zach

how could chad cast w/ leadcore. i think at slower speeds leadcore would come into play but at 5mph? i don't think its really needed to get bit. good luck chad i am dying to get back.

go to stripertackleonline and get them or order directly from down-east. i have ordered through both and am super happy w/ both companies service and shipping. stripertackleonline got them to me in a day and a half before the first tourney cause i was running 6 rods total and needed 2 more holders and didn't want a crappy plastic one (which have broke on me in the past). get the salty clamp-on's or my favorite the taller horizontal mounts. if you need it today, drive all the way to seneca marine. they were the only place semi-local i could find them when i was looking. imo, i would get a rod wrap for the foregrip on your rods as down-easters are rough on the cork from my experiences. some people like those new folbes rod holders also as they don't eat up the cork as bad but i can't comment on them since i don't have any. you may also be interested in running a rod leash from the butt of the rod to an eyelet in the boat as i have heard down-easters failing but have never seen it yet myself. funny i just checked my e-mail after posting this and stripertackleonline says if you make them a friend on facebook they will give 10% off an order! its a start nolad, hope it helps.

i really think its something new to those fish and old man- once again, great job! i think you may have another musky hit that net this year w/ a hunk of plastic hanging outta its mouth at the rate you are going! sorry to ask so many questions and thanks for your response. i think a sucker in colder water w/ those baits next to them or casted would be very hot! good luck next time out! did you ever get that lawn cut? or did it storm on you?

i over analize everything about my fishing nitro and attempt listen to what i consider a good fisherman w/ experiece has to say hoping to learn something. even if it only helps me get one extra fish a year its worth it to me. i look at my all my tubes and all the differant ways to use them but have yet to get them wet. i got them like a month ago and have them all rigged differant ways but yet to try them. i think you (nitro) would be intrested b/c you are the deep jigger sometimes.

old man- you jigging it or casting it? looks tough to cast so i would assume your jigging. i almost brought my red octobers last night to cast but thought i didn't have enough daylight to fish them correctly. i will bring them down next time since you have proved it works. nice job either way. i am guessing 37" and jiggin'? good to see you finally took off your lucky spinnerbait (was your snap rusted on yet?). anyone here ever try trolling cowbells in front of your lure? seems like a better idea than behind the lure. how about 4-5 big blades in front of it. think they would see it then? would need a brick to keep it down though. old man- how was the hit when the musky picked it up? a hard pound or just feel the weight of the jig dissapear? was it hooked well also? i have alot of questions about tubes and all the differant ways you can rig them. the jimmy has a nose rig ment to be casted and have a jerkbait sort of action but you proved they can be jigged also. is that the 11" or 14" jimmy? i think they would be deadly in the late fall jigged on bottom. i also see my catch rates go straight down come august/september and i really think its b/c of pressure (cause its gets BEAT) and i think tubes will get those pressured fish easily. i don't really know what muskies do after mid-october since i am always bowhunting but early october i usually struggle and will maybe do 1 a day.

???? i don't know where this stuff i come up w/ comes from but i think he has a new name with me. lets just hope "the big one" doesn't make up a name for me b/c his may be true. hope he's not p*ssed off at me for this. i just love to laugh even though the funniest person i know is me. 16 so far for me this year!

i don't know if "solgigalo" has a singles mingle this weekend or not? if not, he maybe down w/ part of his fan club members. i try to avoid the weekends if possible but fish when i can. have fun! I saw a bald eagle flying around before dark last night for the first time at waneta, i haven't seen one there before and don't know if he was just flying by or has made a home nearby. you should have some nice weededges to fish since i cleaned them up last night dragging that damn crank around. 2 fish hit after cranking into the weeds and ripping it to clean it and bam they hit like freight trains. the small one hit 10 feet out as i was ripping the bait towards the surface to get ready for the 8. all fish took off just fine and were honestly very scrappy for the 78-79 degree water temp. no hits/follows/wakes or misses on topwater for me. i am secretly a "closet case topwater junkie" but will do what i have to do to put fish in the boat.

i hand landed 3 last night b/c they were smaller and didn't want to get the net tangled up. horrible pics, this i know. all fish came after dark. first one at 9pm and last one at 10:30pm. was able to get out from 6pm to 11pm. not one other musky fisherman out there last night. did a 41", 37 and a 31" casting rattling deep divers along the deep weededge taking a play from what i learned from night fishing w/ my ole man for all those years. all fish casting! we used to do alot on those straight night shiner depthraiders along the weed edge! alright- heres my bad hand landing story from maybe 12 years ago. hand landed a low 40" casting suicks in asheville bay in jamestown. reach down and grab fish boatside and lift fish into boat, fish thrashes and hooks on suick get caught in the arm of my sweatshirt, i go to bring fish into the boat and it thrashes cutting open a 2.5" gash straight down my left thumb, cut was deep and cut up my hand also. bleeding like a pig my ole man thinking quick comes right over to hold the fish still on the floor with his foot, hands, knees, and what ever else he could as we first cut hooks from my shirt w/ a pocket knife, that he helped me take off and then the fish. we released the fish and i went to go get stitches right then, ohh the good ole days before i had my net. bob(solgrande)- may have a story about a northern and a 5/0 for you if he ever gets off his social networking dating sites. (he's the main gigalo in his area if you didn't know, they call him solgigalo).

free meal? i'm in! don't worry i won't invite more than 10 people with me over at a time. hey nitro- free meal, bring the whole family and neighbors it's on! best meal i have had at "()>,":*%#?.$@/" lake was when solgrande hooked me up with some grilled sausage in the parking lot trying to get all my secrets. so, whats for dinner?

i am told not to comment on him....... those that fish that certain lake all know who he is, i just call him "bob's buddy" !

after 16 years of chasing muskies- if i wasn't humble before hand, i am now. they make you that way after time. we all get hot sometimes and we all then go a long time between fish so we understand when its hot to enjoy it 'cause i may be awhile before we get to see another fish. it's funny that you say we are humble, because i think the most cocky fisherman out there are the bass fisherman and they chase small fish that hit anything plastic . as for me being a "nut"? maybe (depends who you ask)... i don't get to fish as often as i want because of responsibilites at home, so when i get to go out i call 'em "musky missions" and fish as hard as i can, to do the best i can. anyways welcome to chad's awesome site, he puts hard work into it. i just discovered it last year.

gotta get more of those musky rockets, they are on fire! most well made plug that is built today imo! no more falling apart or chunks missing and bent screw eyes from them like other lures after a tangle or two w/ a musky! highly, highly recommend them to anyone.

got more fish on these than any other lure i have this year including my pb 50".

so if i just keep dragging my "lure" boatside, i'll get a keeper to grab ahold of it?

u guys keep it up and chad will be fishing w/ us in october instead of wearing his penguin suit. being a fisherman if they're not "legal size" don't we just kiss them and throw them back? eventually though we all get one that has to come w/ us and i think chad must have used "a big lure" to get this one. just don't girth this keeper or you may get slapped and then she'll swim away w/ your "lure" and you;ll never see it again.

chad- you could fish both tournaments but you most likely wouldn't be getting married if you do that.

can toothy knock it back a week? i want to do both just like last year even though waneta was not kind to me. i remember the clicker going off at waneta and me thinking i had the winner that ended up being a 20lb carp snagged in the tail that put up a heck of a fight.

yeah but i think that taking it outta the water made a tougher release. the little ones took right off, this bigger one took me a solid 10 minutes of working it to get her to swim off even though i only had her out of the water for a very short time. i like to think about how long i can hold my breath and not keep them in the air any longer than that. she did go, but it had me rethinking the time out of water. who's gonna post the next 50"? it won't be me for another 15 years at this rate.

thanks guys! i have been chasing that magical 50" mark since i started fishing muskies in 1995 when i got my first musky. so "old man" i was stuck below 50" for 3 decades also. came close a few times w/ some 48's, and a 49" but no cigar. yes- that is a sleeping bag, lantern, spot light and 2 headlamps in the boat w/ me along w/ some berry punch which i must have drank a gallon of. i have noticed if i drive down and try to fish that same day often i am too tired to safely make it home w/ my eyes open, so i drive down the night before and night fish until i am too tired and sleep in the boat if its not raining. it was funny b/c when i accidently slept in until 8am a woman in a kayak comes up to my anchored boat and scared the crap outta me by saying "hello? is anyone in there" i shot up like a rocket, scared to death b/c i was sleeping so peacefully w/ the sound of the waves hitting the boat and from no where here's this voice! needless to say i was up for good. the lure i got this good one on has been super hot for me this year w/ 8 fish on it! so i haven't conquered fishing it at all b/c next time out i will probally get skunked nitro, so its not me i just have a hot lure. as for the bills winning? we will just have to wait to see about it. the lesson i learned on this fish is to always have those hook cutters close to all your landing tools b/c i had to cut all 3 hooks out of that fish. the lure was sideways entirely in its mouth and looking at those teeth there wasn't a chance of me sticking my hand in there or pliers reaching the hooks good enough to get them out. bty it was pretty tough holding onto the rod and netting it myself, i got her on the first pass by and felt lucky i did it quickly. i am usually decent at netting them my self but i got alittle nervous trying to net it w/ that heavy net all alone. she is still in that lake, just alittle more educated after seeing my ugly mug and getting stung by some hooks. i hope everyone gets a chance at a good one like this as i concider myself lucky that everything went correctly. usually on the big ones "something" happens and they get free. this fish was very strong and kept diving under the boat trying to go deep. boy did she give me some super strong headshakes! good luck everyone that is going out and thanks for the congrats! i wonder how many casts i have made and how many hours i have put in trolling for this 50"? it is pretty sobering to think about! anyone notice the trolling motor in the water? it usually doesn't get too wet on my boat.

had a five fish morning fishing by myself and got my first ever measured 50"er! a front came through and bam i went 5 for 6 and left before 2pm. 4 of the fish came on the same lure including the big one. floating weeds were sort of an issue and water temp was 78 degrees. i took the fish out of the water for a pic b/c it was my first real 50 inch fish and i wanted a picture, all of the others never left the water and i know it would have been better not to lift it out but come on- i wanted a pic. right when i was ready to give up on this certain body of water it has given up a 48.5" and a 50" to me. when i saw the fish in the water as i was fighting it, it looked huge and i sort of got nervous but i got lucky and it was hooked well. thanks for letting me share my cool morning with you. so far- 13 muskies and 7 tigers on a Father's fishing schedule which means like once every 2 weeks if i am lucky. a person saw me fighting this fish and came over to grab a pic so that is where these first few came from. some of the smaller ones. i should have had more pics but when i went to take a picture of my big one the camera said memory card full. i panicked and just erased the last ones i had took to make room for more pics.

going back out tomarrow- have to be home by 10:30am so its conesus for me and chasing tigers. have been successful each time out so far so i need to keep the streak going! wanted to go to to the river or chaut- but that will have to wait.

good for you! looks nice and gold in the pic. congrats on the ski- those that size can be pretty scrappy, fight well? old man- do you still carry a tackle box?

i am guessing the Niagara by a fisherman that is decent and knowledgeable enough to keep the fish in the water so he knows good release.

i like the pic of the woman wearing the multi-colored flowered lay around here neck the best, forget about the eyes and the boat. looks like you guys have some slamming parties down there ray i am surprised you get any fishing/ boat work done.

sorry "on the lam" those are the new digital camo pants ray is modeling. sorry but ray IS the fashion police in his neck of the woods.