Location: Athens, Ohio | 11 muskies in 9 days, I don't care they were 40 and under, that was fun! Just sat down last night with my MI release forms and thought I'd give a summary of my part of the trip. Yeah, others had bigger fish, better catches, I had FUN. I fished with Gene each day except Wednesday, when Jonesi and thedude took me for quite a ride.
Thursday, 8/26 - arrived at Waukesha, Wis. and found Gene's house. We loaded up his boat and got my truck ready for the next day's travel, then called Mike Koepp. Our plans were to have dinner with him at the Waterfront, but they tore it down! We ate at Gene's and met Mike at the ramp. Gene wanted to learn the fine arts of tolling Pewaukee and Mike was a great instructor. Within an hour the reel ripped and (this time without my shoelaces tied) I grappled with a 40 inch muskie who seemed to have a phobia for both the boat and the net. Great fighter and she went back in easy. No more fish so we crawled back to the house for a long day of travel.
Friday - drive to Papa Joe's was uneventful the way we like it. Papa was ready and psyched, we convoyed up past St. Cloud and wound our way past Bemidji (dinner stop) to Baudette, staying at the new Americinn. That pool and spa felt great to road weary bones.
Saturday - border crossing was a breeze although some earlier arrivals met with searches. On to Pier North, boats in the water, crossing to Cedar Island went fine. Dumped the stuff in the cabins, loaded up the fridges, then out on the water by one. Finall at nightfall, I hung a 31" muskie in the bay across from the dock on my new Violent Strike buzz bait. First topwater muskie of my short career, whoo-hoo!
Sunday - winds, waves, clouds - PERFECT! a 3 fish day for mikie, all three coming on a black Mepps Maribou with gold blade. a 30 that I shook off at boatside (we were in waves and chop right up on the rocks, not a time for Gene to leave the troller for the net), a 31 15 minutes later on the lee side of the island, and right after lunch a 34. Colder and rain.
Monday - wow, a 37 before lunch, thick fish, too. Got him on a black bucktail with flame blade mfg. by one of the outing participants on a rock point. right after lunch, a 35.5, rocky point, same lure, clouds and wind. I had to wait until 7 pm for the last one, a 34, my second topwater fish came on an Eagle Spin bucktail topwater that I repainted a hot red and sparkle. Glad that worked! While out, we noted while traveling up a channel that there was a very likely looking spot. Without checking charts or GPS, cut across the channel and BANG! Found a rock. Stopped the outboard (not a good sign) and bent one prop blade back 1/2 inch 90 degrees.
Tuesday - daylight inspection of the prop showed a wobble in the shaft and leaking lower unit oil. Grant gets on the phone and lines up repair services in Ft. Francis. Limp back to the ramp, load the boat, and spend the day at the shop. Great people, got us right in and out. Poor Gene! He held up well. We were back by 5 and got some fishing in. Both of us had the same fish up - me once, he twice - and dancing but couldn't keep hooks in "old rubberlips". No fish.
Wednesday - out early with Steve and Matt. Gene and Mauser following, two Red Rangers zipping east. Saw some awesome sized fish raised on a weedbed, even had one going myself on that buzz bait. Using Steve's brown Buchertail, got a 39 in a rock reef complex. Nice fish, very fine, Matt gave a good lesson to me on holding the fish. Somehow, there just seemed something wrong about catching this fish listening to rap music from the 8 Mile soundtrack, kept thinking I was in my kid's room! Raised a good fish on my Muskie Treats bait. So cool to see him twitch each time the bait dog-walked side to side. Ran to the boat but couldn't pin on the 8. Then, mid-afternoon, we were in a fine looking spot, so I asked myself, "What would Mauser do?" Sledge! Put on my 6 inch banana sledge and made a couple casts. Matt wanted to try it, sure, here! He only made one cast, handed it back, my next cast thumped a 38 that t-boned that bait. Steve and Matt jumped on the net and started cutting hooks so I got on the troller and kept us off the rocks. A few casts later Steve hung a good fish (well, good in MY book, I know he was trophy hunting).
We had dinner with Bob Pieske and Papa Joe & Eric, Greens makes big food and we devoured it.
Thursday - a 35 that afternoon back on the Maribou. Got him in slack water behind a windy point. Got him after three rounds on the figure 8. Raised several other fish in this bay, each time Gene would get on the motor and ready to go I'd do one more cast and run a fish to the boat. That would be my last fish of the outing, Friday produced many follows, a couple hookups. Fatigue played a big factor in me losing a couple hooked fish.
totals: 1-30, 2-31, 2-34, 2-35, 1 each: 37, 38, 39, 40. Doubled my lifetime catch numbers in one trip, starting to feel less and less like a beginner, but like they say, "Grasshopper, you have much left to learn!" tight lines, m
Edited by mikie 9/9/2004 2:12 PM
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Posts: 724
Location: Southern W.Va. | All I can say about this trip is that I had the most amasing 10 cast in the history of my fishing life
Pulled into a bay with Jonesi and TheDude, fishing from the back of the boat I make a cast to the right side of a rock at the corner of the bay and BAM, 36" northern. Next cast , to the left side of the rock, BAM small musky of maybe 25". 4 maybe 5 cast later,BAM 42" musky that bends up the hooks on the secert lure . While Thedude, goes to work on changing the hooks on the lure, I pick up my other rod and make 1 cast only to have another fish in the 40" range to roll all over the bait, but I just couldn't hook up to that 1.
In less that 10 cast I put 2 muskies and a fair( my biggest to date) northern pike in the boat and miss another. Man it doesn't get any better that this!!!
Thanks guys,
Mauser |
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