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Posts: 200
Location: Minnesota | 0 my first year, but that was just one weekend.
1 my second year and that was over 4 days fishing.
2 my third year in 4 or 5 days.
1 last year with a lot of days on the water, but most of those days were on an unpopular lake, which is probably not popular for a reason. |
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| TrentM. - 1/9/2012 12:17 PM
Love the replies, guys... keep em' coming!!!! Just a little backround info.... I fish the north webster area lakes, mainly the barbee chain or tippy. Would you all consider them pressurred waters, right? I'm not under-equiptted, and have many baits. Also, a great suggestion, I am planning a trip up to lake St. Clair, in the summer. Seems that everyone's most memorable is their first. I'm surely not gonna give up anytime soon!
Hope to see you all in chicago.
Trent,
For me it was my first time out (got lucky i guess) We were on LOTW and the second spot we fished i taged a 40 on a crane 7 incher... I'll never forget it!!!
You said you are fishing Barbee, webby, and james area. Stop by the Innovative Tackle Solutions booth and ask for me, thats my home waters and know it well...
Tony
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Posts: 177
Location: Cohasset, MN | My first was an accidental 8 incher while bass fishing. Wish I had a pic of it. My first "on-purpose" was a 32 incher on a bucktail after about 8 hours on the water. That was my biggest fish to that day. I was shakin' like a leaf ! My success rate has declined significantly since then. |
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Posts: 456
Location: Kansas City BBQ Capitol of the world | Trolled all day long one day on the Niagara River with my Pops back in 1977 and Caught my first Muskie on a modified Pike Lure. The second one came 30 years later.  Ron
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Posts: 536
| some time in the mid 90's for me I think was a summer of fishing from shore mostly because I never had a boat, in september I finally landed one on a suick about the same length as the bait |
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Posts: 158
| Stuck a 45 the first night out, 20 minutes later I was ruined for life when a 51 slid into the net and I have loved every second of it since! I was out with a friend who knew what he was doing and had all the gear so that definetely jump started my learning curve. I've been pretty fortunate in my first few seasons and am closing in on having 30 by next season (hopefully more!) if all goes as planned. Haha. Muskie fishing changed me forever and I've made some great friends chasing these fish! |
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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | One Cast in 1994 while casting for Bass on Tonka,.............. Caught a 32" Tiger and was "HOOKED" for life,....... Stupid Fish!!!
G-Rome |
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| I am guessing maybe 20-25 days of fishing over a couple years, back in the 1970s to catch a legal length fish.
Sometimes it takes time and learning, other times a good mentor and some luck. Last year on opening day my wife and I were volunteering at the landing on the chain where we have a cottage. A boat was coming in and I walked down to the dock to see if they wanted a hand. Turned out to be my nephew, an experienced musky guy and his friend. His buddy had never been musky fishing before and my nephew had told him not to be disappointed if they didn't catch anything, that it might take a number of trips. Well,30 minutes in his buddy boated a mid 30's fish and lost another one. Just a lucky day but on the other hand they got out early because my nephew had read the tables and there was supposed to be a major feeding time early in the morning and the three fish they had hit all were in that window. Also, my nephew knew that lake well and took his buddy to where he had caught or moved fish before and had the way points on his electronics.
So it was some luck but also had a good fisherman helping him, on waters he was very familiar with. |
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Posts: 8782
| Those first few seasons are what I call "character building" Then there's Samantha... 45 on her second day muskie fishing, 30 on day 4, another 30 on day 7, 44 on day 10... She's lost some others, and a few good ones at that. I keep telling her that dry spells are going to happen, but she always manages to blow that theory right out of the water. I try not to think about the fact that she's got fewer hours on the water than I have weeks! |
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| I will also be in the Big Game Tackle booth. Hit me up and I should be able to help you out. Check out a few vids of mine on youtube, "muskiesteve"
See you at the show
Steve |
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Posts: 133
Location: South Bend, Indiana | Steve, those are some great musky videos! Keep at em'... I personally like the underwater video of the baitfish, gives you a great, new perspective on how to fish bait balls. I surely will stop by and talk in chicago!!!!!! |
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Posts: 153
Location: Storm Lake, IA | Been chasing pike and muskie since 94 but it took until the fall of 96 twitching a husky jerk on West Okoboji in Iowa. Probably wasn't over 25 inches but sure was exciting.
Edited by Doonan 1/12/2012 12:48 PM
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| Come see me at the Chicago Show...I'll give a day for free in Indiana...I'll get ya that first musky!!!
MIKE HULBERT
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Posts: 829
Location: Maple Grove, MN | I actually caught a number of Muskies before I ever fished specifically for them. I caught my first Muskies in 1985 fishing for Northerns and then caught about a dozen more before 1994 when I started to actually target Muskies. Funny thing is that I actually catch more large Northerns casting for Muskies. I have caught my largest Northerns, Walleyes, smallmouth and largemouth Bass, and even my largest bullhead while Muskie fishing. My friends still tease me about that big bullhead.... 
Edited by Herb_b 1/13/2012 12:56 PM
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Posts: 230
| 16 years.......OH, we're talking about fish, my bad
Took me one and half seasons, for a total of 36 hours to get my first fish in the boat. A solid 42" on the figure eight. |
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Posts: 252
| It took me 42 hours of actual muskie fishing to land my first muskie. I was replaying catching that fish today in my mind while fishing on the river. |
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Posts: 45
| Caught a 37"r on the Lower Manitou speed trolling for pike and that was 32 years ago....I can't believe that I'm still fishing for these toothy devils...oh no it's not an addiction !!! |
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| Took me a minimum of 50 hours on a really tough lake with near zero visability. It's was a 37"er caught in the lilly pads in less than a foot of water on a 6" Grandma. At that point that fish was a monster to me!! On another massive system it took me nearly 100 hours to boat my first fish at 49.5" and lost upwards of 6-8 fish prior to landing my first. What cracks me up is I decided to take my Dad Muskie Fishing for the first time and he's not a real big fisherman, let alone chases Muskies. Sure enough his very first 2 hours of fishing Muskies with me he boats a 50"er on a topraider. His very first Muskie and first time ever fishing them. I was so happy but it also was very humbling..... It made me feel like I was trying too hard but I had to take some credit for fishing the spot, my boat, my rod/reel, my bait choice for him and my determination to convince him to come out and chase these fish with me the day prior to July 4th. Ha!! Seriously, I was super thrilled for my dad and told him some guys chase a 50"er casting for many many years. |
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Posts: 150
Location: Central Minnesota | I finally got mine half way into my third season. My suggestion for you is to keep optimistic and try to learn something every time you go out. Muskie fishing is all about learning how these fish act. Every year you will become a better muskie fisherman. Make sure that you and your friends work as a team on the water, remember, any fish boated is a success for the entire boat party. Good luck and keep working the figure 8's |
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Posts: 1169
Location: New Hope MN | It took me 3yrs, but I was fishing with my dad who is an awful fisherman. He still hasn't caught one, but I have to give him a big thanks for allowing me to chase these dang fish even when it wasn't his thing.
Here's a pic of my first "big one". I was 13 (1994) Pretty rough shape pic, but I don't have any left from that period of my life  No clue where they went.
Attachments
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 youngD.JPG (19KB - 155 downloads)
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Posts: 519
Location: Bloomington, IL | A 34" in 1997 for me. I had been to Canada several times as a kid, but not muskie fishing. In 1997, I finally made it back up to Canada when a guy worked with invited me up with his group. We went to a lake in the Vermilion Bay area. On the way up, I bought a Cisco Topper, a couple Mepps, and a 6" Hi-Fin Trophy Minnow (in Orange Tiger). I caught a 34" my first day on that Trophy Minnow. In fact, I caught 3 my first day on it. I caught 9 for the trip my first trip up there muskie fishing (all on a 6'6" MH spinning rod), capped by a 44" toward the end of the trip - by far the biggest fish I had ever caught at the time.
Needless to say, I was hooked on these freakin' fish for life, and have been going back up with that group ever since as they are now great friends of mine. |
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Location: Lake Tomahawk, WI | Don't really remember when I caught my first muskie. Caught several as a kid while icefishing for pike, and a bunch while walleye/bass fishing in the summer. First one I caught while targeting them was about 10 minutes in to my first time trying. Had a purple Rizzo Whiz and was fishing one of my pike lakes that I knew had muskies. Was fishing alone and hooked/landed a 44" on about the 5th cast. I put the fish in the livewell, turned the pumps on and motored about 100 yards to another boat. I asked the gentleman if he'd mind getting in my boat and snapping a picture of my 'first' muskie. He did and I need to see if I can find that pic. Haven't thought about it in awhile.
JS |
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Posts: 59
| I fished muskies maybe 12 different times for probably 30-40 hours before I caught my first, a 43, off the dock at AML on a lure I made for a class independent project. Best first muskie I could imagine. My dad caught his first last fall, a 49. He has many more hours in than I do in both pike fishing lakes with muskies and targeting muskies. |
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Posts: 213
Location: FIB land | It's like gambling, the worst thing you can do is win; muskyhuntin' - worst thing you can do is catch one ! Then the insanity begins... |
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Posts: 1207
Location: Pigeon Forge TN. | Caught my first one, by accident, while fishing for walleye when I was 13 ( 56 years ago). It was at that time a seven footer ( through young eyes) but probably more around 28 to 30 inches for real. I remember that I caught it on an orange Shyster spinner bait as I used them a lot back then.
Caught my second one 13 years later when fishing in Canada with my Dad for musky.
Edited by Stan Durst 1 1/20/2012 7:17 AM
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Posts: 1202
Location: Money, PA | Caught 6 on my first trip to the Kawarthas, after that, I was hooked for 20+ years! |
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Posts: 1289
Location: WI | My first took a long time since I mostly fished from shore. Finally caught a huge 18 incher at a small lake, then a few mid 30's with a friend at a numbers lake. Once I got my own boat it didn't take long, but I mostly fished numbers lakes for the first season. |
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Location: Sawyer County, WI |
Once I started targeting musky, it took about 3 weeks. The odd thing was I wasn't fishing for them when I landed the first one.
I was fishing off the dock in the mid day sun, throwing a small spinner bait for largemouth when I hooked a small 14 inch bass. As I was reeling the bass in I saw this shadow coming in and it struck like a lightening bolt, t-boning the bass. It turned and headed for deeper water with the bass in its mouth stripping the 6 lb mono off of my spinning reel. After about 30 seconds it lets go and I reel in a bass with its head nearly severed from the body. I was shaking as I'd never seen anything like this before, but had the sense to put down the spinning rod and pick up the musky rod and start casting. I tossed the crank bait out in the direction the musky went and got a follow on the first cast. The fish saw me on the dock and took off again. After a few more casts I was beginning to feel pretty dejected that I lost a chance at my first musky but I finally got a strike and landed the 35 incher. Every season since I've managed at least one off the dock, but now I'm fishing for them. |
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