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Posts: 267
| I know I've read this somewhere, but someone stated, "because it feels so good when I quit!" Some truth to that.
The reason I started was because I was kind of a burnt out trout fly fisherman. I was fishing for bass/pike/walleye more and an intern I had was a muskie guy. We went out and first trip I had a smallish 28" muskie smack a bigger bass spinnerbait. The fish was immediately eye level on a jump! I was hooked from then on. Went through some periods of intense muskie angling from the late 80s through the 2000s. Have slowed quite a lot since. Down to several fishing outings a year. |
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Posts: 8733
| Ranger - 4/17/2023 12:12 PM
1) If I'm not going to catch a fish it's going to be the biggest dang fish in the lake.
Also 1) Just like a Dead show, the sport is chock full of smart, happy misfits. I'm right at home, except for the smart part.
There are a lot of parallels if you think about it.
Deadheads: Travel all over the place regardless of distance in order to participate
Muskie Anglers: Travel all over the place regardless of distance in order to participate
Deadheads: Do so knowing they might not even see the Dead
Muskie Anglers: Do so knowing they may not even see a fish
Deadheads: _____ Days since last Dark star
Muskie Anglers: _____ Days since last fish
Deadheads: Fresh Jerry was better
Muskie Anglers: Fresh suckers are better
Deadheads: Known to sleep in their van
Muskie Anglers: Known to sleep in their truck
Deadheads: Known for colorful attire
Muskie Anglers: Known for colorful lures
Deadheads: No two shows are ever the same
Muskie Anglers: No two days are ever the same |
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Posts: 394
Location: WI | Much like bowhunting, it's the adrenaline rush. I thoroughly enjoy walleye and smallmouth fishing but neither offer the excitement of hooking a big muskie in a figure eight. |
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Posts: 37
Location: Lower Peninsula | 7.62xJay - 4/17/2023 8:50 AM
Oh you would love to go to Petco/Petsupplies Plus/Petsmart/etc and try to look inside of other people's dogs mouths too than! ;)
No a domesticated mutt isn’t fierce enough…a wild wolf maybe tho! I need some gnashing of teeth. It’s like watching a T Rex bite a triceratops in the Disney Dinosaur movie (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oOyLGqv7FyU).
Also something about the musky going from alpha predator instantly to prey fighting for its life is satisfying. |
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Posts: 1198
| I've never had a knee wobble uncontrollably, after catching any other fish. |
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Posts: 455
| Bow hunting whitetails and fishing for muskies are the only two real things that can get me worked up to the point that I'm shaking like a leaf. God, I hope that never changes. |
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Posts: 168
| I don't (can't) eat fish so catching a million walleyes doesn't really appeal to me. Also having southern Georgian Bay in my backyard with the possibility of the next world record swimming around close to home is extremely exciting. The feeling you get when you raise a supertanker is almost unexplainable. It's definitely a grind though, but I've got other waters within 2hrs that can get the confidence back up with multi fish days almost guaranteed. It's definitely an addiction. Will I ever get tired of it? I'm sure I will but I'm just here to enjoy the ride. |
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Posts: 320
Location: Selkirk, Manitoba | It's a challenge. Like others of said, similar to bowhunting - being lucky plays a smallish role compared to how many things you have to do right to be consistently successful. In both cases have to be very in tune with the environment and spend lots of time in it, which is a major plus. |
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Posts: 267
| chasintails - 4/18/2023 10:17 AM
Bow hunting whitetails and fishing for muskies are the only two real things that can get me worked up to the point that I'm shaking like a leaf. God, I hope that never changes. I agree, but would add hooking and landing a wild steelhead is right up there. I used to get a similar rush when I'd hook one and feel a similar satisfaction when landing one. |
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Posts: 3798
| esoxaddict - 4/17/2023 5:57 PM
Ranger - 4/17/2023 12:12 PM
1) If I'm not going to catch a fish it's going to be the biggest dang fish in the lake.
Also 1) Just like a Dead show, the sport is chock full of smart, happy misfits. I'm right at home, except for the smart part.
There are a lot of parallels if you think about it.
Deadheads: Travel all over the place regardless of distance in order to participate
Muskie Anglers: Travel all over the place regardless of distance in order to participate
Deadheads: Do so knowing they might not even see the Dead
Muskie Anglers: Do so knowing they may not even see a fish
Deadheads: _____ Days since last Dark star
Muskie Anglers: _____ Days since last fish
Deadheads: Fresh Jerry was better
Muskie Anglers: Fresh suckers are better
Deadheads: Known to sleep in their van
Muskie Anglers: Known to sleep in their truck
Deadheads: Known for colorful attire
Muskie Anglers: Known for colorful lures
Deadheads: No two shows are ever the same
Muskie Anglers: No two days are ever the same
Excellent! Here's another thing... I've fished my way to and from many midwest Dead (and a couple Panic) shows. Alpine, Deer Creek, Soldier Field, Detroit Lakes, etc. In every single instance when I was towing a boat the gate staff grinned and waved me into the venue. Every time. |
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Posts: 1198
| Ranger - 4/18/2023 7:43 PM
esoxaddict - 4/17/2023 5:57 PM
Ranger - 4/17/2023 12:12 PM
1) If I'm not going to catch a fish it's going to be the biggest dang fish in the lake.
Also 1) Just like a Dead show, the sport is chock full of smart, happy misfits. I'm right at home, except for the smart part.
There are a lot of parallels if you think about it.
Deadheads: Travel all over the place regardless of distance in order to participate
Muskie Anglers: Travel all over the place regardless of distance in order to participate
Deadheads: Do so knowing they might not even see the Dead
Muskie Anglers: Do so knowing they may not even see a fish
Deadheads: _____ Days since last Dark star
Muskie Anglers: _____ Days since last fish
Deadheads: Fresh Jerry was better
Muskie Anglers: Fresh suckers are better
Deadheads: Known to sleep in their van
Muskie Anglers: Known to sleep in their truck
Deadheads: Known for colorful attire
Muskie Anglers: Known for colorful lures
Deadheads: No two shows are ever the same
Muskie Anglers: No two days are ever the same
Excellent! Here's another thing... I've fished my way to and from many midwest Dead (and a couple Panic ) shows. Alpine, Deer Creek, Soldier Field, Detroit Lakes, etc. In every single instance when I was towing a boat the gate staff grinned and waved me into the venue. Every time.
I'll add another one: Both catching a muskie, and attending a Dead show, have made my knees wobble uncontrollably. |
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Posts: 114
| Something that hasn't been mentioned yet here. I enjoy watching one swim away unharmed and fully alive. I am not a meat hunter, and 98% of the fish I catch are released anyways, but being able to catch, hold, and then release a sizable predator like a muskie is pretty indescribable. |
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Posts: 3798
| TCESOX - 4/18/2023 9:38 PM
Ranger - 4/18/2023 7:43 PM
esoxaddict - 4/17/2023 5:57 PM
Ranger - 4/17/2023 12:12 PM
1) If I'm not going to catch a fish it's going to be the biggest dang fish in the lake.
Also 1) Just like a Dead show, the sport is chock full of smart, happy misfits. I'm right at home, except for the smart part.
There are a lot of parallels if you think about it.
Deadheads: Travel all over the place regardless of distance in order to participate
Muskie Anglers: Travel all over the place regardless of distance in order to participate
Deadheads: Do so knowing they might not even see the Dead
Muskie Anglers: Do so knowing they may not even see a fish
Deadheads: _____ Days since last Dark star
Muskie Anglers: _____ Days since last fish
Deadheads: Fresh Jerry was better
Muskie Anglers: Fresh suckers are better
Deadheads: Known to sleep in their van
Muskie Anglers: Known to sleep in their truck
Deadheads: Known for colorful attire
Muskie Anglers: Known for colorful lures
Deadheads: No two shows are ever the same
Muskie Anglers: No two days are ever the same
Excellent! Here's another thing... I've fished my way to and from many midwest Dead (and a couple Panic ) shows. Alpine, Deer Creek, Soldier Field, Detroit Lakes, etc. In every single instance when I was towing a boat the gate staff grinned and waved me into the venue. Every time.
I'll add another one: Both catching a muskie, and attending a Dead show, have made my knees wobble uncontrollably.
Here's the ultimate mash up pf musky fishing and jam band shows.... At the 10,000 Lakes Festival, a 3 Day weekend deal featuring Widespread Panic and another dozen bands, almost everyone tent camps on the grounds for the entire show(s). Like 20,000 people spread out in a number of campgrounds on the vast property. After the main attractions finish at 11pm or so most folks wander back to their tents and hang out around campfires. The dirt roads that make up the loops are very dark, lots of tree canopy and no lights.
So it's midnight and as usual many of us are still blazing on mushrooms, acid, whatever. Nobody is sleeping. Me, I was on 2 hits of Rainbow Brain Gobbler. I grab my creature rod and my favorite trip toy, a small, VERY bright strobe light that flashes red>blue>green>yellow. The light, about the size of my thumb, is covered in rubber, very tough. The creature rod is a custom-made 7' heavy action bass flipping rod with an Abu 4500 loaded with 40# PowerPro.
I go walking down the darkened loops, target a campfire with the people chatting/laughing, and cast the light past the campsite. I reel the light back in slowly and it bounces along the road and weeds past the campsite. I know I have some interest when I hear, "Whoa! Dude! Do you see that?! What the **** is that!?" And then I get my follow - a guy leaves the campsite to chase my light. I keep the light bouncing along the ground just out of reach as he's bent over and chasing. The guy can't see me in the dark, even if he did look up, because his eyes are all full of bright strobe light. When the guy is a bout 8' away I sweep the light straight up and then down behind me. The guy tries to watch but the light is too fast and all he saw was the light launching itself up into space. So now I have a tripping fool standing within 6' looking up at the sky mumbling stuff like "Was it real? I know it was real. ****, was that real?" Hi eyes adjust and he finally sees me standing there, right smack in front of him. I ask him his height and then release him, because we're always catch and release. My biggest catch was 6'10", not bad at all. I call it "Fishing for Freaks" and I highly recommend it as a wonderful hobby. |
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Posts: 333
Location: SE Wisc | Ranger…
Your just like me!!!!
When I was in my teens…
Your story also reminds me of why I believe not everyone should be allowed to vote once turning 18. |
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| Actually, Ranger's story just solidifies my position that 18 yr. olds should vote. He showed great creativity, ingenuity and while entertaining himself, gave dozens of young people a story they can tell for years. |
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Posts: 3798
| It was amazing great fun. But I was in my 40's at the time. Peter Pan Syndrome, I guess. "Never grow up, not me!" I started going to Dead shows in the mid 70's, 13y/o sneaking out of the house at midnight to ride my bike down to the record store to "sleep out" for tickets. Party all night, frisbee on the street, sleep for an hour or two around dawn, score excellent seats, limp to school, beg forgiveness. Good times, good times. |
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Posts: 27
| For me, there is something incredibly satisfying about pushing myself to my limits, challenging myself to fish longer and harder than I think I can in hopes of it all paying off. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't, but the adrenaline rush when it all comes together keeps me coming back for more time and time again. A big musky is the only fish that really gives me "the shakes." I'll never forget what it felt like to catch my first 50 incher. I was so hyped up on adrenaline I could barely think, let alone breathe. I'll gladly continue chasing that feeling as long as I am able. |
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Posts: 155
Location: Cedarburg, WI. | Other - Because i just love seeing them, follows, strikes or in the net. Big or small it never seems to get old. |
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Posts: 3798
| Slopski - 5/4/2023 11:32 AM
Other - Because i just love seeing them, follows, strikes or in the net. Big or small it never seems to get old.
Amen. If you wanna see much, much more, get a good q-beam and on a flat night shine the waters. A whole new world shows itself between midnight and dawn. One of the lessons will be that many of the biggest fish in the lake are suspendos. They live in the open, deep water and the only relatable structure is the thermocline and the surface. For whatever reason, in the wee hours of the morning they often rise and hang out just below the surface. Maybe they are star gazing, I dunno. But with flat water and a q-beam you can see them from 30 yards away. And they are not spooky, you can use your electric motor and creep right up to them. They know you're there; they heard you coming, and when you get really close, they casually swim away and down out of sight.
The other thing you'll learn is that after midnight hungry tanker walleye come up over the drop off (or out of a thick clump of weeds) to slink along the bottom in the shallows. Those girls can be caught by violently twitching and long pausing a big Husky Jerk or a slow rolling a spinnerbait, both in black/silver. |
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