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Posts: 93
Location: Des Moines IA | I fish alone, yeah
With nobody else
I fish alone, yeah
With nobody else
You know when I fish alone
I prefer to be by myself
Every morning just before breakfast
I don't want no coffee or tea
Just me and good buddy Top Raider
That's all I ever need
'Cause I fish alone, yeah
With nobody else
Yeah, you know when I fish alone
I prefer to be by myself
The other night I laid sleeping
And I woke from a terrible dream
So I caught up my the Cowgirls
And her partner Bucktail
And we fished alone, yeah
With nobody else
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | I don't really agree with the guys suggesting you not net fish alone...once you get a system down it's really not much more difficult then fishing with anyone else who is inexperienced...
get the fish in the net, aim your trolling motor where you want to go and put it in constant or autopilot, operate on the fish while it is in the water in net, get the hooks out, place a camera on a tripod with a delayed timer ( have it ready to go in a known place before you leave the dock), hit the button , scoop the fish up, smile and let it go....
it can be a bit more challenging but don't let it scare you
there's a guy in this thread who has caught a 57" alone if that wants to give you some more confidence.... |
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Posts: 241
| Larbo,
Good one. 
I prefer to fish alone as well....
Backdraft
Edited by backdraft 10/16/2014 1:52 PM
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Posts: 1168
| Musky Brian - 10/16/2014 2:49 PM
I don't really agree with the guys suggesting you not net fish alone...once you get a system down it's really not much more difficult then fishing with anyone else who is inexperienced...
get the fish in the net, aim your trolling motor where you want to go and put it in constant or autopilot, operate on the fish while it is in the water in net, get the hooks out, place a camera on a tripod with a delayed timer ( have it ready to go in a known place before you leave the dock), hit the button , scoop the fish up, smile and let it go....
it can be a bit more challenging but don't let it scare you
there's a guy in this thread who has caught a 57" alone if that wants to give you some more confidence....
I have my system of netting fish alone down and it has worked very well on countless fish. It's not out of fear that I seldom don't do it, it's a personal choice. As vegas said...why do I need another pic of a smaller fish?
Two scenarios come to mind on when I would net a fish solo.
1) If I needed to corral it in order to remove hooks without injuring it further
2) If it was an extraordinary fish that was worth documenting...size, markings, deformities, scarring, etc.
Again, if you feel the need to take a pic of every last one you catch then that's your decision to make. For others it's our decision not to. |
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Posts: 62
Location: Minnetonka MN | I fished solo several times this fall on Tonka. I liked the fishing solo part a lot. You have to go into a total concentration mode since everything is reliant on you. The only thing that was a pain was putting the boat in and taking it out solo. Especially at the launches where you have to drive a block away to park your truck and trailer. |
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