MuskieFIRST | And then... there was light » General Discussion

Muskie Discussion Forums

You are logged in as a guest. ( logon | register )

Moderators: Slamr	View previous thread :: View next thread
Jump to page : 1 Now viewing page 1 [30 messages per page] Muskie Fishing -> General Discussion -> And then... there was light

Message Subject: And then... there was light

esox50

Posted 7/30/2006 9:21 AM (#202822)
Subject: And then... there was light

Posts: 2024

My dad and I just returned from two weeks on LOTW (Sab Bay). Finally, after four years fishing the area, everything just clicked.

In the past we began our trips by fishing spots we've had luck at in the past. Not a bad plan, but not very purposeful. Driving up I decided we would hit a combination of rocks, weed beds, and rock/weed combinations in order to try and pinpoint where the fish were located. The first night we found one fish using the weeds, but the most active fish chased topwaters off rocky points. That was not enough information to create a pattern so we decided to continue switching off spots the next day. The next day we hit an even number of rock and weed areas, found fish in both, but again, the majority (and bigger fish) were on the rocks.

We made a loop through Sab Bay, and decided to fish a spot on the way back that we hadn't tried before, but that looked great on the map. As we pulled up to the spot I couldn't decide what to throw. I stared at my rods hoping they would speak to me. I listened, and they spoke. I looked down at my Suick rod and realized that the most active fish (boils, strikes, aggressive follows) that day came on the Suick. I picked it up.

We worked our way around the huge boulders and to the other side. The boat sat in 8' of water and I placed a cast between two large, out-of-water boulders, where (later I would find out) there was a trough between the rocks. Pull-reel, reel-pull-... what's that? Oh, a 51"!!!!!!!! I finally caught my first 50"!

We made calculated decisions and it paid off big time for my dad and I. We worked our pattern for two weeks (it helped a lot that we had a steady West - sometimes NW, SW - for 14 days, and consistent temps). Boulders, rocky points, small island complexes, rock/reed combos, and especially wind blown rock structure. I haven't really been a believer in the wind as I have often found fish on the lee-side of structure, but this trip they went nutso in the wind.

Dad and I boated 14 fish between 32-51". Lost a lot (of course, right?), saw a leviathan and got it to strike a Hoodini... TWICE. Stupid fish. (It was so big I wouldn't even know what number to put on it as I haven't been in the presence of a fish of that calibre. I do know that 10 minutes prior to the sighting I caught a 49" hawg and the fish in question made it look like a 39". I also believe it was much bigger than my 51", but who knows, we danced together but didn't hook up... lol!).

I am excited I caught my first 50", no doubt. But I am even more excited that we fished SMART and all of the fish caught were a result of calculated decisions made both on the water and off. Here are a few pics: