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| Just wondering what you all think goes into someone being a "good" muskie fisherman!?
TQ |
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Posts: 8781
| What a question! There are a lot of things that go into it in my opinion. (In no particular order)
1. Being able to pattern the fish and the baitfish. Knowing where you can expect to find muskies at certain times of the year and why they are there. You can't catch fish where fish ain't.
2. Knowing what lures to throw, where, and why... Tied closely to #1.
3. Ability to read current conditions and undertand how wind, weather, current, etc are likely to affect the fish.
4. Boat control. Not to say you can't be a good musky fisherman when you're fishing out of someone else's boat, but if you can't put/keep the boat on the structure, you are done.
5. Attitude. Muse be positive, determined, stubborn. If you're gonna hang it up after a few hours, or get mad when you don't catch fish you will never be a good musky fisherman.
6. Environment. You are a product of where you fish. If you can consistently catch fish on tough waters you can succeed anywhere. If you're fishing unpressured waters with a lot of fish I think you'll have a hard time adjusting to a tough lake.
7. Experience/time on the water. I'm not talking about casting blindly at nothing over and over again, but learning from your experiences and taking what you have learned and applying it in the future.
8. Open Mindedness. It doesn't matter how long you have been doing it the same way -- someone out there is doing it some OTHER way and is successful at it, too. Learn from others.
Edited by esoxaddict 11/15/2006 2:00 PM
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| The fastest boat!  |
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Posts: 654
Location: MPLS, MN | The one who has the most fun.. |
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| Hmmm.....lots of lures!! |
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Posts: 1937
Location: Black Creek, WI | 1. Passion for the sport.
2. An uncontrollable need to know WHY.... which feeds #1.
I've seen a lot of guys that are mega passionate about the sport, yet just don't seem to produce results. Desire alone won't cut it, in my opinion. You gotta have a personality where you aren't afraid to figure it out on your own if you shake that "Monkey see, monkey do" mode which prevents a lot of people from producing on a consistent basis.
Oh... and what EA said above too. That's all good stuff as well. Heh heh. |
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| Hard work
Confidence and determination
Desire to experiment
Passion to learn
Obsessive/Compulsive personality
Crazy  |
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Posts: 8781
| Having a picture of a giant sized $80,000 check doesn't hurt either |
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Posts: 382
| Time on the water, period.
If you spend enough time on the water the fish will eventually reveal some sort of pattern. Think about it this way, people who hire a guide do so because the guide knows where the fish are at, time frames of the bite, and lures they will hit. The guide gets "dialed in" because he is out there every single day, and has established patterns. How many times have you brought a first timer out and they hook up? They didn't hook up because they have skills like Al Linder and Happy hooker they hooked up cause you took them to the fish at the right time with the right lure. |
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Posts: 2865
Location: Brookfield, WI | Internet skills. You need to be as sharp online as you keep the hooks on your baits. The self deprecating one liner, the crisp retort, the detailed explanation, an oft-posted plan, the well phrased cry for help, the uploaded picture; all these contribute to being a good musky fisherperson.
If a musky enthusiast can clearly express himself in cyberspace, he's obviously good.
Kevin
Would there BE musky fishing without the internet? Not in my world. |
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Posts: 723
| TIME ON THE WATER! you cant catch them from the couch, you can only do homework while off the water, tinker with equipment, and make sure your stuff is good to go, but when it comes down to producing on a consistent basis, its all about putting your time in. The more you go, the more you will know, and thus, the better you'll get. |
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| There are some other important aspects that haven't been mentioned yet.
1) Skilled at boat control in all condition. I'm totally humbled when I fish with a good friend of mine. He's a true master of his domain.
2) Be able to utilize all eletronics to their fullest. GPS, Mapping, down loads, etc.
3) Knows all his equipment well, is able to do on the spot repairs and monkey rigging to keep himself on the water. Never uses lets things breaking stop him from fishing. |
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Posts: 1937
Location: Black Creek, WI | esoxaddict - 11/15/2006 2:12 PM
Having a picture of a giant sized $80,000 check doesn't hurt either ;-)
Ummm.... that only helps pad the ego. It doesn't really help put more fish in the boat. |
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Posts: 1270
Location: Stevens Point, Wi. | p a t i e n c e |
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Posts: 1504
Location: Oregon | 1. Money
2. Lots of free time
3. An understanding spouse
4. An extraordinary amount of patience
5. Ability to withstand long hours of inclement weather
6. A dash of insanity
7. Close proximity to good musky waters, and finally
8. luck
RM
Edited by RiverMan 11/15/2006 3:13 PM
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Posts: 1168
| jlong nailed it on the "monkey see monkey do" aspect of it. Those that are "good" are always trying new things, pushing the envelope, and coming up with seemingly insane ideas but making them work consistently and then that drive to understand why out of the box stuff is actually working. |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | being able to keep the boat immediately after the divorce
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Posts: 2894
Location: Yahara River Chain | Do exactly what bnelson & donnie3737 does. If you must, wear a visor! |
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Posts: 759
| A muskie fisherman who understands and accepts the importance of CPR. This good muskie fisherman practices CPR religiously making this knowledge just as important as any. A good muskie fisherman is without a doudt the most conservation minded fisherman of them all! Kdawg |
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Posts: 5171
| Patience of course.Having alot of heart is probably the most important,I think another important things in this sport is being psychicaly fit.If you are in good shape you will be able to be twice the angler you are if you are in poor shape.Trust i know because I have been at both sides of being in good and bad shape.Bill |
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Location: The Yahara Chain | Pound on your chest a lot and always refer to yourself and your fishing partners as "good sticks"  |
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Posts: 567
| #1 persistence #2 staying with it #3 patience # 4 persistence other than that ---- The guy that keeps his hooks razor sharp, does'nt waste time dallying around. throwns proven fish catching lures , fishes during all weather phases, lucky enough to live close to good water. That would make a pretty good fisherman. MD |
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| Being able to consistently put nice fish in the net thru all seasons and all weather conditions.
Consistency is probably the key to a good fishermen. Anyone can go hit the sand flats of Mille lacs and put a big one in the net. Try to put big fish in the net on Mille lacs from start to finish as just an example. |
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Posts: 1996
Location: Pelican Lake/Three Lakes Chain | As boring as it sounds, it is the same as any sport. You must first master all of the fundamentals. Hopeful will appreciate this analogy, there is no good golfer that does not master driving, long irons, and the short game. Even if you can drive the ball 300 yards off the tee, you will never shoot consistently in the 70's without a short game. The same is true for musky fishing. Things to master include sharpening hooks, tying knots, boat control, casting, working baits, hooksets, fighting fish, netting fish, and on and on. Time on the water is a big part of mastering these fundamentals. If you don't master all of them you will never consistently boat fish.
Gaining a strong knowledge of the fish, and the lakes you will be fishing is the next step (these are the easiest to do on this site). Once you have learned the habits of the fish, know the ins and outs of your lakes, and master the fundamentals of the game, you are well on your way, but it all starts with the fundamentals. |
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| It's like anything....do it enough and eventually you'll get good at it. Just any sport................ |
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| I actually disagree with the last statement....I have run into some guys over the years that no matter how much time on the water they get they just aren't or won't be good muskie fisherman. They may become a BETTER fisherman, but not a good fisherman, at least according to a lot of the definitions listed above. A lot of it comes down to what Norm mentioned...the fundimentals....and a lot of the fundimentals are subtle....but without mastering them you go fishless.
Back several years ago I put a LOT of time into my golf game....but I knew I was never going to be a GOOD golfer no matter how much time I put on the course. Oh I got better, and actually was happy with how I shot, but wouldn't consider myself a good golfer. Same holds true for some and muskie fishing, unfortunately.
There is something to be said about being a "book smart" muskie fisherman, but one that actually applies what he learns on the net or mags etc and not just talk smart is worth a lot more. A LOT of people are good at talking the talk....but not NEARLY as many can actually consistently walk the walk.
For me I strive to be as good as Herbeck some day. I will never get there and I know it....he has "it", which I don't have. But, I still like to aim high
Cory |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | when anybody teaches, coaches anybody who becomes good, very good or great they have to be "coachable" and i think that's an element. in order to learn anything you have to be capable of "listening" which comes hard for most. |
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Posts: 474
| I agree that it is not just time on the water. You have to be able to dissect a situation, learn the lessons why was that fish there, what was holding it. Repetition will only take you so far but reading water and conditions, and developing an approach every time out thats what makes a good fisherman versus someone who can go out and boat several fish a season. New waters, change in conditions. Granted I dont think you can become a great fisherman without paying your dues, but just putting time in alone doesnt cut it. Trolling around for days may luck you into a fish or few but it wont be consistency. Thats the key consistency. I was able to pattern a lake or two for one or two seasons but just now able to have success at different bodies of water and seasons. Gotta long way to go but I am acquiring the tools. I always run into old timers and they say they just arent active. But they have been doing the same thing year in and year out so when that do work they are SOL. $.02
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Posts: 688
Location: Northern IL | To me a good fisherman is someone who knows "where" to give the credit of the catch. Because once a fishermen understands why he caught the fish then catching another fish or the next 1000 fish,, is guaranteed.
Jerry Borst
Spoonplugger/Instructor |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Hey, I'm an 'old timer', and I'm pretty versatile, so don't be knocking us folks been around longer than you just because you don't understand us. 'Good' muskie anglers put it together and apply it on the water. Knowing what, when, where, how, and why is great, applying it is the challenge. Time on the water hones those skills and IS the key, whether you like it or not; it's a combination of learning from others, learning from experience, and willingness to break every single rule along the way.
Boat control and reading the water means more than most, it's IMPORTANT to know this, and know it well, or the rest is just misapplied knowledge. |
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