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Posts: 17
Location: PGH PA | First of all ... great site. Second of all ... I'm a begginer, fresh meat ... be gentle
Here is the problem ... I have it bad. It has crawled deep inside me and haunts me all day long...the need to throw ugly, oversized, arm burning lures that ... someday when all the stars align and my karma is pegged at full...will tease that beast enough to bite.......
I have been out several times, each time with some one just as inexperienced as me.
It ends in fishless days and countless questions...
Someone please tell me I'll be alright .... I'm scared .... yet lovin every minute of this new obssesion.
Thanks for listening...this is much cheaper then a therapist.....I just need to catch that first one.......
Edited by ichapicanemo 5/23/2007 7:29 PM
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Location: Des Moines IA | Wow man................ welcome to the fun ..................................... everything's going to be OK, as long as you've got lots of time & $ .......
Edited by MuskieMike 5/22/2007 10:24 PM
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Posts: 127
Location: Brookfield | Dude beleive me I feel your pain. I have been in your shoes(still am) and it may get alot worse before it gets better. I gave up all other species 2 years ago and spent all my time on musky with little success. I have seen the beast follow my baits and have lost 3 pigs at boatside, but have yet to get anything worth speaking of in my net.
The way I see it you are in phase 1- you are frustrated but yet you will not give up. This is normal and healthy behavior.
Phase 2 is coming- you think you arent throwing the right baits. You go to the bait store and see the price tags. I know they are a little expensive but you will own all of them soon enough. Dont worry the first couple hurt the worst, after that the next 2 or 3 hundred baits are no problem.
Phase 3- I havnt gotten there yet so I cant help you. I have around 400 baits and havnt found the right one yet. Somehow I am still married.
The best advice I can give you is fish numbers lakes for a while or maybe spend the money and get a guide, it could save you alot of time and frustration. What ever you do stick with it and have a blast, your day will come.
John 
Edited by esoxnut 5/22/2007 10:38 PM
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Posts: 127
Location: Brookfield | By the way, welcome to the board. If you are looking for therapy you came to the right place. Group therapy 24/7/365.
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Posts: 23
Location: Mt. Prospect, il | Just wait for your first follow from a super tanker. You will need heart medication also. Musky fishing you don’t pick it, it picks you. Good luck. It all over now! |
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Posts: 122
Location: Kenosha, Wi. | First off, welcome to the board.......You've just hooked up with the best people in the musky world to talk to and ask questions. And you will....hehe. But alas, BE AFRAID............BE VERY AFRAID! There have been to many times where I've been out on the water and used the memorable verse from "Acopolypse Now"....."The horror............The horror................! Once again, welcome to the sight. |
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Posts: 723
| hahaha musky fishing is like a street drug, its not for everyone, but, once you try it, you can't put it down.
You will never be satisfied with your personal best, bait washing is something you have to do from time to time, it helps rationalize why you bought 6 of the same bait in different colors just cause your buddy popped a fish or two on one in front of you. 
My only advice is to soak up as much info when youre off the water, but, when you hit the water, don't try to cram it all into one session. Don't make your trips to the lake confusing and high strung, yeah, you will have some tough days, lots of them, but it will all come together once you apply what you have learned, stick with it, and when that fish is splashing and thrashing in the net you will feel overwhelmed with joy and accomplishment, thats when you will realize that you never really thought about what to do about unhooking something so pizzed off.
let alone if you remembered to bring a camera! hehe
good luck with your journey.
a couple tips,
Once you get the hang of working a bait, dont' watch the bait coming in, look around your bait for a fish, the most common problem some of my friends have is looking at how pretty the painjob is as its coming in, and then don't even see the fish that is about to commit suicide next to the boat as they pull it out of the water. Don't daydream unless you are throwing topwater! hehe
Inspect your tackle, sharp hooks, no frays in your line, drag set too tight or too loose, swivels and snaps not worn out. Nothing hurts more than losing a fish you worked so hard for to something that costs $ 0.39
most of all enjoy your time on the water, cause when you are at home, at work, on this web-site, you will be wishing you were somewhere else, oh wait, you already have that.
good luck! |
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Posts: 1245
Location: Madtown, WI | Welcome!!
I like the stages idea....it is pretty accurate.
You don't need to own 400 baits (I got past that stage). What you need to know is what TOOL do you use for a given situation. This will elimiate the need for 400 baits.
Learn which tool to use when, and most imporantly, learn how to use that tool effectively!!!!
I can hit the water with only a handful of baits anyday and feel pretty good I will have the right tool for the day. that hand full of baits changes through out the season. Yes there are times I wish I had lure X or Y....but..in the beginning...limiting your bait selection actually helps you focus on what you need to do.
Fish waters with fish....sounds stupid but true. Don't hit a trophy lake hoping to score....like mentioned....go to a numbers lake...learn how fish react etc.....its amazing how much you can learn just by catching a dozen or so 30-36 inchers. Plus you will have a lot more encounters with lookers etc to learn from.
Hire a guide if you can....REALLY helps on the learning curve!!!
Best of luck!!
Cory
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Posts: 8773
| 1. Read the MH lure progression article
2. ALWAYS do a figure 8, and learn to do it well
3. Don't worry about catching fish. You will.
Most important thing is fish where the fish are with something that matches their location and their mood.
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Posts: 3147
| Actually EVERY body on the board is jealous of you,,,you get to experience the great thrill and excitement of catching your first one,,,Thats why Im looking forward to Parkinsons disease and bad memory in my old age,It will be great to catch my first muskie again  |
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Posts: 17
Location: PGH PA | Thanks for the words of encuragement. Like I said it is fun....just a bit difficult to wrap my mind around all the new info, lures, equipment.....and lack of local support....everyone thinks I 'm looking to catch THEIR fish.
The thing that is making it more difficult then it should be is how difficult it is to get any kind of info in SW/NW Pensylvania....I'm not looking for secret spots or to fish in your back pocket....but a general idea of what is going on...are they on, day, night, how about a lure that has worked for you in the past....
Any other species and there are plenty of reports and people willing to help out a bit....but you mention the "big M" they go into lock down.
The conversation goes from bass fishing to Musky sometimes, I'll ask a question...next thing you know someone is treating me like I slept with his sister.....
The best part is discovering new lures and trying new things....been fishing my whole life and I havent had this much fun in a long time......
Edited by ichapicanemo 5/23/2007 7:29 PM
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Posts: 8773
| Ever considered Joining Muskies Inc? They have three chapters in PA, might be a great way to network, make friends in your area, and find out where some good places to fish are... |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | I was wondering where you are, your profile is not very informative. There are some awesome lakes and streams to fish in this part of the country, and several regulars on this site from what looks to be your area. Let us know how we can help you. Ever think of fishing Pymatuning, Piedmont, Chataqua (oh, I know that's not spelled right!)? The Muskies Inc idea is a good one, here's a link that may help:
http://www.muskiesinc.org/ on the left is 'chapter info'. m |
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Posts: 350
Location: WESTERN WI | Enjoy, and try not to outhink yourself and be patient. If you have prior angling experience with other species and can identify patterns with those species, try to use some of that knowledge and apply it to the muskies in your area. This should help give you confidence that will keep you going thru the s-l-o-w dog days when fish are few and far between. Again being patient and blowing off frustration are the biggest attributes that your 'psyche' will need to develop over the rest of the disease referred to as Musky Fishing. Good Luck! |
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Posts: 32880
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Some great advice here, enjoy the sport and try to stay sorta normal. |
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Posts: 55
Location: SW Michigan | I'm a rookie, too & believe me it only gets worse. You'll catch that first fish then you'll want a bigger fish. Then you'll catch that & you'll get thinking, sure would be cool to have a two fish day! It just gets worse & worse. But it's alot of fun trying, although frustrating at times. Tons of knowledge on here. Couple that with time on the water & it'll all come together, just gotta be in the right place at the right time.
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Posts: 17
Location: PGH PA | Hey guys, thanks for the suggestions. I'm definetly going to join some sort of organization/club. As far as location...I'm in Pittsburgh, so if anyone is from around that area drop me a pm.
I hit the river Sunday and ended up washing my lures for several hours...it was fun, but I'm still not used to the heavy gear. I noticed how quick my hands and arms statred getting stiff.
So a quick question...if you had one lure for a large river (Allegheny/Mon) what would it be...
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I'm going to need therapy....