6/4/15 Muskie Madness

I got out last night after work for a few hours of Musky fishing. I was waffling on whether or not to go and boy am I glad I made the decision to get on the water! I've been putting more time and effort into catching muskies this year and I am glad to say that I am seeing more success. I put in some extra effort to not make the mistakes I made two weeks ago. I made sure to bring my GoPro and an extra battery. This would turn out to be a very good thing as I got some spectacular footage that I will get up when I can get it edited. I received my new pair of fish grips after the fiasco I had 2 weeks ago with a large Musky. The new pair is extremely nice. The grips rotate with the fish and there is a spring in the handle that acts as a kind of shock absorber. I also took the extra step of tethering it to the kayak with parachute cord to ensure that I don't lose another pair to a thrashing Musky. I purchased a new small tackle box that fits into the pocket behind my seat. It is large enough to fit 8 or 10 good sized musky lures, extra leaders, pliers, bolt cutters, and spreaders. The water is starting to warm up so I figured that a bucktail would be a good choice to start with. I was not wrong! After just a few minutes I moved my first fish. It was low and slow behind the lure so I put my bait into an oval at the boat. This peeked the Musky's interest and he came in for an extremely close look but did not hit my lure. If nothing else I had a follow! I then paddled to the other side of the lake so that I could drift with the wind and cast from a standing position. After a few minutes of drifting and casting I spotted a small Musky chasing my spinner to the boat. When I began my oval, the fish took off. I did about 5 more ovals before giving up and pulling my lure out for another cast. When I pulled the lure up, the fish suddenly reappeared at boatside. I said a swear word and quickly dropped my spinner back in the water. The fish shot over to it. About an inch from the lure the fish suddenly changed direction and swam away! I couldn't believe it! I could have sworn the fish was going to smash that spinner. Those crazy Muskies! Just about 10 minutes later as my lure approached the kayak, I suddenly noticed a large fish right behind it. I sped it up slightly and the fish lunged forward and nipped at the lure. I could feel the fish in the rod but he just as quickly let go of the lure and swam off to his right. Yet another missed opportunity! About an hour went by until my next action. I had a fish follow right to the boat and strike my bucktail as I was starting my oval. I somehow managed to not hook that fish. At this point I was getting pretty frustrated. It was getting late in the night. I was telling myself that if I just kept fishing, I was bound to hook up eventually. On one cast I was reeling in my line when I heard my GoPro beeping indicating that the battery was dead. It shut off and I thought to myself "Now that the camera isn't running I'm going to catch a fish" As if on cue, I had a follow when my lure got to the boat. The fish hit my lure boatside and I still somehow managed to not hook up! Frustration. Just keep casting. Just keep casting. Just keep casting. Shortly before 9 p.m. I had my 8th follow of the evening. A nice fish followed my lure into an oval. He went around completely one time before striking my lure. I set the hook and suddenly all was right with the world. The fish erupted violently and jumped and splashed around the kayak. It was a short lived battle but the strike and the sudden surge of energy from the fish is something I will not forget. Before long I got my fourth musky on the fish grips. What a fish! I took a few seconds to admire and unhook it. I briefly lifted the fish for a photo before putting it back. When released from the grips, it just sat there as if in some trance. Without warning the fish kicked it's tail and was gone. It was a great end to an action packed night! The rabbit hole draws me in deeper and deeper.