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Posts: 2089
| Ahhh, the new year is around the corner and Mother Nature has a frozen grip on 1/2 the country.Time for reflection.My 1st muskie.I still remember that fish like it was yesterday.No spots on this one!I remember EVERYTHING.A 31" hawg that doubled over my 5'3" Lunkerstik.The drag on the Cardinal 4 sung a sweet tune, but soon the fish was in the net with the 7" yellow Suick T-boned.I was 9 at the time.The same age my daughter is now.1977.Fast forward 27 years.I'm in the boat with both kids and net a 40" for Ally as she puts everything she has into holding on for dear life!With the fish safely in the net,the two of them jump around the boat in pure, unadulterated jubilation.Ya know, it was a real good year if ya think about it.I bet Ally remembers her first muskie.I bet she remembers EVERYTHING. Steve |
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| when i was living in northern New York, summer of 2000, a buddy and i crossed the border into Canada. we'd hired two "guides" (local high-school kids) who told us to meet them near Napanee (eastern Ontario).
when we met them they've got 2 canoes strapped on a trailer behind their car...???
well we follow them for about a half-hour through many twists and turns (i think they drove in circles to confuse us) and we finally put over to the side of the road.
they throw the canoes into a creek that is literally no more than a mid-length cast wide. they claimed to have found the spot by accident looking for places to bass fish, and assured us it was a good one. well...my first cast lands literally on a fish that takes off 100mph. second cast has a fish dart out of the weeds, take a swing and miss. OK, maybe these kids are onto something here.
after some convincing, my guide gets me to take off my too big crankbait and try this big rubber worm he called a "Sluggo". so i throw it out, first cast to the weed edge and BAM! Fish ON! the fish worked us good, actually pulling the canoe upstream for a ways. a few minutes later, a nice 43"er was in the net. i think i was shaking for 10 minutes after the release. i also managed to catch a pretty 36" later that day after "deadsticking" (ie., professional overrun) a dardevle. as soon as i finally started retrieving it was nailed.
it took me three years to catch my first fish, and it was worth the wait. between my myself, my buddy, and the two guides i think we boated like 8 or 9 fish that day. don't believe the doubters, because that secret "Spot X" really does exist... |
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Posts: 576
Location: Germantown, WI | 1979- Big Round Lake in Hayward, WI. I was 6 years old and we were trolling rapalas back to our cabin around 9PM. I was with my dad and uncle and at that age i was notorious for telling them i had a fish on. At first they didn't believe me, but when they saw the bend in my pole, i think they were more excited than i was. i can't say i actually reeled it in all by myself, i'm sure my dad helped. it was a 36" beauty! |
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| My first real "I'm fishing for Muskies" fish........
Fishing an area that had to be "good" using a jointed ShallowRaider the baits gets about 5 feet from the boat and a mid thirties fish smashes it and on the hookset clears the bow of my boat banging off the bowmount trolling mtr on the way across..........if that doesn't hook you for good you might as well quit now  |
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| When I was 15, 1978, as we did every Summer, my dad and I were fishing the Chippewa Flowage when I caught my first musky using on a Rapala, a 37 inch Tiger Musky. I had been fishing for bass, trout, northerns, walleyes, and other species, but once I caught that musky there was no turning back. 26 years later I still enjoy fishing with my girls for all species, but I spend all of my time thinking about musky fishing, and a little of my time actually doing it! |
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Posts: 20281
Location: oswego, il | I can remember mine quite vividly. It was the second year shabbona was open, early spring in the backwater and I caught two small tigers in a 10min span on my zebco cardinal 3 with a matching zebco pro-staff light spinning rod, 4lb line, no leader and a 3" gold rapala. I liked shabbona back then, it was fairly clear, had coontail and was fun to fish. |
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Posts: 3242
Location: Racine, Wi | Ahhh, the first monster that hooked me. It twas a rainy August day in Northern Wisconsin. My dad and I were working a rocky shorline looking for "Old Moe". I was casting a black and gold 4 1/2" Rebel. I cast next to a tree. Let the lure sit for a moment. Twitch, Twitch, Pause. Twitch.... boooom!!! Fish on!!! Moments later, a beautiful 20" monster lay at the side of the boat. My first musky!!! I think half of the northwoods heard me shouting out. But better than that is 2 casts later. Same scenario. Booom. Another twin to that fish. So 2 fish in 3 cast. Total of about 40"s between the 2, and a 40" smile on a 10 year olds face, as well as a proud father looking on. I now take my pops out fishing instead of him taking me.
I have seen quite a few cherries popped in the past few years, and each time comes the same crazed reaction to this beautiful green creature.
Man I love these fish!!!!
Great post Jonesi!! |
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Posts: 723
| I was 16 and my buddy and I were on carrol lake camping on a monday after a holiday weekend, It was just about dark when we moved toward this boulder, by buddy was 3sheets to the wind but was still able to cast, scarilly. I was throwing a cisco kid topper, and I had thrown at this boulder for 4 times, on my 5th cast at this rock all hell broke loose, a 40 is dancing next to the boat creating complete chaos, by buddy made a decent net job (for being drunk) and we flopped her in the bottom of the boat, which in turn nocked the lantern over and broke the glass, now it was dark! Luckily, she unhooked as soon as she flopped, took a couple pictures and she swam off.
I think this was the turning point for not bringing fish into the boat anymore. Needless to say, we partied hard that night,
And if it wasn't for my stupidity, the very next morning on Gilmore, about 5 casts into the day, I hooked up with another 40ish but due to my drag still being loose from the night before, couldn't stick the hooks in her. Been addicted eversince, its just too bad my buddy isn't here to share this #*^@ sickness I have now.  |
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Posts: 1939
Location: Black Creek, WI | Oh yeah... I remember my first musky. Fed the whole family with it (c'mon... it was the 70's). I was a HERO. I soaked up every bit of attention that accomplishment gave me... and it lit a fire in me that still burns strong today.
Fishing by myself in my 12 foot Meyers aluminum row boat.... I fired off a cast with my prized black and silver jointed rapala deep into a lane in the lily pads and bullrushes. The spot was a proven Bucket Mouth Bass hangout, but on that particular day a musky was using the spot. Thankfully, Dad had finally given me a rubber coated seven strand leader to preserve my last precious Rapala (lost all my others to bite offs from those nasty muskies). Slowly wiggling the rap like a miniature Hawg Wobbler on the surface, it was slurped down into a whirlpool by the swirl of that musky. My Diawa pistol grip combo doubled over and the battle raged. The beast eventually ended up in my green nylon meshed net and the rest was history.
Can't wait to make similar memories with MY boys.
jlong
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Posts: 1086
| First muskie of mine came in the hot month of July, 1986 in Michigan during our families annual family reunion. I had been fishing for Northern Pike for four years, starting 1982, leading up to this day. I had blown up my leg with fireworks pretty badly that 4th of July in '86 with 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree burns...couldn't swim or do anything my siblings and cousins were doing that week of the family reunion. I was stuck resorting to fishing and staying dry...which...to me...was absolutely fine! LOL!
I was out on my familiar Pike hangout..working a drop off. Top of the drop off was a sandy flat. I was jigging and working Johnson Silver Minnows with a leech off the hook. Catching the perfect drift to move the boat along, I was starting a new drift, cast the Silver Minnow/Leech combo up onto the 4 foot sandy flat to bring it off the drop off. I was positioning the boat to get it set for the drift, holding the fishing rod in my right hand and steering the boat with the left. Then WHAM! A huge fish hit my lure! A fish that yanked me from the midsection of the boat where the steering column was to the back. Had the boat not been an outboard motor, I would have been wet! This fish caught me off guard and when I wasn't ready and took me off balance running to the back of the boat. I wrapped my left arm around the outboard motor to prevent me from going in...the reel's drag screaming the whole time.
Once I gained my composure to fight the fish, the fish was netted: a 42" legal, Michigan clear muskie! Been hooked ever since. But was really hooked in '82 with the Pike starting things off for me. I'm still hooked on Pike fishing too. |
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| Fishing all my life, watching In Fisherman guys catching those monster fish, it just became my mission in life to catch one. At the time, I wasn't even aware of the fact there were muskies in PA, so I convinced my cousin from Tennessee to take a trip to Canada with me. So, both 18 yrs old, never seen a muskie, 3 lures between the 2 of us, not knowing how to cast, we both got our first muskies on the kawartha chain trolling spinnerbaits. Mine a 42", his 35", been nuts ever since. |
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Posts: 185
Location: Mendota Heights, MN | Ah, the day that started the addiction.....
A little history. I have a very good friend who has been at this musky fishing thing for over 15 years, and for the past 10 had been after me to get on board. What's the big deal I said, i can go out and catch walleye, bass, crappie, northerns, any time I want, why would I want to pursue the "fish of a 10,000 casts"? Deep down though I sensed that there was danger in this Musky hunting: danger of addiction, danger of vast sums of money to be spent, so for many years I resisted.
Fast forward to fall of 2002, a crisp september day, the vikings game on the radio, out on Deer lake, finally I relented and agreed to spend a day fishing the elusive ski's. I remember my fiends patience that day, picking out my many backlashes, trying to show me how to work each differnt lure, repoeating the figure 8 and getting me to practice it on every retrieve. I remember many casts with no fish seen, figure 8's that seemd pointless, then the vikings game started. My buddy hands me a blaze orange and black spotted suick and says, try this one. Ok I think, whatever. Several casts into the suick, I get a follow, she comes right to the boat, my friend says figure eight, and I do. Six times she follows the bait in the big eights, like a mysterious dance around and around, my heart pounding like a fifteen year old at a strip show. Then coming into the seventh turn the vikings get an interception and she eats the bait! Wham, big fish on, I rear back and set the hook, moments later she is in the boat for a quick photo and then she's returned to the depths. My heart is pounding, my legs are shaking, I gotta have a smoke and pee all at the same time. This is what heroin must be like.....bliss.....must have more.
This monster was an amazing 35 &1/2 "s. My smile at least as big. My friends even bigger.
After calming down I am ready to cast again. I toss the suick, now my confidence bait, and start my first pull, the vikings in the background score a touchdown, surface explosion! Fish on I yell! This one proves to be a 5&1/2 pound large mouth, my biggest bucket mouth ever.
Today, I often reflect on that day. The patience of a friend, the heart pounding excitement of that first big fish, the obssesive addiction that now rules my thoughts and dreams. Should I thank my friend, I wonder? Like the corner pusher, did he just get me addicted to something for which the only fix is a day in the boat, the sight of a follow, and finally the thrill of that battle with a big girl? Oh the hours and dollars I have shot up on this passion. My life will never be the same.
Should i thank my "friend"? was he just looking for a co-dependent to share his smack addiction with?
You bet I do, every time we hit the water together.
There really is nothing like your first time.
Steve
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I was fishing with my Dad on Bone lake over 30 years ago, Garcia 411 Spinning reel and matching rod loaded with a leader, jig, and one of the first 'soft plastics' ever used for muskies. The line hopped, I set the hook, and the fish rocketed into the air, about taking my breath away.
Never will forget that, or the knee shaking, mind numbing rush. Wow. I still get a bit of that from every strike, every fish on, and every fish in the net. |
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Posts: 699
Location: Hugo, MN | I tricked a buddie of mine into fishing Independence under the guise of a good Bass population. It was dark when we left so he didn't notice what little Muskie gear I had at the time. After watching him catch endless Bass cast after cast without a single Muskie follow and being taunted with "There ain't no #*^@ed Muskies in this Lake" I started throwing a #4 shallow shad rap(Chartruese and White) with 10 lb. Mono and my Rick Clune Bass Pro Shops combo and decided to get in on the fun about the 3rd cast WHAM!! He exclaimed that one big bass!! I said this ain't no Bass Jerky! Eventually, my first muskie, all 40" was in the net. We threw Bucktails the rest of the day. |
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Posts: 127
Location: NW burbs of Chicago | ok, so to further impress my new b-friend (now fiancé, aka slamr), i agreed to go fishing on the 4th of July. After staying up all night talking, we left for Okauchee at about 4:30 AM (way earlier than i like getting up). the ride up was enjoyable, as we talked the whole time. it was my first experience seeing him Indiana Jones around the boat/trailer to get it unhooked from the truck, and we were on the water by 6 AM. My normal experience as a little girl fishing with my uncle was all about being quiet and not screwing up his gear, but once Andrew showed me how to cast, -- and made fun of me some for my overly dramatic throws -- he left me alone in the front of the boat, and we resumed conversation.
i should have probably prefaced this by saying i've never really heard of muskie fishing before and to me a fish is a fish.
so, about 2 hours into fishing, i feel a pull on the rod, and say, 'i think i caught something.' andrew goes berserk and starts jumping up and down around the boat, yelling instructions to me, but the pulling is getting harder, and apparently, i'm not doing something right with the rod, and andrew is getting nervous i'm going to break it, so he takes it from me and finishes reeling in my first muskie (it was about 27 inches, but andrew will tell you it was bigger). he's totally brimming with pride and excitement, and i was sort of like, 'big deal, isn't this what we came out here to do?'
having since fished with him more, i now realize the elusive nature of this fish and appreciate my first catch slightly more. however, to me, it's not the size or the amount of fish that are caught during the trip but rather the meditative nature of casting and being out in nature and the conversations we have on the boat that i'm not sure we'd have anywhere else.
Edited by Crash_McGolden 12/22/2004 12:16 PM
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Posts: 2024
| 9/9/01, two days before 9/11. Overcast, calm, a little mist. It was maybe 8 or 9 a.m. We were fishing a REALLY woody "bay" and I was throwing an orange tiger Bionic Bucktail with a Mogambo grub. I threw to a laydown and for once, there was a fish sitting where it SHOULD have been. I got rocked as the bait cleared the tip of the tree. "What the #*&$?!" Hand-landed a scrappy little 36"er. Since then I've devoted nearly all my time fishing to ole mossback. Only in the summer (when it's too hot to fish muskie in IL) do I fish for those green carp.
Oh, my first fish came about an hour from home and the total cost of the trip was MAYBE $10 for soda and donuts. We had just returned from a $1200+ excursion to LOTW in hopes of getting a muskie. Stupid fish... |
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Posts: 686
Location: Tomahawk, Wisconsin | I think it was 22 or maybe 23 inches long but it was a tiger!! Caught it off the folks dock on Upper Post on a Mepps #4, not too many fish in that lake though, Steve and I cut our musky teeth out there, ahhh on to the greener pastures......... |
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