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Posts: 70
| with all the time on my hands (minus the honey due list)
was wondering what the age / experience and home waters on the people on this board was??
i'm now 51 yrs old with 14yrs of musky hunting , averaging 300+ hrs with my fat butt in a boat hunting/ yr,
in my area , eastern ontario, there are a few of us hunters , but most are well over 45 yrs old, the youger folks in the area only selectively fish musky based on patience and opportunity
i actually have problems getting someone to come fishing musky with me,
for bass and walleye, the boat is always full
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Location: MN | Interesting post.
Current Age: 24
Musky Fishing: Since I was a kid, say 10?.. so 14 years.
Local Waters: Grew up fishing the Duluth area lakes and arrowhead of MN including Lake Vermilion, Crescent Lake, Lake X, Island Lake and the St. Louis River. When I lived up north I fished much more than I do today. Used to spend 4-5 days at a pop on Vermilion fishing 10-15hr days, at times spending 15+ days per month on the BigV; would either sleep at the family cabin or crash in my boat when fishing parts of the lake far from our cabin. When back home in Duluth, friends and I would fish the local waters in Duluth almost every other night. Oh those were the good days! 
Today I live in the metro and fish the local lakes primarily. Each year fishing less and less but still getting in adequate time. There is a very strong musky community in the Twin Cities with people of all ages, neat to see and be part of. I rarely have a problem finding someone to fill a seat in my boat.
Edited by Mak51 12/31/2010 1:37 PM
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Posts: 378
Location: Michigan | Age: 43
Musky fishing for 11 years, only deviating for early season walleye, an ocassional pike trip to Canada, or steelhead on Erie. Mostly fish LSC, but occassionaly one of Michigan inland offerings. LSC is getting pummeled by muskie fisherman from all around the midwest. In the last 3 years it has really taken off for the casting crowd. Much less fun to fish than it used to be... I selfishly hope people don't have the nuts to stay with it and the crowds subside a bit. |
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| Age: 24
Been musky fishing since I was about 10yrs old so 14 yrs. I've got the bug and its in full stride... I fish mostly in IL and Vilas County WI but hope too expand my waters next year.. If I'm not working I want to be fishing, as simple as that (the gf doesn't like it but I warned her early on). I'm really hoping on 2011 being a good year for me with what I have learned over the passed couple years, and plan on doing alot of things different. I'm a Union Electrician and have been very fortunate to have been employed the passed couple years and fishings kind of slowed down for me, but hope to change all that in 2011 and fish at night and plan ALOT more weekend trips!!! Bring on the open water! Happy New Year M1st!
-- Ryan |
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Posts: 1530
| pushng the 60 mark. dad started me at 4 years old. we ate everything. i have come from watching commercial fishing tugs on st clair. now its a put back fishery. maybe we do have a future |
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Posts: 8824
| age: 41
Years musky fishing: 7
Started out fishing Silver Lake in S WI back in 1974. Hooked my first muskie in around 1986, a few seasons after the DNR started stocking hybrids. Lost the fish, but the experience of seeing a fish like that coming up behind my lure and crushing it stayed with me. From that day I decided that some day I'd focus my attention on muskies.
Fished for everything that swims in fresh water over the years. I fish the local ponds down here for bass and perch and stuff pretty regularly, and I take a week every year to go saltwater fishing down in FL. I've fished for muskies in IL, IN, KY, all over WI, and the last 4 years I've made Eagle Lake an annual trip. I do most of my fishing in Vilas County in the Presque Isle area. Usually make it up there 5-6 times a season.
Haven't been able to fish much since I lost my job back in June 2009, maybe 10 days a year the last two summers. Before that I was averaging anywhere from 20 days up to 50 chasing muskies.
Tried to figure out once how many days I've spent fishing in my life. Best guess is well over 1000 days, with probably 150 of those musky fishing. Like others in my age group, I grew up fishing during a time where you ate what you caught, whatever it was. Wasn't until the early 80's and Saturday morning fishing shows that I really even heard of catch and release fishing, aside from throwing back what I was either too lazy to clean or what was too small to be worthwhile. Seen tremendous improvements in the fishing pretty much across the board since then, with the exception of the Gulf, which has suffered greatly these last 10 years or so. On my bucket list:
Fly fishing in Alaska
Peacock Bass in South America
Big Pike in Europe
Oh, and of course -- a 40# muskie! |
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Posts: 1295
Location: WI | Age 32, Caught first one in 1996, chased them with friends or from shore until 07 when I finally got a decent boat and got into it hardcore. Avg 250 to 300+ hours a season chasing them in the Duluth area, and NW WI. I cast, troll, use live bait, and am now trying flyfishing. Topwater is my favorite presentation. |
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Posts: 618
Location: Michigan | Twenty-four years old and have been musky fishing for six or seven years now. Since I have gotten into muskies I don't fish for anything else now. |
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Posts: 3504
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Age: 39
Started fishing for muskies at age 8 after finding a cisco kid floating along shore. Been stuck on them since that point. Still have that lure and still remember finding it on shore. It hangs in my basement workshop.
Home waters are in the Walker/Hackensack/Longville area of MN, even though I live in the Twin Cities.
Steve
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Posts: 413
Location: Madison WI | Age: 26
Been chasing muskies exclusively for 6 years now, home waters are the madison chain, spend well over 1000 hrs a year chasing them and losing my sanity in the process. |
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Posts: 32923
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | 58 years young. Been after them since I was 16, and made a career in the business in one way or the other since I was 24. I've traveled hundreds of thousands of miles over the years on my way to and from Muskie waters across the range. I love big pike, too. Jigs and topwater...cool dichotomy.
I will eventually spend a winter fishing the saltwater. Shallow interests me more than the bluewater. |
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Posts: 10
| 35 years old and have only been fishing for muskies for about 2 years. My home water is the James River in Virginia. Still smallmouth fish a lot but have been mainly fishing for musky this year.
Scott |
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Posts: 153
Location: Antigo Wi. | 46 and been fishing for the fish of my dreams for about 15 years. My home waters are any in northern Wisconsin. I probably have Norm Wild to thank for getting me addicted to this as he was the one who issued the invitation to join him one day on Pelican. Thanks Norm. |
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Posts: 463
Location: Sw Pennsylvania | 27 years old
Caught my first musky at 8 age and first legal musky at 10. Fished for them ever since. I do not exclusively fish them and dont ever see myself only fishing for them but spend between 250 to 300 hrs a season fishing them. I love to fly fish for trout and centerpin for steelhead and salmon in the great lakes tribs, along with catfish and carp in the summer time and walleye and bass fish in the spring and fall.
Edited by allegheny river kid 12/31/2010 7:57 PM
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Posts: 2323
Location: Stevens Point, WI | Age: 24
I moved to Northern WI in 1998, caught my first Muskie a year later when I was 13, a 36 inch Tiger and have been hooked since. I love fishing Canada and Minnesota, but I truly enjoy the home waters of Northern Wisconsin, just my preference. |
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| Age: 60
Started muskie fishing in 1975,now at it for 35 years with 17 years guideing,close to 1900 muskies to the boat between clients and myself.Three muskies over 50 lbs, still hunting for the 60 lber.Still get excited with every fish to the boat big or small!
Capt. Larry D. Jones
www.mostlymuskies.com |
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Posts: 313
Location: Bemidji, Lake Vermilion | 39. Caught my first intentional muskie about 8 yrs ago give or take. Live in the Bemidji area but also consider Vermilion home water, I grew up on the Range and have family in business there. 99% muskie once the season opens in MN. Have both a bad shoulder and a bad knee and am grateful I can rest my body for 6 months a year. I also get excited for every fish, every follow, new baits or equipment, and all the other wonderful experiences a person can have in a boat and on the water. |
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Posts: 285
Location: Price County WI | Age 36, started musky fishing at age 8. Growing up in Price county Wi I was stuck right in the middle of musky country. My parents and grand parents lived on the shores of the Phillips Chain of lakes so it was natural to be on the water almost every day. I made a career out of it at age 16 when I started to work at Ross's Sport Shop in Phillips Wi, at age 17 my parents and I bought the store and I have been here ever since. Now I split my time between the store and guiding for musky, being on the water at least 5 days a week. My first date with my wife was musky fishing and we had our honeymoon the first week of October at Spring Bay resort on the big V. Our date night is Monday night musky league in the summer. In the winter months you can usually catch me at a sport show working the Tooth Tamer Rods and Dreamcatcher Lures Booth. |
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Posts: 646
Location: In a shack in the woods | 26 I've been fishing muskies for 3 years now 4-7 days a week. I fished bass hard for 15 years before that and musky just seemed to be the next step. Now I fish musky 99% of the time after season opens. 4 years ago I tore both of my shoulder joints and moved up north. That's when I became a musky fisherman. First fish I caught while actually fishing for them is what did it. With leech a mile away and within a 1/2 hour of plantan, cass chain, and bemidji I'm very spoiled and have a very understanding girlfriend. |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | Age: 32
Been fishing muskies 25 years. Dad took us fishing muskies with him when we could pass our swimming lessons and hit a tableclothe he laid out in the yard with a baitcaster and hookless spoon. Fished a week or two a year till I was 21 and decided to move to northern Wisconsin so I could spend more time fishing them. Set off from the plains of South Dakota with a couple hundred bucks and an old boat and dreams of catching a world record, and maybe becoming a guide. Figured out in hurry that muskie fishing fishing isn't as fun (for me) with the pressures of guiding and the chances of catching a world record in my home waters are as good as Louie coming back to life and admitting he lied.
But I have a decent house and plot of land, a nice family, and a career in the fishing industry. Don't get to fish more than twice a week but I appreciate my time on the water more than I used to. Livin the Dream. Thanks Dad.
Happy New Year everybody.
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Posts: 556
| Age: 51. Been fishing Musky water since I was 10--but didn't start to actually target them until about 17. I still enjoy fishing for all types of species with walleye and Crappie also high on my list. Living in N.IL makes it a little tougher to day fish so I have to plan my trips , but I have fished them all over the Midwest--I would say the Vilas / Oneida /Iron counties of WI as my favorite place to fish ( maybe because of the distance from me but also because of the area and diffferent fishing opportunities it offers). Still have the Larry and Georgian Bay on my list of places I want to try. This coming season it will be LAKE ST CLAIRE as a new experience for me---I always try to do something different every year--not always a Musky trip but just some species somewhere that I haven't experienced before. |
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Posts: 2373
Location: Chisholm, MN | Age:24
I've been fishing muskies since I was about 12. Nobody taught me how, I just decided to do it. It took me a long time to figure it out since I didn't have anyone to show me the ropes. I would make my dad take me out to lakes that I knew held muskies even though he didn't want to. My first trip out, I lost a pretty nice one trolling a suick. I've loved every minute of it ever since. I fish mostly Itasca county MN 3 to 5 days a week but I like to get to other destinations now and then too. |
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Posts: 45
Location: Appleton, Wi | Age 61
Been fishing muskies since the age of 10 years old. My first rod which I still have was a solid 5 foot fiberglass with no flexing when a fish hit. My Grandpa and Dad were avid musky fisherman who got me started. We usually fished the Eagle River area lakes. |
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Posts: 222
Location: c.wis | age-27
ive been fishing muskies only for 6 years- ive chased them throughtout the mid west, ive lived in madison, Minn, and central wis, and florida. caught the bug for big fish when I fished saltwater and I moved back to the mid west looking for the same rush. this past season I spent 4-5 days a week on the water, and at least 1000 hrs on the water. I fish mostly around c.wis but once a week I travel to north/southern wis., been doing some exploring in mn. and some old haunts aound the twin cities. this next year im looking to get into some sorta tournament trail, and kinda got my feet wet with guiding. id like to try and make a living fishing, I finally figured out how to put together a reliable pattern, and exploit it, gotta say though that if you work together with some friends you can greatly increase your odds in boating multiple fish each time out, im fortunate to be able to fish as much as i do but it came at a cost- one wife and many thousands of dollars later, i feel confident that I can catch a fish most anywhere. nxt season ill be in MN more, and exploring some waters north of the boarder- looking forward to lotw, st clair and to get a pig outa green bay- |
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Posts: 131
| Age,gonna be 57 in 3 weeks.i sometimes think[and act]like i'm half that old but sometimes feel way older.started muskie fishing in 1985.caught my first REAL[not stocked] muskie in 1986 while on a tuffy boat dealers trip to lake of the woods[canada]fishing with then tuffy president steve quant.it was only a 42 but back then that was a hog to me!lots of memorable things happened on that trip[LOTS!] and i learned a ton from worrall,wiert and quant in that short week.i've been hooked ever since but living in iowa on the mississippi river finds me chasing walleyes more than muskie.i make a point to hunt them at least twice a year north of the border and/or at spring bay resort.have been lucky enuf to catch several including 2 over the 50 mark so i should probably retire but probably won't,not smart enuf for that.just too much fun and excitement to be had fishing for them that helps keep my old carcass out there.the people i have met thru muskie fishing have led to a lifetime of freindship and FUN.i have been lucky enuf to have made my living ,in one form or another, fishing and hunting and that all started with selling tuffy's and fishing the mwc walleye circuit at it's beginning in 1987.what a wonderful educational learning curve it has been,lots of highs and lows but it has allowed me to meet hundreds of new friends and do things most will never get to do.special things like the campfires at spring bay,the high fives on the front deck at eagle,the "get the net" in the freezing dark on vermillion,the one that got away on the 'goon and the "ah #*#*s" everywhere else are what keeps me going.hopefully i can do it for a few more years and maybe catch a new pb like the hog ryan and saw on big v last october.getting the chance to meet new fisherpeople like jerome,steve w and a,tj,bobbie,muskie chick,julian and uncountable others are what keeps me making plans for yet another year on the water somewhere. |
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Posts: 100
Location: W-PA | 28 here...I was introduced to muskie fishing at a very young age...we own a second house on a nice muskie river. Having close access to the river, I spend a lot of time on the water chasing just about every species. |
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Posts: 146
Location: where the fish are... | I'm 24 and have been after skis for 5 years now thanks to SVT, hahaha. The last two years have been a huge learning experience for me, I've had great days and bad days on the water but I cannot stop now. I've beaten my personal beat two years in a row and did it twice this year in a two day span, prolly single handily the best two days of fishing in my life. At the pace in learning and the amount of time I put on the water last I can only get better every year. I am truly blessed to have one of te best fishing partners too, I feel that if you can tryst someone the way fishing partners do you will be true friends for life and always have something in common. |
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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | Rudy, you don't act over age 18 !!!! I'd take you as a boat partner over most of the young bucks any day.......
I'm 54 and will never act my age.....Caught my first muskie while fishing for Bass and Pike on Minnetonka in 1994 ....Plan on fishing my 60th muskie tourney this up coming season.
I've made friends with some of the coolest people on earth, and plan on adding to that list as time goes on.
God has truly blessed me.
Jerome
Edited by Top H2O 1/1/2011 3:48 PM
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Posts: 109
Location: Spencer, Wisconsin | Age 48. Been fishing lunges for over 8 years. Previously fished for pike over 35 years, home water was Rice River northern Minnesota. Fishing for Muskies is a lot more attention to the details in presentation, baits ect... but would not trade it for the world. Broke into the sport of Muskie fishing by friend Clark Anderson by chance where his previous partner could not make a Muskie tourney on Pelican Lake years ago and the rest is history. Only regrets that I did not discover this sport 20 years ago.
Edited by TET62 1/1/2011 3:59 PM
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| 53/7. Ohio. Occasional trips to Ontario. I've fished LOTW, LSC, Mille Lacs, Kawarthas, Little Vermilion system, Namekagon, ..... you'd think I would have caught more & bigger fish by now! LOL
ErieBoy75 |
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