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Posts: 7087
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | How would you rate your 2006 season? | |
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Posts: 20248
Location: oswego, il | My fall was great and I hope to get out at least one more time if not two more times. I did not get much fishing in this spring or summer and met alot of tough conditions along with not having a boat. Had 2 fish going into mid september but am at 22 fish now. Would like to catch a few more before christmas. | |
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | I went with better than most. This is really my first full season of chasing the things. I ended up with 9. My goal was 10 so you could say I came short on that, but I also set a new personal best, and beat it setting a new one at 47 inches. My complaints would be in my summer, I couldnt get a fish to eat to save my life. But I did meet a lot of new people and enjoyed the season!
Mike | |
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Posts: 720
| Hi Slamr,
I think this season had to be one of the best I've ever had. But then I say that at the end of every season. 
Thanks
Dave | |
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Location: Des Moines IA | My season sucked as far as catching fish goes. But I had fun, and learned alot too, so all in all I'd say average, can't really complain ..... | |
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Posts: 2024
| Best yet!
Caught my personal best X2. Fished SMART. Discovered new water (and was WELL rewarded). Got my friends their first and biggest muskies... best of all? Not done yet!!!! | |
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Location: Des Moines IA | How would you rate your season Slamr? Can't ask the question, then not answer it yourself!!!!! | |
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Posts: 1168
| Fewer fish than each of the two previous years but overall better. Number of fish per hour went up considerably. | |
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| worst season since 95!! always too late on the windows,,if Id a fished ONE specific body of water all year I would have done great I ,,season was so bad I cant even evaluate all the new lures I bought in 06 have to try them again in 07 | |
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Posts: 556
| best yet because i had the most fun | |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | Not so many numbers of fish this year, but it beat the crap out of last year!
Got my personal best, got to hang with the MFirsters in Rhinelander, made new fishing friends, and basked in all the love from Slamr!
Now, if I just win the Perka Hideout drawing, that will top it off.
And, it's not over yet, got a couple trips planned in the next couple weekends. Come on big fish! m | |
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Posts: 4266
| Only made 2 trips.
Fished with Dad up in Rhinelander and won The Bassmaster Classic, and hooked a fish that I couldn't move out of the pads.
Spent a week on Cass and spent more time off the water with my daughter than on the water. Missed a very nice fish on a spinnerbait, and had a huge fish eat a 10" glider that I made, only to wind up burying the line in the spool when I set the hook like King-Kong. Could have had her in the net numerous times if I wasn't alone because I only had 10 feet of line out. That 30 seconds of insanity made my season. Batting 1 for 4 in that inside turn, and will hang a hog in there one day.
Not much time on the water, but that is my choice or my fault, depending on how you look at it. Too many other things going on in my life right now, so the muskies will have to wait. | |
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Posts: 1764
Location: Ogden, Ut | Best ever.
First pure strain (and personal best) from some overexploited lake in central Minnesota (thanks again SJ) and first Wisconsin muskie at the P.I outing (thanks again saint). What made this 'season' so good was the people that I had a chance to spend portions of it with. I reaquainted myself with a few friends and made several more, my son caught a couple and I was on the 'phone tree' of some that caught monsters. I was able to take 2 long trips and spend many days close to home chasing muskies. The number of fish I landed this year is so irrelevant to my considering this year to be the best it's not even funny. I honestly would have too look it up in my log to be able to tell you how my fish numbers compare to the previous year(s), because I don't know. Muskie fishing has been instrumental in teaching me what is most important in life. And it ain't the fish 
...but they're a nice by-product!
Sorno | |
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Posts: 90
Location: Florence, Wisconsin | I put better than most. I caught the most I have ever caught in a season but my biggest is still only 42". Really thought that I would have gotten one bigger than that this year. Had a blast though and cant wait to get that pig next season. Time to catch some tasty panfish through the ice and clean up my musky gear.
Bo | |
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Posts: 2112
Location: The Sportsman, home, or out on the water | Somewhat dissapointing, however:
1. Had knee surgery in May
2. Had pinched nerve in July
Good however:
1. Had 2-2fish days,
2. Lori got her first legal
3. New Boat ROCKS! | |
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| i was on the water less this year than the past couple years, with about the same results, so that's a good thing.
got one special fish that made my year, and probably my muskie fishing life.
most of all i got to share the boat with some of my very favorite people in the world. thanks guys.
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Posts: 2865
Location: Brookfield, WI | This was my absolute best year of musky fishing. I learned more, made more friends, and spent more time on the water than I ever did before. I caught four more fish than last year thanks to the help of a couple of people, and each one was a personal best. The season ended with a 47.5", which raises the bar for next year, I guess. Thanks to everyone who's path I bumbled across.
I only really oversocialized a couple of times while fishing, which was a positive for the sport in general.
Kevin
Are most of the guests gone? | |
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Location: Contrarian Island | Best for sure....best season for #'s, best for #'s of big fish, best avg., put over 120 fish in the net between me and the people I shared a boat with... Learned alot of new tips and tricks to fool em...met some new friends and fished with more people this year ...fished and learned some new waters and even better put some very nice fish in the net on these new waters...need to add a few more to the list next year...
The new PB in September will be hard to top....special thanks to Mike HTrain Hulbert and Kevin The Ring Cochran for that one...
Putting alot of people on fish stands out...got some people their biggest or 1st of some sort (night, fig 8, sucker etc) and put quite a few on multiple fish...I think once you catch alot of fish it is just plain fun to fish from the back whether I'm being paid or not...did that this fall more and actually liked it back there! will do more of that next year ...except when Dan O is in the boat cuz he seems to do just fine back there
Looking forward to 07 already!
Edited by MSKY HNR 12/6/2006 5:55 PM
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Posts: 222
Location: Hartland, WI | i would have to say better than most. however, i spent less time on the water this year than i have the past two or three, especially during the summer months. the highlight had to be my fiance getting her first. what a hoot that was and something i will never forget. the new boat had more fish put into it by me and my boat partners than we have ever caught before. we are still trying to add them all up and are around the 90+ mark, which probably could have been more but I am known to lose a fish or two from time to time. (shut up Long)
it was a great year for big fish. we caught 4 wisoncsin fish in the 48" - 49" range and a few big ones in MN.
overall it was a great year and sharing a boat with MnMatt, Rozanski, Draeger, Maxey, Jlong, and a few others was great. I look forward to next year and hope my wedding doesn't take up too much time!
johannes
Edited by muskie_man1 12/6/2006 10:57 AM
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Posts: 8831
| LOL
Depends on how you measure a season...
If you measure it in number of fish per angling hour it was my worst ever.
If you measure it in follows it was pretty dismal, but not the worst.
If you measure it in miles travelled it was the longest.
If you measure it in new waters fished it was the most.
If you measure it simply in days fished (not at work, woohoo!!) it was the best ever, with somewhere in the neighborhood of 35 days on the water. Not bad for someone who works for a living and doesn't have a boat.
If you measure it in good times and new friends it was the best so far, but I hope it's not the best for long.
Add it up? It was my best year.
I already can't wait until next year.
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Posts: 2089
| One of the best I can remember. Some good days and some bad days, some little fish and some big fish. It was like I always said about college..."I learned more out of the classroom than in it". I learned more about "fishing" out of the boat than in it. Crazy.Lots of people ask about numbers, as some sort of measure of success. These are the #'s I kept. I feel very fortunate to be part of 9 people catching their 1 st muskie and another 12 catching their largest.That's what I'll take from this season.Along with a few press clippings for my kids to look at when I'm gone.That's satisfaction. All the nay sayers? Couldn't do it? Did it. Leaving Footprints. Steve | |
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Posts: 3507
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | I went with "could have been better"
I did get my share of follows, but for some reason or another, the years where the temperature is hotter, especially water temps, I seem to have a bunch of fish not getting hooks...as if they are just nipping at the bait rather than really "chomping" on it. The only time I could really get fish up and biting was just before a storm front would blow through. That was about it. They'd follow lethargically during any other time. I just could not tap into a nice pattern this year.
The lakes I spend my time on are not known for big fish nor for the abundance of fish, so I base my season off the number of fish in the boat over 30". This year was humbling... 10 fish in the boat from MN with the largest being 41" Canada managed to give up 10 as well with the largest a 47-1/2" fish. So...if anything, I did get a personal best which made the summer, but things were tough for me...especially august and into october. Nothing seemed to work...
Steve
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Posts: 323
| I'd have to rate this as a very good season so far. Released my largest musky ever fishing solo from shore in May, which was a 54"er in my home state of IL. Had a cool experience with my wife in the boat. (No, not that kind of experience!!!) She witnessed a vicious top water strike, saw the fish airborn a few times and helped me net a healthy 43. She really thought that was cool and I think it helped her to understand why I fish for these #*^@ fish. Met and fished with new friends whom I'm sure I'll be spending boat time with for years to come. For me the big attraction of musky fishing is not just catching fish but spending time with others that share this same addiction. I'm not a tourney guy and enjoy fishing in more remote areas away from the masses. Saw another bear this season fishing the WI river early one morning. Stuff like this is what I crave and is why I think we are all blessed.......... | |
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Posts: 28
| First year going for them and i got my first fish. Only one i caught but i had a decent number of follows and couple missed blow ups. | |
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Posts: 327
| I'd say I had a pretty good year , I got my wife her first fish which was a blast and a half !!! I was fortunate enough to meet a bunch of new peaople at both outings , and have learned a ton from all of you here !!! Mike and I fished alot this year and both learned alot from eatchother , mostly all attributed to what we both learned from a bunch of great people . I got 10 fish this year which is better than last , but I got my PB at 49 x 23 and got to share it with a few folks at the P.I. outing !!! Most of all , the time on the water all year has been fun , despite how many fish we screwed up !!! Live and learn right !!! Hope to fish as much new water next year as I did this year , it's fun and frustrating to fish new water for me . It would've been nice to pin up a few more of the fish we saw , but I just like to be out , so seeing them and not catching them isn't all that bad . We'll see how long I'll be saying that , not long !!! All in all , fun year , love my new boat , liked meeting new folks and looking forward to meeting more , learned alot and looking forward to learning more !! Really wish my son could have seen a fish in the boat this year , that's the only disappointment for me , REDEMPTION !!!!! | |
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Location: Lake Tomahawk, WI | Great season, right up there. I fished less than normal for myself, had a good success rate guiding, and filmed around 50 WI fish. The crew managed around 140 muskies and around 50 walleyes over 25". Got to share the boat with old friends, new ones, family, and the Crew. Had historically good patterns and time frames come up empty, while new ones emerged. Spent more time fishing panfish and bass with my nephews and enjoy that as much or more than muskie fishing. Figured out a lot of techniques to consistantly boat big walleyes all summer. Took 2 big bucks with the rifle, and was able to visit Las Vegas for ICAST (no pictures, please). Got to hang out in a few taverns with the boys after the boats were stowed, knock back a few cold ones and discuss the day. Enjoying my realization that I far prefer hunting and fishing to drinking (a few at the end of the day is still true blessing).
I didn't get to Canada, Minnesota, Kentucky, Illinois, or Indiana this year. This is one thing I wish I could've accomplished.
See you at the shows.
J.Sloan
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | Another great, and safe season in the books. Although the wife and I did not get to spend as much time in the boat together this year due to having our first child last jan., we made the most of our outings. Highlight for us two was my wife catching her biggest of 06(45"), and one of three total with our daughter Emma along in the boat that day. Very good spring, followed by a tough hot summer(saved by a few trips to mn and canada), and the best fall we've had in years made for a fun 2006. Never learned so much in one season either, especialy in the fall, and always thankful for that. Now, bring on the tipup action!!
Edited by Reef Hawg 12/6/2006 8:52 PM
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Posts: 2112
Location: The Sportsman, home, or out on the water | Forgot to mention all the folks I had the great pleasure of sharing a boat with (how stupid of me):
Lori (Lolleitta) (Love You Baby!)
Dr. Mike (Muskymaj) (You ROCK!)
Krishna (K-bob) (You ROCK, despite me stripping down and disloging yer boat from that sand bar in October)
Bob (Ubian, or something like that) (nice to meet you)
Rusty (Onemorecast) (thanxs for getting me hooked on Weiser's!)
And all the folks I met in person this year from this brain child of Steve Worral. Way to numerous to list! MuskieFirst outings kick butt! | |
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Posts: 7087
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | My season, as all seasons had its ups and downs.
MuskieFIRST was on the up, growing faster than we ever have before with so many new great members. We've got alot moving in the positive direction we like to maintain, and we've got some interesting things down the road. The Rhinelander and Presque Isle Outings were a huge success where everyone had fun, and a few nice fish were caught.
Eagle Lake was a blast, even if a $10 part made me find other waterbourne transportation. Boated another 48" fish this year, and of course missed another fish over 50". Outside of Eagle, I caught a good number of fish early, and hit a huge slump in the fall. It happens, and it's ok.
Got to fish alot with some good friends (Grudgings,Boro), had a ton of fun with others (Lambeau, Tomyv) didnt get nearly enough fishing time with some (Worrall, Jonesi, Running_Hot), and fished with some that were new and I had a blast with in 2007 (Hopeful).
2007 will be another fishing year with some shots at big fish that I'll miss (I might be the Moses of Muskie fishing [I can lead you to the promised land, I just cant go there] ), adventures (walking in freezing water almost to your knees because there's no dock in) and misadventures ("hey, is that a #*^@ we're about to go over?"), hilarious times ("well you said 'hit it hard, hit it hard'!!!"), moments of anger ("wow, if that 'check engine' light means problems, this week is gonna SUCK!"), times of pain ("ya know, i think i really am allergic to peanuts, i think this migraine is going to kill me"), frustration ("if you dont move away from in front of the trolling motor, I'm going to throw you in"), and happiness ("you were right, this bait DOES catch fish!"). Gotta make it through Winternet, first.
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Posts: 1245
Location: Madtown, WI | Was a great all around year for me. Started off VERY SLOW for me as far as time on the water and fish in the boat, but really picked up come mid summer and into fall. I spend some great boat time with some guys I had wanted to fish with for quite a while, and really had fun!
Had an awesome trip to Canada with a great bunch of guys and landed two 50+ fish including my heaviest to date.
Learned plenty of new techs and lakes and just plain had fun!
I think looking back, besides the fish, the friends and boat time with them really made it a great year for me!!
Thanks all...you know who you are!
Lets see if I can remember......
Brad N(and Summerdog!)
Dan the man
Dave Sandstrom
Mike Milia
Charlie
JLong
Jschillinger
Tkoepke
Shane
M. hintz
EA
Donnie Hunt
Colton Hunt
Craig "big Joe"
T.Grafton
Cody
S.Hepler
Fulkersons
and those I have yet to remember!
Cory
Edited by C.Painter 12/6/2006 10:10 PM
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | You led me to the promised land then quickly shut the door and sent me back to the desert!
Mike | |
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Posts: 2687
Location: Hayward, WI | This was a hard question for me to answer. I went with the average, could have been better option. I have been a serious fisherman for quite a few years now, but this is the first year I targeted muskies at all. I started out slow, catching only two muskies before the water heated up and I went through a big summer slump. I went back to walleyes, smallies, and crappies now and then to remind myself I still did know how to fish. At the end of August, things heated up for me and I caught six more fish by October. By that time I had put off bowhunting longer than I ever had and pretty much spent the rest of the fall in the woods.
So, I caught 8 muskies in my first year fishing for them. Only one (the first one wouldn't you know) made the 40 inch mark, with most of the others being in the mid to high 30's range. So, I didn't catch a LOT of fish, but I felt it was pretty decent for the first year. Next year I hope to do much better, thus the "It could have been better" answer. I love icefishing as well but I can't wait for the musky opener next year!
curleytail
Edited by curleytail 12/6/2006 10:35 PM
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Posts: 194
| Overall, I had a good year. I had three goals for the season. I missed them all. First one was double digit numbers, ended up with 7. Second was a new personal best, tied the old PB. Third was to get one to commit at boatside, and catch her. Had one strike at boatside and lost it inside of two seconds. #^@&, *$#&, $^#*&@ right Gerard? I also welcomed the arrival of a new baby girl to our family in mid-October. I had another great year on the water, and I'm counting my blessings. I also helped two friends get their first fish and another get his PB while getting two others out for their first time. I don't care if I missed my goals because I didn't get to finish out the season. I was a tad busy for the last month and half of it, worth every missed cast. The fish are a bonus. Kids is where it's at. | |
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Posts: 331
Location: Stevens Point, Wisconsin | I had a 2 week time frame that made the whole year great. 67 fish boated on LOTW's in a 2 week trip in july. The total out of my boat over that time was 97 fish, just an incredable bite. 20 of my fish were between 40 and 52 with several in the mid to upper 40's. Rest of the year was average in WI but my partner and I managed to take a 1st and 3rd place finish at WMT events.
Ed Spoerl | |
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Posts: 1060
Location: Medford, WI | Best year of my three years musky fishing. Started the year off with a bang, getting my personal best of 51" on LOTW; so I knew breaking that in the same summer would be tough!!! Didn't happen, but fished lots of new waters, because I finally found a partner to fish with and who was willing to head to lakes without knowing too much about them. Fished Hayward area lakes and Vilas Cnty lakes, and found success with every trip we took....even if it involved camping in a blizzard (foot of snow) in early October!!!
Aside from my personal best, the biggest reason I consider this season a success is because: 1. The amount which I learned from fishing different types of waters and at different times of the year (laaate Fall). Seeing how different muskies can be which "live" in lakes less than a mile apart is just amazing!!! Anyone who has/does fish Crow Lake and LOTW will know exactly what I mean!!! and 2. Because it's time in the outdoors enjoying everything that most people just take for granted and never take the time to realize how great it really is.
Hope everyone else had a great year and even more success to you next year!
-Jake | |
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| Hands down my best ever, big fish and lots of em.
Bob T | |
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| i started off great at Cave Run with G.T. and my dad. in 2 days, we raised several, one monster on a hawg teaser, put my first one of the year in the net on the 10th cast off a weed patch (after getting yelled at during THAT cast for not working a sledge right...ok, not yelled at but picked on...HAHHA). we put 6 in the boat, nothing big, but it was nice and enjoyable as always when fishing with Gregg.
worked my home water to death from may-october..missed 2 big fish, caught some really nice ones (first weagle fish, beside someones dock with people watching...3 airborn attacks on it, the 3rd being the hookup...it was awesome!!!!), got kamikazeed in the groin when i went to net one (jumped over the net, and into my junk!!!!spectators for that one too...many laughs)....got my first one in my (new/old azz) little boat as my best friend netted it and chomped a stogie.
but, my highlight was teaching my 2.5 year old daughter that the barbie rod was not the way, the st criox/shimano is the ticket!!!! and my second highlight was my 10 year old cousin Jake getting a little muskie off the boat while it was docked. that was awesome.
very satisfying. couldn't have asked for or wished for a better year (ok, maybe a few tweaks in favor of the new people in the boat..i love seeing other people catch fish, i really do!!!)
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Muskie Season Satisfaction?